April 11, 2024
The South Platte River – 11 Mile Canyon (The Road Hole to the Idlewild Run).
A beautiful section of water at the lower end of the Beaver Run.
Flows: 131 cfs.
Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent (1% illumination).
Water Temp: 42F @ 9a.
Water clarity: Ver clear.
Air Temp: 27F @ 8:30a – 57F @ 4p.
Hatches: Midge: From 9a to late-morning. BWOs: about size 20, 12N to 4p (heavier after 2p).
Spawning: Redds spotted and a few of the locations had actively spawning rainbows.
Flies: #16 Guide's Choice Hare’s Ear, #20 Pheasant Tail, #22 Black Manhattan Midge, #22 Black Beauty, #20 Brassie, #22 Black Flashback RS2, #22 Stalcup Baetis, #20 Parachute BWO, #22 Black Matthew’s Sparkle Dun, #16 Caddis Pupae, #20 Black RS2, #20 Black Mercury Midge.
Top producers: Caddis Pupae, Black RS2, Mercury Midge, Black Flashback RS2, Brassie, Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear, Matthew’s Sparkle Dun.
Your's Truly fighting a big rainbow in the Beaver Run.
Brian Kenney.
Springtime in the Rockies. That’s a common refrain for people who live here. It’s in reference to the weather which can change in a heartbeat. We could have a horrific snowstorm, or a rain/snow mix, or a beautiful sunny day – or all of that during the same day!
This day was a beautiful sunny one. For the whole day.
Our destination was the South Platte River in 11 Mile Canyon – which is a stunningly beautiful place in any kind of weather. And the river that runs through it holds really nice trout – rainbows, browns, cutbows, and Snake River cutthroats.
A nice rainbow Brian netted in the Road Hole.
The Snake River cutthroats are a special treat. You don’t find them in too many rivers in Colorado. They are native to the Snake River Basin in Wyoming and Idaho. You can identify the Snake River Cutthroat by the distinctive small spots that cover most of their body and its fins are an orangish color, and as their name implies – they have a bright orange “cut” on their lower jaw. They were introduced to Colorado in the mid-1950s and flourish in clean, clear, cold mountain water.
This quote is from the North Fork Ranch – a private fly-fishing guide service on the Middle Fork of the South Platte River in Shawnee, Colorado “The Snake River Cutthroat Trout in Colorado are an enchanting species with a rich fly-fishing heritage. These trout spawn in clear mountain streams, displaying captivating reddening behaviors during the breeding season. Anglers are spellbound by their vibrant hues and playful nature, as these majestic fish can grow up to 20 inches or even more significantly”.
I think that sums it up. They are a thrill to catch – and to even see them in the water is a treat.
A Snake River Cutthroat trout. (You can see why they are captivating.)
Our day started at the Road Hole. The plan was to start there and work our way downstream. How far downstream would depend on the on what holes were open, how much success we were having along the way, and time. I was hoping to make it all the way down to the Idlewild Run. We don’t usually get that far downstream, but it has been a lot of fun when I’ve fished it a few times in the past.
The flows were up – at least for 11 Mile Canyon lately. There has been river construction downstream where the river exits the canyon, and the water department has been keeping the water level low to accommodate. The construction project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month and we can expect more traditional flow rates after that.
The canyon wall upstream of the Bridge Hole. (We started the day in the sunny section of the river.)
There was an angler in the primary Road Hole – position A – when we walked up to it, but there was room upstream at the bend and downstream of him. I had spotted several trout along the whole run as I walked along the road toward the hole.
Brian was ahead of me and positioned at the bend when I arrived. Before climbing down the embankment I scanned the river and noted several trout in the slow water – river right – near the bend. My plan was to fish farther upstream between the Brian and the #2 Bend Run. As I entered the river I asked Brian if he saw the trout in the slow water. He said he did, but for some reason he wasn’t interested in going after them and moved to the other side of the river. Maybe he saw some other fish and was going after them?
