In this report
The Low-Water Grind: What 79 CFS Means Right Now
We’re sitting at 79 CFS, which is firmly below the typical 50–150 range for this water and well south of the 150–250 window where Eleven Mile really opens up for dry-fly work. That’s not a disaster—it’s August on a tailwater that runs narrow and pocket-heavy by design—but it’s a week where fish are concentrated, spooky, and your fly placement matters more than your casting distance.
The upshot: wading is straightforward (you’ll barely feel it), but the fish know you’re coming. The tailwater below the dam doesn’t have the volume right now to give you room for error. Water temps are worth checking before you go—low flows + August sun = potential stress, especially if you plan to be out midday. Early morning and evening are not suggestions; they’re where the fishing lives this week.
Tricos and Midges Dominate; PMD Emergers Fill the Gaps
August’s primary hatch here is still the Trico spinner fall, and at this flow it matters more than usual. The spinners come off early—typically 7–9 a.m.—and they’re small, #20–24, which means they sit flush in the film and demand a light hand and a long tippet. Bring 6X or even 7X for the dry if you’re seeing active risers in the pools and slower water near the dam. At 79 CFS, those pools hold fish more densely than they would at higher water, so a good Trico spinner imitation (something sparse and low-profile, not overdressed) will earn you multiple opportunities in a short stretch.
After the spinners crash by mid-morning, switch to subsurface work. Black Beauty midges and zebra midges in #22–24 are the year-round workhorses here, and they’re particularly effective when light flows push fish into the deepest slots. Fish them as a dropper off a heavier anchor—a small Barr’s Establishment or Mercury Midge in #20—to feel the bottom without harassing it. The small stuff (#22–24) sits just above the substrate where August midges are densest.
PMD emergers in #18 belong in your dropper combo this week too. PMD activity slows in August, but emergence never fully stops on a tailwater, and at low flow the emerger nymph hanging in the mid-column catches fish that won’t rise to a dry. Rig it 18–24 inches below a heavier anchor (split shot 8–12 inches above the point fly if you need to tick the bottom), and work the deeper pockets and runs where the current shelves off. Keep your tippet at 4X or 5X here—you need enough stiffness to transmit feel through the shot and anchor, and fish in low water are not leader-shy once you’re on the water.
In the evening, watch for terrestrials: ants and beetles in #12–14, hoppers if the day’s been warm. Drift them tight to the banks and overhanging vegetation. Eleven Mile’s canyon road runs so close to the water that overhanging brush and undercut banks are real, and at low flow, fish hug those edges. A #14 hopper or a small ant pattern twitched occasionally will draw strikes you won’t get any other way.
The Rigging and Tactics for 79 CFS
Here’s the rig that will work this week: anchor fly (Barr’s Establishment or Mercury Midge #20) + dropper (Black Beauty or PMD emerger #18–22, 18 inches back) + split shot (one small shot 8–10 inches above the point), tight-line or with a small yarn indicator on the butt section if visibility is poor.
Why tight-line? At 79 CFS, you’re fishing short distances—the current won’t carry a nymph team far before the angle gets too wide—and you’ll feel hits better than you’ll see them in an indicator. If you do use an indicator, make it small (a nip of yarn, not a bobber) so it doesn’t spook shallow-water fish. The pockets and runs near the dam respond to subtle presentations. Big indicators belong downstream at higher flow.
The deep slots—the darker, more confined runs between the pocket-water chaos—are where your time pays off. Fish them slowly. At 79 CFS, a good drift is not a fast drift. Work each run twice: once with a straight dead-drift, once with a slight twitch on the lift. The twitch triggers emergers and small nymphs.
The shallower, faster water—the riffles and choppy seams—is secondary this week. Not fishless, but the fish are concentrated in the deeper slots because low flow makes shallow habitat marginal. Skip the gravel runs and spend your time where the water is darkest and deepest.
Tippet: 4X for nymphs, 5X for dropping to small dries (PMD dry or Trico emerger patterns), 6X or 7X for Trico spinners in the surface film. At low flow, fish are spooky but not paranoid about tippet diameter—they’re just looking for something that doesn’t move unnaturally. A precise cast and a natural drift matter more than thread-thin tippet.
Access and Fish Welfare
The $11 day-use fee at the entrance station is your ticket to 3.8 miles of Quality Waters from the dam down to Wagon Tongue Gulch Road. The road itself parallels the river closely, and pullout access is straightforward—this is not a bushwhack river. That said, August afternoons can be brutal at altitude; fish early and late. If you’re midday, keep your hands wet and play fish quickly. At 79 CFS and warm-water risk, catch-and-release is not a casualty-free activity—it’s a contract to minimize air time and handle stress.
The old Colorado Midland Railway bed is visible from the road if you’re curious about the canyon’s history, but focus on the water. This section is small and intimate; respect the fish and the other anglers who’ll be there.
Get on the water early. The fishing is real this week, but it’s a low-flow game, and that means timing and precision beat volume.