River Pattern Guide

Best Flies for Frying Pan River

The Frying Pan River below Ruedi Reservoir is one of Colorado's premier tailwater fisheries and arguably the finest small-stream trout fishing in the state. This intimate river flows through a wooded ...

View full river guide →

11 recommended patterns

Klinkhammer Special fly pattern
Emerger

Klinkhammer Special

The curved-shank emerger that hangs in the film like the real thing.

Sizes 12–18

Thread Midge fly pattern
Midge

Thread Midge

Microscopic but mighty — the fly that matches the tiniest hatch.

Sizes 18–26

Blue-Winged Olive Comparadun fly pattern
Dry Fly

Blue-Winged Olive Comparadun

The Comparadun's deer hair fan wing sits flush in the film, presenting a realistic mayfly silhouette

Sizes 16–22

Pale Morning Dun fly pattern
Dry Fly

Pale Morning Dun

The PMD pattern imitates one of the West's most important hatches — Ephemerella infrequens and E. in

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

Quasimodo Pheasant Tail fly pattern
Nymph

Quasimodo Pheasant Tail

A Czech-style Pheasant Tail variation tied on a curved scud hook with a pronounced hump-back profile

Sizes 12–18

BWO Loop Wing Emerger fly pattern
Emerger

BWO Loop Wing Emerger

A CDC loop wing emerger specifically tied to match Blue-Winged Olives. The looped CDC creates a visi

Sizes 18–22

March Brown Wet fly pattern
Wet Fly

March Brown Wet

The wet fly version of the March Brown is a classic swing pattern for early season fishing. Its mott

Sizes 12–14

Duracell Jig fly pattern
Nymph

Duracell Jig

A hot-spotted attractor nymph that has dominated European fly fishing competitions for over a decade

Sizes #12–#16

Film Critic fly pattern
Emerger

Film Critic

A low-profile emerger that sits right in the surface film, imitating a mayfly struggling to break fr

Sizes #16–#22