Since he left that spot open I decided to try for them. Midges where already in the air – the morning midge hatch was on. My nymphing rig was setup with a #16 Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear as my lead fly and following it I had a #22 Stalcup Baetis and a #22 Grey Sparkle Wing RS2. I replaced the RS2 with a #22 Black Beauty and left the others, and began to cast my flies into the riffles above the pool below.
Brian got this nice rainbow on his Caddis pupae in the Road Hole.
Brian Kenney.
I only had a .12g split shot on for weight but my rig was too heavy, getting stuck in the riffles. I took it off leaving only the Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear for weight. My flies were now drifting on point into the pool – and the fish ignored them. After several tries I changed my target fly to a #24 Black Manhattan Midge. That didn’t work either. Thinking my rig was still a bit too heavy, I changed out my Guide’s Choice for a #18 Pheasant Tail.
Still nothing.
Then I began to think about last week – getting sucked in by that big rainbow, trying all kinds of different tricks to fool him. I said to myself “The hell with these fish. There just not feeding” – and left. Brian had already left before me – said he was heading downstream.
That’s where I was heading.
An early morning rainbow begin released back into the Road Hole.
I pasted the guy in the primary spot and made it to a pool just below him when I spotted a couple of fish. I wasn’t intruding on the other guy’s space, but I asked him if he would mind if I went after a few trout in the pool. He didn’t mind and I first surveyed the water before casting my flies to the fish.
I could see some in the deep pool and at the end of it, and occasionally a few would move out in the faster water in front of me. After a few casts I wasn’t happy with the way my flies were drifting. They were swinging way out on top of the water – not enough weight. So I retied my rig, tying the Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear back on as my lead and followed it with a #20 Brassie and a #24 Black Manhattan Midge.
Selecting the Brassie was on a gut feel. I hadn’t fished one of them for a while and it’s tied with wire making it somewhat heavy. I thought it would help get my flies down into the zone. In fact after a few casts I found that I would have to add some mud for even more weight.
A good shot of baetis pupae extracted from a rainbow in the morning.
I was surprised that I needed more weight, but after I did I got my first hit. It was a nice rainbow that hit at the end of the pool, but he was able to break off. While I was retying my rig earlier, Brian had come back upstream and was now fishing the other side of the pool where he could see a handful of trout working in a small seam on his side of the river.
I was on the river-left side and a few cast after that first fish broke off I had another one on. This one was on tight lined and I fought him to below the pool where I finally netted him. A beauty of a rainbow about 17” or 18”. He took my Brassie. Glad I picked that one!
A hungry 20" rainbow. (Brian got this one in the Top Secret Hole.)
Brian Kenney.
It was somewhere around 10a and the midges were still hatching, and I was surprised to find a bunch of baetis in the belly of that rainbow. Yes there were a few midges too – but most of the insects were baetis pupae in various sizes. Even though the baetis weren’t yet hatching, they must have been active in the water and the trout were keying on them. At least that one was.
I would get another rainbow in that pool before I left – he also took the Brassie. Brian also netted a couple of rainbows. One took his #16 Caddis Pupae and the other took #20 Black Mercury Midge. Both of his - and mine – were in the 17” to 18” range. All were healthy, fat, and nicely colored – and fought above their weight.
I netted this beaut at the end of the Log Run.
My next stop was the Top Secret Hole. It’s located somewhere between the Road Hole and the Log Run. As I walked along the bank, river-left – I scanned the river to see if I could spot any fish. You can find fish all along this run, but from this vantage point you can only see the ones on this side of the river.
I only saw one trout – a nice rainbow in a slow pool of water below the huge boulder. I walked farther downstream along the bank before crossing the river to make sure I didn’t spook the rainbow. My plan was to go after him from the middle of the river, casting back toward the shore I just left and into the pool where the big rainbow was.
