Fishing at Eleven Mile
Welcome to great Colorado fishing. The Park hosts fishing tournaments year-round. Check the Park's calendar for up-coming fishing tournaments. Ice fishing tournaments are monthly (Jan, Feb & Mar) through the winter; the spring No Name Tournament is usually the weekend after Mother's Day weekend and the fall pike event is usually the weekend after Labor Day weekend.
2012 Ice Fishing Tournaments The Grand Slam (January 7th), The South Park Ice Masters (February 11th) and the Marina March Madness (March 10th) which when combined formed the three legs of the overall 2012 Colorado Classic Ice Fishing Tournament run by 11 Mile Sports have all been completed.
The 2012 Grand Slam ice fishing tournament had 115 registered teams. The team of Brian Johnson and Brandon White of Salida won top honors for trout with a combined trout weight of 15.655# and a Big Fish Trout weight of 6.875# for combined winnings of over $1200 dollars. Pike bragging rights went to the father and son team of John and Tyler Ellwell of Woodland park with a single 15.09# pike taking both the combined pike and Big Fish Pike winnings of just over $1200 dollars. The top combined salmon team was Matt Torelli & E.J. Kelley of Colorado Springs with 12.155# of salmon for over $600; while the Big Fish Salmon prize of $600 was won by Korey Weaver and Jeremy Moore of Woodland Park with a 1.915# salmon. Also of note was the team of Sharon Dube and Jeremiah Parris of Leadville who won nearly $750 for their second place combined pike weight and third place combined trout weight.
The 2012 Ice Masters Tournament honors went to the team of Sharon Dube and Jeremiah Paris from Leadville who turned in a 2 trout weight of 11.180 pounds. They also won the Big Fish Pot with a 7.99 # Rainbow for a combined cash prize worth over $2900. Second place went to the team of Depue/Martinez with a total weight of 9.73 pounds and the team of Turner/Douglas took third with a 9.3 pound combined weight. The 2012 March Madness tournament was also a success with a field of 59 teams. In the First Fishing Set, the team of Brandon White and Brian Johnson took both 1st and 2nd places with rainbow trout of 4.82 and 4.175 pounds. Roschack and Paffrath came in third. For the Second Set, the Dube/Paris duo took 1st with a 21.88 pound pike. Shawn Shake and Ron Tomlinson hooked into an 8.18 pound pike for second and Dube/Paris came in third. The Final Fishing Set was all Dube/Paris who landed three nice rainbows of 4.49, 4.31 and 2.86 pounds. The three event 2012 Colorado Classic Tournament was won by the team of Dube/Paris who who won the Ice Master's Trophy, finished second/trout and third/pike in the Grand Slam and posted two firsts, a second and two third place finishes in the March Madness fishing sets for a total of 255 points. They beat out the White/Johnson team (165 points), who looked to have the Classic wrapped up going into the final contest, with a tremendous finish in the 2nd and 3rd sets of the March Madness Tournament. The Colorado Classic's third place went to John and Tyler Elwell who finished with 56 overall points. A great time was had by all with particants winning many, many door prizes either by raffle in the first two contests or free throw shooting in the March Madness contest. At least one set of Colorado Avalanche tickets were given away during each contest and many of these ticket sets had a $50 dollar gift certificate included for spending at the food concessionaire booths.
Restricted Fishing Areas All fishing is prohibited in the restricted area near the dam on the east end of the reservoir. This area is marked by a closure buoy line that stretches across the lake at that point.
All fishing is flies and lures only and is catch and release within 100 feet of the mouth of the inlet. This area is clearly marked with a set of buoys positioned in the shape of a square around the mouth of the river.
Fishing from any island or from any dock is prohibited. Fishing is permitted everywhere else on the reservoir. Check our fishing closure map for full details of these areas.
Fishing Restrictions at Eleven Mile Reservoir Include:
Eleven Mile's Kokanee Population and Gill Lice As many of Eleven Mile's salmon anglers have been aware, the salmon population has declined since 2006.
The DOW announced on Dec. 20, 2008 in a press release that the reason for the die-off can be laid at the hands of a small parasite known as gill lice (Salmincola sp.). The gill lice are responsible for a sizeable die-off of all age classes of salmon in Eleven Mile Reservoir.
Gill lice are not harmful to humans provided that fish are prepared properly (145 degree heat or until the flesh is opaque and Separates easily with a fork).
