River Pattern Guide

Best Flies for Eagle River

The Eagle River is one of Colorado's most accessible and underappreciated trout fisheries, flowing 60 miles from its origins near Tennessee Pass through the heart of Vail Valley before joining the Col...

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11 recommended patterns

Pheasant Tail Nymph fly pattern
Nymph

Pheasant Tail Nymph

The universal nymph — fooling trout since 1958.

Sizes 12–20

Hare's Ear Nymph fly pattern
Nymph

Hare's Ear Nymph

Buggy, messy, and irresistible to every trout in the river.

Sizes 10–18

Elk Hair Caddis fly pattern
Dry Fly

Elk Hair Caddis

The tent-wing dry fly that revolutionized caddis fishing.

Sizes 12–18

Frenchie fly pattern
Nymph

Frenchie

The Euro nymphing gateway drug.

Sizes 12–20

X-Caddis fly pattern
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

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

Rainbow Warrior fly pattern
Nymph

Rainbow Warrior

Lance Egan's Rainbow Warrior is a flashy midge/mayfly crossover pattern with a pearl Mylar body, red

Sizes 16–22

Lightning Bug fly pattern
Nymph

Lightning Bug

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

Sizes 14–18

Snowshoe Emerger fly pattern
Emerger

Snowshoe Emerger

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

Sizes 16–22

Partridge and Green fly pattern
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

Rusty Spinner fly pattern
Dry Fly

Rusty Spinner

A spent-wing spinner pattern that imitates the final stage of the mayfly lifecycle when egg-laying f

Sizes #14–#20