Once in position I casted into the pool but got no interest. Was he still there? I wasn’t sure. It was hard to see into the water from where I now was standing. Brian then walked up on the other side of the river and I mentioned that there was a nice rainbow along that side of the river. He looked into the water just upstream from the pool I was targeting and said he can see a nice one in front of him.
Another nice rainbow Brian took out of the Road Hole.
Brian Kenney.
The rainbow must have moved a bit upstream, and Brain was in a better position to go after him so I left him to it and moved upstream to Position A. There are boulders that line the middle of the river with fast water flowing over them forming the pool – Position A. That’s where I find most of the fish in this run.
This time I couldn’t see any fish in the pool. Hmm. Sometimes I find them above the boulders and in the riffles above the pool on the river-left side of the river. And sometimes near the log that lays in the river above the pool river-right. I first checked above the boulders – no fish in sight. Then I waded a bit upstream to see if I could spot any fish hanging out near the log. It was tricky wading over slippery boulders and under tree branches that were overhanging the riverbank.
While I was trying to get into position near the log I saw Brian netting a nice rainbow. He was able to fool that nice one we saw in the pool. And it was a nice one indeed – a 20” beauty. He got it on his #20 Black RS2.
A rainbow that took my Guide's Choice Hare's Ear at the bottom of the Log Run.
Now in position I could make out two nice trout in a pool of slow water right in front of the log. This would be a tricky cast and drift, and it would be even trickier to land the fish if I could get one of them to take. I casted upstream into a seam of faster water that was flowing into the small pool above the log. After a couple casts it was evident that I need a bit more line.
I stripped more line out and raised my rod to cast back into the seam and just then a gust of wind came up and took my flies into the tree that was overhanging the riverbank. That’s one thing about fishing in 11 Mile Canyon – it’s often windy here! My flies were stuck on a branch high up in the tree – I couldn’t reach them.
I had a couple of choices – none of them ideal, but I decided to stand on one of the boulders and reach into the tree and try to pull the branch down so that I could get to my flies. Somehow that worked!
A cutbow. (A rainbow/cutthroat hybrid species. Both species spawn at the same time.)
Brian Kenney.
Back in position with all my flies intact I peered into the hole to see if the fish were still there. One was – and it was a nice size one. I watched as my flies drifted into the pool and the fish made a move in their direction. I set the hook not knowing fully if he was going after my flies or not, and was now fighting a nice trout.
As expected, he bolted toward the fast riffles in the middle of the river on the other side of the log. Did I foul hook him or did he take one of my flies? I wasn’t sure but I didn’t want to go to all the trouble it would take to move out and fight him only to find out he was foul hooked. So I lifted my rod to see what was what – and found that he took one of my flies.
As I raised my rod his head came up out of the water in the riffles. He was violently shaking it to get free. The tension caused by my raised rod, the current, and his head shakes caused the fly to let loose. Just like that, a big trout – species unknown – gone!
Even though I lost that fish – I found that it was a fun experience. Just being able to anticipate where the fish was and to find him. Then to get him to take. It was all exciting.
Brian got this picture of a rainbow he just released.
Brian Kenney.
After that I left the Top Secret Hole and headed downstream. Brian was now in the Log Run casting to a few fish he could see. I walked past him and headed to the very end of the run which is at the bend of the river above the Bridge Hole – also referred to as The Tubes.
In this part of the run is a small seam of riffles that flow river-left around the small island and into a pool of slower water. The island itself is nothing more than a gravel bar and at higher flows is completely submerged. At these flows part of the island was still above water.
The fun thing about fishing this run is I usually find big rainbows and browns in the riffles just above the drop off into the pool. You can watch them as they hit your fly – then you set the hook and hang on!
A brownie I got at the bottom of the Log Run.
This time I didn’t see any fish in the riffles but spotted some in the pool. They were moving about and I casted into the riffles letting my flies drift into the middle of the pool. As I was getting into position, I noticed something huge laying near a submerged boulder next to me. At first it looked like a big snake. I wasn’t going to let whatever it was keep me from going after the trout I could see, so I ignored it.
