Eleven Mile Canyon has one of the highest fish per mile counts on the south platte and holds rainbows, browns, cutbows and cutthroat.  Fish are gorgeous in this section and you can experience some excellent dry fly fishing during hatches.  Fishable year round, you can often sight fish to many of the trout in this section.  Some very large fish are caught here every year to the angler who gets lucky or works hard to find them.

The South Platte is Colorado’s primary river for fly fisherman.  There is more river access, tailwaters and fish on this river than you could explore in a year.  There is a ton of variety on this river.  Whether you want to catch high mountain brook trout in solitude, or hunt large trophy bows on tailwaters you can find it on the platte.  You can even chase carp and smallmouth bass in the heart of Denver.  Much of the water is protected and catch and release is almost always preferred and regulated.  It’s important to preserve this river and let fish go so they can grow.

 

Reservoirs of the South Platte

There are 6 reservoirs that dam the south platte.  Every reservoir except Antero provides a tailwater section below that is publically accessible  See the list below and their related tailwater sections.  These make up the majority of the fishable sections on the South Platte.

  • Antero Reservoir – Badger Basin (Low Flows)
  • Spinney Mountain Reservoir – Dream Stream Tailwater
  • Eleven Mile Reservoir – Eleven Mile Canyon Tailwater
  • Cheeseman Reservoir – Cheeseman Tailwater Canyon and Deckers Tailwater Section
  • Strontia Springs Reservoir – Waterton Canyon Tailwater
  • Chatfield Reservoir – Denver South Platte or DSP

Dream Stream Tailwater

Some of the biggest fish each year are caught here.  Fish over 30” have been landed during the spring and fall as the fish spawn and come out of eleven mile reservoir.  Large resident fish stay here as well and are tough but rewarding to catch.  There are a lot of fish in this section and though it can get crowded, it’s a rewarding place to fish.  Nearly 3 miles of public fishing are available from the tailwater below spinney mountain reservoir to the inlet of eleven mile reservoir.  During the fall Kokanee run up the river as well giving you a chance to catch them on the fly.  Though there is some good dry fly fishing from time to time, it is sporadic and this section is most commonly a nymph fishery.

Wildcat Canyon

A tough hike in and out, wildcat canyon has a lot of fishable water that remains fairly untouched throughout the year.  Most people don’t fish it because of the name (which is accurate, lots of cougars up here) and because it’s a long hike and there is ample fishing closer.  You either pass over eleven mile canyon and dream stream or you pass over cheeseman canyon and deckers, all of which are world-class fisheries.  Stuck in the middle it’s likely the canyon holds good fish, but few make the effort.  Browns and rainbows live here and they range from 12” to 16” most of the time with a few getting bigger.  Plan accordingly before access this rugged section and be in good shape to make the trip for the day.  Not a great idea to get stuck in cougar town overnight.