River Pattern Guide

Best Flies for Big Wood River

The Big Wood River is Sun Valley's secret weapon — a 10-month-a-year trout fishery flowing through the heart of Idaho's most glamorous resort community that most visitors walk past without realizing i...

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12 recommended patterns

Royal Wulff fly pattern
Dry Fly

Royal Wulff

The king of attractor dry flies — regal and irresistible.

Sizes 10–16

CDC Emerger fly pattern
Emerger

CDC Emerger

Nature's floatant meets the most critical feeding window.

Sizes 16–22

Deep Sparrow Nymph fly pattern
Nymph

Deep Sparrow Nymph

A heavy tungsten jig nymph with a dubbed body and CDC collar that imitates a range of small mayfly n

Sizes 14–18

Jig Pheasant Tail fly pattern
Nymph

Jig Pheasant Tail

The jig-hook version of the Pheasant Tail Nymph rides point-up to reduce snags and fishes perfectly

Sizes 14–20

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

Polish Woven Nymph fly pattern
Nymph

Polish Woven Nymph

The Polish Woven Nymph features a two-tone woven body that creates a durable, segmented abdomen rese

Sizes 10–16

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

Leadwing Coachman fly pattern
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

Dave's Hopper fly pattern
Terrestrial

Dave's Hopper

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

Sizes 6–12

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