As I moved to get a better drift, I spooked the snake looking thing and it swam into the pool. As it did I could see that it wasn’t a snake but a huge carp easily over 30” – and beat up with a bunch of marks all over his body. Earlier Brian had said he saw a huge fish that looked like a beat-up rainbow swim by him. I’m not sure if this was the same fish or not, but it fit the description.
I finally got one of the trout to hit and was fighting what I thought was a nice brownie. As I was fighting him, a guy downstream of me was congratulating me on hooking up that bad boy. Said he tried that spot earlier but couldn’t get anything to hit. Then the fish broke off!
We moved into the Beaver Run in the afternoon - after it warmed up.
I would end up getting a brownie out of there though. A 17” to 18” brown that looked prehistoric, it was beat up with a kyped jaw. Kinda ugly. I would also get a couple of rainbows and a Snake River Cutthroat out of the hole. They all took my Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear and all of them were in the same 17” to 18” range.
As mentioned earlier, the Snake River Cutthroat are a real treat to just see in the river and it’s even more of a treat to land one. Usually you can readily spot them in the water with their bright coloration on their fins, but I couldn’t make this one out and at first wasn’t sure what I had hooked up until I got him closer to me. A real beauty and I was excited to net him.
My next stop was the Bridge Hole – AKA The Tubes. I could see fish in the pools of water below the weir, but they would move out as my flies drifted to them. Obviously indicator shy. I then moved downstream into the pocket water. As I scanned the river I spotted a rainbow in a pool behind some submerged boulders. On the second cast into the pool my flies drifted to him and he hit. I set the hook and had him on for a brief fight – then he broke off.
Another nice rainbow - got her in the Idlewild Run.
It was lunchtime and I took a break eating streamside - taking in my surroundings and watching the river, As I did I saw a rainbow come up and take an adult off the surface. It was enough to convince me to to try my Hopper/Dropper when I was done eating. After getting into position and making several on point drifts without a take I gathered my stuff and headed farther downstream.
I had lost sight of Brian but thought he’d be in the Beaver Run. As I approached it I saw two other anglers in the run and Brian was still nowhere to be found. I moved down below the two guys and began to cover some of the pools, seams, pockets, and braids. There were a lot of fishermen out and you had to take what you could – so I covered this part even though I didn’t spot any fish.
As I was covering the run, Brian came up and said he went down as far as the Island Run and saw some fish but couldn’t get them to hit. It was somewhere around 1p and the BWO were now making a presence – we could see them in the air. Brian decided to take a lunch break and sat streamside while I continued fished the run.
A hungry looking male.
At one point I saw a fish in a small pool of water and began to cast to him. In the river if you watch a certain spot for a minute or so, there will be a “window” that flows by that provides a clear view into the water. Kinda like the 7th wave in an ocean is always the biggest – or so I’ve heard.
Anyway, as I was casting to that fish a “window” provided a clear view into another pool of water and out of the corner of my eye I saw what appeared to be a large trout. Excited, I moved to get a better view and on the next window – I saw him. A big rainbow. On my second cast into the pool, my indicator paused and I set the hook – hard.
BAM – BAM!
We found some fish rising in the glassy water along the bank of the Beaver Run.
It felt like I hooked a log. “Was that the big guy? Did I get him?” Those were my thoughts as I began to fight this bad boy. Then I could see him in the water, and it was the big guy – GAME ON! This fish was big and strong, and it was giving me all I could handle. Brian stopped eating and came out in the river – net in hand – to help.
I had the fish across from me and he was just sitting there in the current. Not really fighting and I was fine with that thinking that he would tire in the current. Then he would take a run and I’d get him back to sitting across from me. After a while Brian would comment “are you ever going to land this fish?”
