In this report
Flow Is Below the Sweet Spot—Fish the Tight Seams and Don’t Waste Time in the Flats
We’re at 123 CFS right now, which puts us solidly at the low end of Eleven Mile’s typical 50–150 CFS range. That’s not a crisis—the canyon has been fishing through similar flows all spring—but it’s not ideal either. The good news is straightforward: at this level, fish are concentrated and not scattered across a wide bench. The hard truth is that wading is easier and holding water is tighter, which means you’re either on the money or nowhere at all.
The real consequence is temperature and fish mood. When flow drops below 150 CFS on a tailwater fed from deep reservoir cold, the water slows and warms slightly, and trout bunch up in the few prime current breaks where oxygen and food flow remain consistent. Eleven Mile’s pocket water and pools—the character that makes this canyon different from the Dream Stream or Cheesman downstream—become even more defined at this flow. You’ll fish better in 30 minutes by working three serious pockets than by drifting across an expanse of softer water. The fish that are feeding are in the seams. The fish that aren’t aren’t moving far to chase a fly.
PMDs Are the Headline—Expect Late Morning Emergence, Small Dries, and Dry-Dropper Rigs
June is Pale Morning Dun season across Colorado, and Eleven Mile is no exception. The emergence typically begins around 10 a.m. and runs into early afternoon, peaking when the sun is well above the canyon walls and hitting the water. These are small flies—#16 and #18 is your range, period. Don’t go smaller out of habit; #18 is adequate and better balanced for the current and fish selectivity you’ll see here.
The emergence itself is staggered and often selective. Trout will rise to duns, but the better play on this water is a dry-dropper rig: a #18 PMD dry on top (Parachute Adams or a more specific pattern like a Sparkle Dun), with a #18 PMD emerger tied two feet below on a 4X or 5X tippet. The emerger does most of the work—these fish are catching nymphs in the film and ascending duns, and a bug caught in that transition is what they see most often. When you see a rise, you’re often hitting a fish that was actually eating emergers, not the dun on the surface.
Midge fishing remains constant underneath. Black Beauties and Mercury Midges in #20–22 are not an alternative to the PMD game; they’re what’s happening between emergences and what keeps fish feeding all day in the slow slots. A tight-line rig with a #20 zebra midge as your point fly and a small dark PT nymph as a dropper will cash checks in the deep, slower-moving water against the far bank and in the pools where the current relaxes.
Caddis show up in the evenings—#14 and #16—but don’t plan your day around them. They’re a bonus bite if you’re still there at dusk. The morning and midday focus is PMDs and midges, period.
Rig Tight and Fish Vertical in the Pockets
At 123 CFS, your approach needs to tighten. Here’s what works:
Dry-dropper setup (midday, when PMDs are emerging): Tie a #18 PMD dry to a 4X tippet. Attach a 24-inch section of 5X below the bend of the hook (use a surgeon’s knot or loop-to-loop connector). Tie a #18 PMD emerger to the end of that 5X. Fish this as a dead-drift through the current breaks—the seams where fast water pinches around a rock or where pocket water shows a clear current line. You’re not nymphing; you’re drifting both flies in the water column, tight to the surface. When a trout intercepts either fly, you’ll feel it and set up.
Nymph rig (all day, especially in slower water): Use a Barr’s-style anchor fly—a #16 or #18 dark PT or Hare’s Ear—as your point fly on 4X. Add 12 to 18 inches of 5X and tie a #20 zebra midge or small dark emerger. Split shot: place one small BB shot about 8 inches above the point fly. This lets you tick the bottom of the deeper slots and pools without hanging up constantly. Use a tight-line indicator (a small piece of yarn or a Thingamabobber clipped to your tippet 18 inches from the point fly) so you can feel strikes and maintain contact without excessive weight.
At this flow, the shallow riffles that look prime in high water are actually unproductive. Waste no time there. Work the water where the canyon narrows, where pocket water is obvious, and where you can see the current stack and accelerate. These are your zones.
Access Is Easy, but Fish the Shade and Respect the Season
The road access parallels the river closely all the way through the Quality Waters section, and the pullouts make it simple to park and walk short distances to the water. That’s a luxury compared to many Colorado tailwaters. Use it to your advantage: stop at pullouts that give you clear sight of the pockets and seams you want to fish. A five-minute walk to a specific run beats a half-hour bash through brush.
One logistics note: at 123 CFS and early June, water temperature is stable and fish stress is not acute, but don’t ignore it. Eleven Mile’s deep-reservoir cold is a gift—it keeps this water fishable when lowland tailwaters are marginal—but it also means trout have limited energy budgets. Fish efficiently, keep your drifts tight and relevant, and move on if a pocket doesn’t produce in two or three passes. Thrashing water doesn’t earn you anything here; precision does.
Remember the $11 day-use fee at the entrance station (or $100 annual). This is a Forest Service road, not a state park, and the fee covers maintenance and access. Cash or card both work.
Tight lines this week.