River Pattern Guide

Best Flies for Cumberland River

Below the massive Wolf Creek Dam near Burkesville, Kentucky, the tailwater release of Lake Cumberland creates one of the most overlooked trophy trout fisheries in the American South. The Cumberland Ri...

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11 recommended patterns

Nymph

Frenchie

The Euro nymphing gateway drug.

Sizes 12–20

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

Nymph

Lightning Bug

The Lightning Bug is a flashy attractor nymph with a pearl tinsel body and tungsten bead that catche

Sizes 14–18

Nymph

Micro Mayfly

A tiny, sparse nymph tied on a barbless jig hook that imitates the smallest mayfly nymphs in the dri

Sizes 18–24

Emerger

Snowshoe Emerger

The Snowshoe Emerger uses snowshoe rabbit foot hair as a wing material, providing exceptional floata

Sizes 16–22

Wet Fly

Partridge and Green

The green silk-bodied companion to the Partridge and Orange, this soft hackle wet fly imitates emerg

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

Letort Cricket

Ed Shenk's Letort Cricket is a classic terrestrial designed for the legendary limestone streams of P

Sizes 10–14

Terrestrial

Flying Ant

The Flying Ant pattern includes CDC or hackle-tip wings that distinguish it from standard ant patter

Sizes 14–18