As I got him closer in, he saw me and took off again. I was determined not to lose this guy – he was too nice of fish. He made several more runs and then began to tire. My arm aching, I got his head out of the water and as I got him close to the net I couldn’t hold it up out of the water – he was too heavy. Head back in the water, he made yet another run.
This picture says it all!
Brain Kenney.
This went on for some time, but I finally got him in the net. His big body taking up most of it. As I netted him the guy downstream of me says “Holy cow – that’s a huge fish” and came up to inspect him as I brought him to the shore. It was a fat, slabby, 21” beauty of a rainbow. He took my #22 Black Flashback RS2. I tied this one on when I noticed the BWO in the air.
Brian and I “taped” him – measured him with my tape measure. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has a Master Certificate Program that recognizes fishermen for catching fish of a certain size. In order to be considered you have to measure the fish with a tape measure and submit a picture of it to them. The qualifying length for a rainbow is 24”. We measured him according to the procedures for practice.
I didn’t get a Master Fly-fishing Certificate for that big rainbow – but I got a lot of satisfaction out of catching him!
Thrilling.
Another Snake River Cutthroat - got this one on a dry in the Beaver Run.
I was recently reading a brochure from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife and came across the Master Certificate Program. It was after Brian had landed a 23” brownie on the Tailwater and I was surprised when I read the brochure that 23” was the minimum qualifying length for a brownie. Brian’s brownie qualified for a Master Certificate! Now aware of the program we are measuring our bigger catches.
After releasing that big boy, I fished the run for a bit more before moving downstream stopping at various fishy spots before ending up at the Idlewild Run. With the lower flows than in the past, the run fished much different. The pool wasn’t as deep, and the slack water where I found many a brownie in the past was too low and slow to hold any fish. Even though, I spotted a rainbow in the pool and after several casts and drifts from different angles I finally got him to take. He put up quite a fight and it took considerable effort, but I finally netted him – it was another healthy, 17” to 18” rainbow. He too took the Black Flashback RS2.
I waded back up to the Beaver Run where I found Brian fishing the tail end of it. He had gotten a couple more rainbows in the 17” to 18” range. They had taken his #20 Black RS2. I joined him and we could see the BWOs now floating, wings up on the water. I asked him if he’d seen any fish rising to take the adults of the surface and he pointed out an eddie on the other side of the river.
Releasing the big rainbow.
I watched it and saw a fish come up a couple of times. It was enough for me to rig up my dry fly setup. I picked a #20 Parachute BWO as my lead and followed it with a #20 Black Sparkle Dun. The Sparkle Dun was created by Craig Matthews and is one of my favorite dry flies – especially when BWO are hatching.
As I got into position it became evident that the wind would be an issue. It was blowing right to left and my cast was to my right. It kept blowing my flies back toward me. The current wasn’t helping either. When I’d get my flies into the soft water where the fish were the current between me and it would pull my flies – swinging them unnaturally.
I was just about to give it up when I noticed a fish come up in the part of the eddie that was flowing back toward me. I thought I could make the cast and get my flies to drift in that zone. On my second drift through it a fish came up and took my Sparkle Dun – BAM!
A good look at the Snake River Cutthroat.
Unknown.
Oh boy – he took it and I set the hook and held on. He was a fighter and wasn’t about to come in easily. When he came up to take my fly I got a look at one of his fins and saw the bright orange color, but wasn’t sure if it was a Snake River Cutthroat or a brown. As I fought him though, I could see it was another Snake River Cut!
I had an audience as I fought this bad boy. A young guy had come up on the bank and watched as I fought him. When I finally netted him – an 18” beauty – he commented on how beautiful the fish was. I asked him if he ever saw a Snake River Cutthroat before and he said no. I told him he did now and showed him. He was so impressed with the fish he called his dad over to take a look and was kind enough to take a picture of me holding the beauty.
Two Snake River Cutthroats in one day!
A special fish!
The last one providing a thrilling end to what was a thrilling day!
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