Trout have a higher resistance to the parasite and no loss of any of Eleven Mile's trout species has been observed. The salmon population has made slow gains since 2006, but continues to remain far below those levels.
ATTENTION ALL FISHERMEN:
The threat of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) is a very real threat that affects everybody. AIS species can destroy facilities, ecosystems and recreational equipment alike. It is in nobodies interest to allow their introduction into a "clean" reservoir. Recently, Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists confirmed the presence of two invasive species, New Zealand mud snails (NZMS) and a plant called Eurasian water milfoil (EWM) in Eleven Mile Reservoir. Spinney Mountain Reservoir is still "clean" as far as parks and wildlife officials know. NZMS primarily feed on algae and aquatic plants, and can crowd out other desired fish and invertebrate species. EWM is an aggressive aquatic plant that out competes native plants and can form large strands on the surface of the water, which can entangle motors and degrade the quality of recreational boating opportunities. Colorado Parks and Wildlife will be conducting boat inspections on all trailered vessels that are intending to either be launched on or removed from the reservoir. Belly boats, canoes and kayaks without motors are still exempted if they do not arrive on a trailer. But, we need the help of every boater and fisherman that uses the reservoir. It is critical for the boating and fishing public to fully cooperate in order to protect boating and fishing opportunities not only at Eleven Mile Reservoir, but all water impoundments within Colorado and prevent the spread of these damaging organisms. Mandatory inspections of all non-exempt vessels will be conducted at either boat ramp (when open for use) and must be completed satisfactorily prior to launching on the reservoir or exiting from the boat ramp parking lot. Any vessel, float tube or belly boat that is found to be contaminated will be refused admittance to the reservoir until that vessel, float tube or belly boat is satisfactorily decontaminated. Owner's of any vessel, float tube or belly boat found to be contaminated after being removed from Eleven Mile Reservoir will be assisted by parks and wildlife staff in ensuring that the vessel, float tube or belly boat is "clean" prior to exiting the boat ramp parking lot. It is illegal in Colorado to knowingly transport ANS. Full decontamination can be done by park staff through the boating season at the Eleven Mile Shop by appointment only between the hours of 7 AM until 5 PM daily. Owners should be aware that an inspection at Eleven Mile Reservoir will be required every time the vessel enters or leaves the ramp area for launching or loading unless the vessel has an untampered inspection strap attached to its bow and affixing it to the trailer that was placed upon it at Eleven Mile State Park when entering the ramp lot. Additionally, fishermen who use waders, either along the shoreline of the lake or in the South Platte River above the reservoir, should take the precaution of dipping their boots in a chlorinated water solution to kill any "hitchhiking" ANS prior to using them again on any body of water. Both NZMS and EWM are very small and can easily become lodged in the fabric of the boot sole of the wader. EFFECTIVE April 03, 2012: Boating will be permited on the lake starting this date. Mandatory vessel inspections for ANS will be conducted ONLY at the Eleven Mile North Shore Boat Ramp Parking Lot from 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset. The Witchers Cove boat ramp and inspection station will remain closed for the season until Friday, May 25, 2012. Launching is prohibited without an inspection, as is removing a boat from the boat ramp parking lot without an inspection. Both the reservoir and boat ramp are closed to boating 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise. We ask that you arrive at the inspection station with your vessel clean, drained and dry. Vessels that arrive in a dirty condition will not be inspected and will not be allowed to launch. EFFECTIVE May 25, 2012: Mandatory vessel inspections for ANS will be conducted at BOTH the Eleven Mile North Shore Boat Ramp Parking Lot from 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset. Launching is prohibited without an inspection, as is removing a boat from the boat ramp parking lot without an inspection. Both the reservoir and boat ramp are closed to boating 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise. We ask that you arrive at the inspection station with your vessel clean, drained and dry. Vessels that arrive in a dirty condition will not be inspected and will not be allowed to launch. EFFECTIVE NOV 01st, 2012: The lake is closed to all boating. All ramps and all inspections stations are closed for the season by this date. How Can You Help? Before leaving any lake or other waterway, fishermen and boaters should:
Additional contact information for Zebra Mussels policies and strategies:
See the Park’s homepage for current weather conditions. Tackle, guide services and boat rentals are available at 11 Mile Marina.