River Pattern Guide

Best Flies for Animas River

The Animas River flowing through Durango is a beloved Colorado fly fishing destination that combines accessibility, diverse hatches, and genuine wild trout quality in a setting framed by the iconic Sa...

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12 recommended patterns

Elk Hair Caddis fly pattern
Dry Fly

Elk Hair Caddis

The tent-wing dry fly that revolutionized caddis fishing.

Sizes 12–18

Woolly Bugger fly pattern
Streamer

Woolly Bugger

If you could only fish one fly for the rest of your life.

Sizes 2–10

Quill Gordon fly pattern
Dry Fly

Quill Gordon

The Quill Gordon is a Catskill classic tied with a stripped peacock quill body that creates a delica

Sizes 12–14

Goddard Caddis fly pattern
Dry Fly

Goddard Caddis

John Goddard and Cliff Henry's spun deer hair caddis is the most buoyant caddis imitation ever conce

Sizes 10–16

Pat's Rubber Legs fly pattern
Nymph

Pat's Rubber Legs

Pat's Rubber Legs is a large, heavily weighted stonefly nymph pattern with rubber legs that pulse an

Sizes 4–10

Mop Fly fly pattern
Nymph

Mop Fly

The Mop Fly — made from a strip of chenille mop material on a jig hook — is the most controversial a

Sizes 10–14

Two Bit Hooker fly pattern
Nymph

Two Bit Hooker

A hot-collared jig nymph that combines a wire body with a fluorescent dubbing collar for a slim, fas

Sizes 14–18

Spotlight Emerger fly pattern
Emerger

Spotlight Emerger

A modern emerger pattern with a bright foam post for visibility and a sparse body that hangs in the

Sizes 14–18

Tungsten Torpedo fly pattern
Nymph

Tungsten Torpedo

A heavy, streamlined Euro nymph with a smooth thread body under UV resin and a large tungsten bead.

Sizes 10–14

Midge Larva fly pattern
Midge

Midge Larva

A simple thread-body pattern imitating the larval stage of chironomid midges. Despite its simplicity

Sizes 18–26

CDC Pheasant Tail fly pattern
Nymph

CDC Pheasant Tail

A refined variation of the Pheasant Tail Nymph that replaces the wing case with a CDC feather puff f

Sizes #16–#20

Comparadun fly pattern
Dry Fly

Comparadun

Developed by Al Caucci and Bob Nastasi, the Comparadun revolutionized dry fly design with its fan-sh

Sizes #12–#20