I have the chance to fish Eleven Mile Canyon (South Platte River) in the next couple of weeks. All of my fly fishing has been bass, carp and bluegill fishing in small creeks and the Brazos River. What do I need to know to help me catch some trout. I plan on stopping at Angler's Covey in CO Springs before I head to the river. Any help to a trout fishing newbie will be appreciated.

Thanks

Bubbadoc
you have the best advice- go by that fly shop and see what's working for them and where. I fished below Spinney back at the beginning of June and found it to super fishing. Eleven mile is part of this. "dream stream" If you're not versed in mending lines- you'll need to learn or things can go rough. Maybe take a lesson or two?

anyway have fun.

Les

I was in Colorado Springs a few years ago. I went to Angler's Covey for license, flies and advice. They were helpful with all 3. I don't remember what they recommended, but they would be up on the current hatch.

I'm not much of a trout fisherman, but as far as the actual technique...

I just look for irregularities in the water. Where does the water look different, and try to present a fly that will run through the transition between the 2. Trout have to wait for their food to come to them. So where is the water carrying the other floating stuff? And if you had to continuously swim, you would find places that the water wasn't moving quite as fast. Where those 2 things meet, there will be a trout.

Stop by anglers covey or the peak fly shop. I fished 11mile a lot for the past two years while I was stationed there. In those 2 years, 98% of my fishing was done with a 10' TFO BVK 3wt. I would start out with either a Pink Squirel in size 12 or 14 with a size 20 or 22 RS2 or olive WD40. I would also throw in a San Juan Worm with one of the same two as a dropper, both set ups fished under a indicator. For the surface I would use a sailed 14 parachute Adams or a Parachute BWO with a RS2, WD40, or a size 20 Trico Spinner. Some other flies that I used were #18 Rainbow Warrior, # 14-18 Gunslinger for nymphs. Anna's Ant, Orange Humpy, yellow and orange stimulators for dries. I have posts and pictures on the UL Fly fishing forum. As for technique, cast into the current seams, pockets in front of and behind rocks and logs. I always started at Springer Gulch and worked my way up to below the dam.

If this is your first time fly fishing for trout, you are going to one of the hardest places to catch them! EMC fish are schooled pretty heavily by Denverites. Good hatches right now, pretty good flow. Dries early and late and nymphing mid-day. If you are there for a few weeks, give the Dream Stream a shot too, it is above eleven mile reservoir.

And yes, as always, stop in a local fly shop, buy a few flies and get some good intel. The Canyon is gorgeous but can be pretty hot -take water with you.

Good luck.

Made it out to 11 mile canyon today. Fished 8 hours with one hookup. Felt like a pretty good fish then my knot broke and was my last black and white midge. Unfortunately it seams that was all they were hitting. There are fish everywhere in that river but if you don't have the right fly they will just swim on by. Turned around once and had 10 rainbows stacked up behind me about two feet away. Guess I was blocking the current for them. Was a buetiful setting to fish anyway.

Found out that trout fishing is a lot different than fly fishing for bass.

Fishing was great. Catching not so much.

If you are novice to trout and fish for bass. I would also check out the baron looking plains stretch above spinney and just fast strip a black bugger. My buddy and I were driving past all these public access points and got to two or three before the town and finally said let's just give it a try even though it looks worthless I came around a bend and spooked fish pushing a wake and literally thought they were carp. Put on a black bugger and charged it immediately and a 19 inch snake River cut smashed it. We worked a long stretch of rather bland looking river after that caught a lot of really nice fish.

In many circles, its called the "San Juan shuffle". The angler, sometimes unknowingly, stirs up a feeding buffet of insects by shuffling their feet in the bottom rocks. On the San Juan, it is illegal to fish into that "chum line" created by the angler. I've seen some truly remarkable fish lined up in that line.

Yes, trout fishing is very different from bass fishing, but its all good!

Enjoyed your report.

Yes it is all good. I saw fox, beaver and the largest heron (I guess, black and white) catch and eat about a 12 inch trout. I suppose he didn't know that stretch of river is catch and release only.

I'm certainly not complaining. The fishing gods have been very good to me. The week before we came to Colorado Springs the Brazos below Granbury was finally down to 400 cfs and was able to fish there for the first time in a month. Over the course of 4 days caught and released well over 100 stripers from 12 to 24 inches out of one spot. About as much fun as you can have on a five weight.

I will continue to look for that first wild Colorado trout.

Bubba - get out of the canyon and head to the Dream Stream below Spinney reservoir. Tiny bugs. Big fish. If you just want to catch a wild trout, look up Tomahawk SWA above Spinney. LOts of 8-12" browns.

I told you Eleven Mile Canyon was tough Get into the meadow portions of the South Platte.... better chance to stick a substantial trout.

Flies on the Dream Stream - small midges (18-24), small caddis, or strip a black bugger with an Rs2 behind it. Flies for Tomahawk - any size 14-20 dry fly with a zebra midge dropper. Good luck.

golfer
went to Tomahawk this year- lots of fish!

Les

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately in Amarillo right now headed back to Granbury. Will definitely do next time.

Thanks

I fished the canyon for two years while stationed there. Substantial fish are there. Just need the right flies and techniques. I don't recall a day that I didn't land at least a 16" rainbow, brown or cutthroat, even when it was -11� and only about a 1/4 mile below the dam not iced over.

Looks like I'm a little late on the response (I hope you had a great trip), however I think this is worth mentioning. In my opinion the single greatest difference between bass and trout fishing is line control to get a good drift. It is imperative to learn how to mend properly, and thus present the fly in a natural state.