In this report
Flow at 75: Low and Tight, But Still Fishable
At 75 CFS, Eleven Mile is running well below its typical 50–150 band and nowhere near the 150–250 window where dry-fly work really opens up. This is tight-quarters water right now, and you need to accept that plainly going in. The upside: fish are concentrated, not scattered across a wide river. The downside: they’re spooky, the holding lies are small and specific, and your margin for error on approach is razor-thin.
What this means practically: the deep slots and pockets that normally hold fish at moderate flow are now THE only game. The shallower side channels and broken water that can produce during higher flows are mostly too thin to hold anything worth the wade. Your wading is easier—the rocks are more exposed, the current less pushy—but that ease is deceptive. Move slowly. Wade upstream and approach from below or the side. Forty feet of good casting distance with a drag-free drift beats twenty feet of careless wading that sends a bow wave ahead of you.
Water temperature at 52°F is still reasonable for early October. Cold enough that fish aren’t lethargic, warm enough that you’re not in the desperation phase. Don’t baby yourself; this is good fall fishing weather. Fish are feeding, not merely surviving.
Midges and Fall BWOs: The October Pillars
October on a Colorado tailwater belongs to midges and fall baetis—and Eleven Mile runs true to form. Midges are the permanent fixture here, year-round, and they’ll be your confidence fly all week. Fall BWOs (#20–22) are the secondary hatch, showing up on overcast days and staying a bit longer as the month deepens.
Start with midge emergers in #20–24. A black-body Mercury Midge or Zebra Midge works as a searching pattern, but if fish are keyed to the hatch, an RS2 emerger or a tight, dark two-tone pattern (black thorax, gray abdomen) will outperform a generic charcoal stick. The fall BWOs, when they do appear, will be smaller and grayer than their spring cousins—think #20–22, not the #16–18 you might throw in April. Both hatches are subtle on this water; size and silhouette matter more than flash.
Expect midge activity throughout the day, with minor peaks mid-morning and again late afternoon. Fall BWOs will show themselves mainly on gray days, typically between late morning and early afternoon. A partly sunny day like this week’s forecast shuts down BWO emergence fast. Adjust accordingly: if the sun stays out, keep midge patterns on point and don’t waste energy hunting for a BWO rise that isn’t going to happen.
The Rig: Tight-Line Nymphing for Low, Clear Water
At 75 CFS and with this water’s tight lie structure, indicator fishing can work, but tight-line nymphing will out-fish it. You’re not fishing deep columns; you’re ticking the bottom of narrow slots and feeling takes through the line. That sensitivity wins when fish are few and finicky.
The setup: Use a small anchor fly—a Barr’s Ugly or a slightly weighted black midge pupa in #20—as your point fly. Tie 18–24 inches of 5X tippet below it, then attach your emerger (a Mercury Midge, RS2, or small black-and-tan nymph in #22–24) as a dropper. This gives you a weighted base that finds the bottom and a lighter, more natural-looking pattern that drifts ahead of it and takes most of the strikes.
Weight placement: A single split shot on the line 8–10 inches above the anchor fly gets you to the bottom quickly without overdoing it. At this flow, you don’t need buckshot; you need finesse. If you’re ticking rocks every third cast, you’re in the zone. If you’re constantly snagging, back off.
Tippet: 5X for the main rig, 6X for the dropper if the water is clear and the fish are shy—which they will be at this low flow. You’ll lose a few flies, but you’ll land fish that would refuse a heavier tippet.
Casting and drifting: Fish tight to the bank, especially on the far side where current slows. Work the water in tight segments—ten to fifteen feet at a time—because at this flow, any fish worth its oxygen is holding within a rod’s length of structure. Drift tight to a rock, a root wad, or a current seam. Don’t throw long and hope; throw short and accurate.
Where to Spend Your Time
The 3.8-mile designated catch-and-release section immediately below the dam is your water. Don’t overlook the water closest to the dam itself—it’s less pressured than mid-canyon, and because it’s where the tailrace widens into the first real holding structure, fish often linger there. The pocket water and pools as you move downstream are the spine of Eleven Mile’s fish-holding water, and at 75 CFS every pool is productive. The side channels and gentler runs that can fish well at higher flows are mostly too thin right now to justify your time.
The canyon road parallels the river closely, so access is straightforward from pullouts and roadside parking. Take your time finding a section that looks promising, then slow down. One good, thoroughly worked pool beats three mediocre ones.
Logistics and Stewardship
Remember the $11 per-vehicle day-use fee at the entrance station—this is a US Forest Service site (Pike-San Isabel), not a Colorado State Parks area. An annual pass is $100 if you’re a regular. Pay it and support the site’s management.
At 52°F, fish stress is low even at low flow, so you have some latitude on fight time and handling. Still, practice catch-and-release discipline: wet your hands before touching fish, keep them in the water as much as possible, and release them gently. Early fall is a good time to fish hard, but not to abuse fish that will be vulnerable to winter stress in a few weeks.
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Tight lines.