River Pattern Guide

Best Flies for Au Sable River

The Au Sable River in northern Michigan is the most storied trout stream in the Midwest, a sand-bottomed, spring-fed river that flows through jack pine forests and cedar swamps for nearly 120 miles be...

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11 recommended patterns

Dry Fly

X-Caddis

Craig Mathews' X-Caddis omits the hackle of an Elk Hair Caddis, creating a lower-riding fly that han

Sizes 14–18

Dry Fly

Sulphur Dun

The Sulphur Dun imitates Ephemerella dorothea and E. invaria, the signature evening hatch on eastern

Sizes 14–18

Nymph

Iron Lotus

A modern Czech nymph with a woven body, tungsten bead, and hot spot collar. Built for heavy Euro nym

Sizes 12–16

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

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

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

Nymph

Tungsten Torpedo

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

Sizes 10–14

Wet Fly

Leadwing Coachman

The Leadwing Coachman is a traditional wet fly with a peacock herl body and dark slate wings that ha

Sizes 12–16

Terrestrial

Foam Ant

The Foam Ant creates the distinct two-hump silhouette of a real ant using closed-cell foam segments.

Sizes 14–20

Terrestrial

Dave's Hopper

Dave Whitlock's Hopper is the original modern grasshopper imitation, featuring a spun deer hair head

Sizes 6–12

Nymph

Czech Nymph

The pattern that launched the tight-line nymphing revolution. Developed by Czech competition anglers

Sizes #8–#14