In this report
Flow Is Down—Fish Accordingly
We’re sitting at 97 CFS right now, which puts us well below the typical 50–150 baseline for this tailwater and nowhere near the 150–250 sweet zone where Eleven Mile really opens up. That’s not a crisis—this canyon has fished lower—but it means the game changes. The fish are compressed into the deeper holding water. Wading is easy, almost too easy; the threat isn’t your boots, it’s spooking the trout because every footfall sends ripple through half the width of the creek. This is a week where stealth matters as much as fly choice.
The good news: low water usually means the fish are less aggressive but more catchable if you approach them right. The bad news: water temps in August on a skinny flow can spike into the high 60s by afternoon, especially given the canyon walls and the summer sun angle. Check the temperature where you’re fishing. If it climbs above 68°F, you’re doing the fish a favor by leaving them alone after midday. This week, plan to be on the water early and consider wrapping up by 1 p.m., even though that feels short. The trout will thank you, and so will your hookup rate.
Midges and Tricos Anchor the Week
At this flow and this time of year, midges remain the workhorse here—they’re hatching year-round on this tailwater, and the diminished flow actually concentrates them in the pockets and soft seams where trout hold. Black Beauty patterns, mercury midges, and zebra midges in sizes #20–24 will catch fish all day, particularly in the deeper slots where you’d expect to find structure. Midge emergers are equally productive; an RS2 in #22 or #24 fished tight to the bottom is a reliable confidence fly when nothing obvious is rising.
But don’t sleep on the Trico spinner falls, which are firing in the early mornings right now. If you’re there between dawn and roughly 9 a.m., watch for the threadbare little spinners on the water—they’re #20–24, dark, and they pile up in the slower edges and behind small boulders. Trico imitations work, but honest-to-god small black ants (#18–20) often outfish them because they’re more visible to the angler and nearly identical in profile. Fish them dead-drift in the soft water, and expect takes that are sometimes as subtle as the fly itself.
By afternoon, terrestrials take over: real ants and small beetles dislodged by heat off the canyon walls, plus the occasional hopper blown in from the surrounding slopes. An #18 or #16 ant or beetle dry, worked gently along the bank and through the slower margins, will draw unexpected rises in the midday lull when traditional nymph fishing goes quiet.
Rigging for Tight Water
At 97 CFS, you’ve got two effective approaches, and the choice depends on what the trout are doing when you arrive.
For nymphing: Go light and deep. Use a two-fly rig—a small Black Beauty or mercury midge (#22–24) on the point, with an #18 PMD emerger or a small Barr’s Graphic pattern as your upper fly, suspended 18 inches above it on a 12-inch dropper. Weight the anchor fly with a pinch of split shot placed about 6 inches up the tippet; this keeps your emerger at mid-depth while the bottom fly ticks along the substrate. Use 5X tippet (5X fluorocarbon if you have it, to reduce visibility in clear, low water), and fish a small indicator or switch to tight-line nymphing—at this flow, tight-lining often outproduces an indicator because you’re fishing such short distances and the reduced water volume makes strike detection nearly instantaneous. Focus on the deeper pocket water and the slower runs immediately below the riffles; the fish have nowhere else to be.
For dry fishing: Fish the spinner fall early (Tricos or ant imitations, #18–24), then pivot to a single larger terrestrial by late morning—an ant or small beetle in #16–18, cast upstream and allowed to drift without manipulation through the quieter seams. Use 5X tippet here too; the trout in low, clear water are finicky about visibility. Cast upstream and across, mend as needed to keep a natural drift, and expect hits that are sometimes just a subtle mouth. On this narrow, slow water, a reach cast that lands your fly slightly upstream and across the current is often more effective than a straight upstream cast.
Where to Fish This Week
The roadside pullouts along the 3.8-mile quality-water stretch are your friend at this flow. Don’t feel pressured to hike back into unmarked terrain; the accessible pockets and runs visible from the pullouts are concentrated and fishable. Focus on anywhere the current breaks around a mid-stream rock or log—those pockets often hold a trout or two even at 97 CFS, because they offer the least-demanding path for water and food. The deeper slots along the far bank are also productive, though wading to them requires careful approach; long casts from your bank and careful foot placement matter.
The transition zones between riffles and pools are less valuable than usual at this flow; the energy isn’t there to push food into the slower water, so the trout stay where the current delivers it. Stick with the pocket water and the gentle runs fed by that current.
Access and Cost
Day-use fee is $11 per vehicle ($100 annual pass available)—pay at the entrance station. This is a US Forest Service fee, not a state parks pass; don’t arrive expecting a Colorado Parks and Wildlife pass to cover it. The road parallels the river closely and is easily drivable; you’ll find pullouts and walk-down access throughout the 3.8-mile designated stretch. Bring water, sunscreen, and a thermometer if you’re serious about fish welfare in low-water August.