Eleven Mile Canyon located near Lake George in South Park Colorado does not disappoint the eager angler.

Eleven Mile Canyon is a place that I frequent for day trips into the mountains seeking Brown and Rainbow Trout. On this particular day, however, my plan was to stay overnight. I wanted to get up early and hit the river the following day. I arrived very late on a Thursday summer night in June and planned to hammock camp at a site. Typically weekends are reserved well in advance during the peak summer months, but I had plenty of choices. The site that I ended up getting was reserved for the following Friday night. Considering I was going to head home the next day that didn’t matter.

Driving through the canyon in the dark and going through the tunnels was a new experience for me. I had been in the canyon many times before. However, this was the first time I would seek camping in Eleven Mile Canyon. The campsite I found felt like a huge score. It was way oversized for what I really needed (right image above). There were many similar options to choose from. It was also close to midnight. So, I went for it. It was perfect! I strung up my hammock, pitched my tarp, and crashed out.

Waking up early the next morning, I made myself some coffee and prepared for the day. Sitting and enjoying the morning while dreaming of the Caddis dry fly eats to come.

Getting down to the river, it was obvious I was in luck. The fish were already actively feeding, spread throughout the river. I tied on an Elk Hair Caddis. I added a lightweight Holy Grail Caddis Emerger dropper fly below. I started getting tugged immediately.

The day started with the majority of the fish coming on the dropper fly. As the day warmed up this transitioned to the dry. Mid-day, there was no sense in casting two flies with rising fish all around me. Keyed on my Elk Hair Caddis, it quickly became target practice. I worked my way up the river and picked fish off one by one as I advanced. Every fish I caught was a Brown Trout ranging from 6 to 16 inches. Usually, I hook into some Rainbows when fishing Eleven Mile Canyon. However, they were nowhere to be found on this day for some reason.

Brown after brown throughout the entire day. I finally had to pull myself away and head home to my loving wife. She was kind enough to let me sneak away for this day of dry fly fishing madness. This productive summer overnighter was packed with experiences. It all happened within just a matter of hours. I cherish these little moments in time. They help me escape to a place where there is nothing else to worry about. The only concern is what the fish are slurping.