In this report
83 CFS: Low but Workable, if You Pick Your Water
At 83 CFS, Eleven Mile Canyon is running below its typical 50–150 range and well south of the ideal 150–250 window for dry-fly work. That’s the reality, and it matters. The upside: this flow is still fishable and won’t demand the technical wading of a true low-water emergency. The catch: fish will be concentrated in the deeper slots and slower seams where current still moves them food, and they’ll spook faster in shallow, slow water. Your casting distance needs to stretch, your step needs to tighten, and your fly choice needs to match what little current exists to present it naturally.
The good news is that 47°F water temperature keeps fish metabolically reasonable for November. They’re not gorging, but they’re eating deliberately when the right fly drifts past. This is midge season, and at this flow, the midges aren’t going anywhere—they’re still the workhorse hatch, and the lower water actually concentrates both the bugs and the fish that eat them.
Midges Rule; Know Where to Find Them
At this stage of November, black midges dominate the Eleven Mile tailwater. You’ll see #20–24 emergers and adults, especially during the warmest part of the afternoon when a little cloud cover or weak sun can trigger activity between roughly 1 and 3 p.m. Occasional BWOs might show on overcast afternoons, but don’t bet the day on them—midges are the primary hatch and the safest play.
On Eleven Mile’s pocket water and pools, midges behave like they do everywhere on tailwaters: they emerge in slow water and along current seams, not in the hardest riffles. At 83 CFS, the moderate runs and softer edges of the deep slots are your midge zones. The pocket water is still worth fishing, but expect more midges in the pools and slicks than in the faster, broken stuff. Early in the day, before the water warms, nymphing the deep slots with small emergers will outfish dries by a margin. As the afternoon inches toward the brief warm window, watch for rise forms on the slower water—they’re usually subtle at midges this small.
How to Rig for 83 CFS
Start with a nymph approach and be ready to strip and rise to dries if the afternoon cooperates.
Nymph rig (the bread and butter this week): A #20 Mercury Midge or Barr’s Black Beauty as your point fly, dead-drifted on a tight line or under a small indicator, 16–20 inches deep in the main slots. Split shot is essential at this flow—add one or two small AAA pellets about 18 inches up the line to reach the bottom without dragging badly. Tippet: 5X fluorocarbon from your 4X main tippet. Eleven Mile’s wild and stocked browns and rainbows aren’t leader-shy at this temperature, but the water is clear and the fish are spooky, so 5X is a fair trade between invisibility and enough backbone to turn over a size 20 in a breeze.
Drop a #22 RS2 emerger or a second small black midge as a dropper 12 inches below your point fly. Emergers often outfish nymphs this time of year because fish are keyed on insects in transition. Fish both flies on the drift and don’t hesitate to let the rig swing slightly at the end of the drift—that swing often draws a grab.
Dry-fly rig (if afternoon warming triggers rises): A #22 Black Beauty or Zebra Midge as your dry, with a #24 midge emerger or tiny parachute as a dropper 8–10 inches behind. This combo lets you fish a visible dry while covering subsurface emergers, which is especially valuable when rises are sparse and irregular. Stay with 5X tippet; the smaller dries demand fine diameter, and the water will support it if your drag is clean.
Where to Spend Your Time at This Flow
The 3.8-mile Quality Waters segment from the dam down to Wagon Tongue Gulch Road holds all the water type on Eleven Mile, and at 83 CFS all of it is accessible—but not equally productive.
The pocket water nearest the dam is classic Eleven Mile: tight, broken, cobbled runs with current breaks and small pools tucked behind boulders. It’s beautiful water and holds fish, but at this flow the current is thin and fish are less likely to hold in the shallowest pockets. Fish the deeper water on the right side of these runs, the slots between the big rocks where current still digs. Wade deliberately here; the rocks are slick, and spooking fish in shallow, slow water is the quickest way to waste time.
As you move downstream, the canyon opens into longer pools and slower runs along the roadside access. This is where you’ll find the densest midge activity. The deeper pools hold the most fish at low flow—they’re the refuge zones—and they’re also where the afternoon midge emergences concentrate. Fish the head of these pools tight to current seams, and don’t overlook the glassy, slow water along the inside bends. That’s where midges gather and where cautious fish feed in low water.
The tailouts at the lip of each pool are worth a cast or two, but at 83 CFS they’re not premium water. Fast, shallow, and thin—fish move through them but don’t linger. Don’t waste an hour here when a 50-yard pool 100 yards downstream is loaded.
Stewardship: Temperature and Pressure
At 47°F, the water is cool enough that fish aren’t stressed by low flow, but it’s not so cold that you have carte blanche to land them hard and keep them out of water. November crowds are light on Eleven Mile—the parking lot will have room, and the roadside access means you won’t elbow through other anglers—so there’s room to be thoughtful. Wet your hands before handling fish, keep them in the water as much as possible, and if a fish comes off midway, let it be. Multiple hookups stress fish in cold water.
The $11 day-use fee is due at the entrance station; an annual pass is $100 and covers unlimited visits. Plan to be here mid-morning through mid-afternoon this week to catch the warmest part of the day and any midge activity that follows.