River Pattern Guide

Best Flies for Gunnison River (Black Canyon)

The Gunnison River through Black Canyon National Park is arguably the most dramatic and rewarding fly fishing experience in the American West — a remote, deep gorge where sheer volcanic walls tower 2,...

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11 recommended patterns

Hare's Ear Nymph fly pattern
Nymph

Hare's Ear Nymph

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

Sizes 10–18

Copper John fly pattern
Nymph

Copper John

John Barr's heavy metal attractor — built to sink and designed to shine.

Sizes 12–18

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

Pat's Rubber Legs fly pattern
Nymph

Pat's Rubber Legs

Pat's Rubber Legs is a large, heavily weighted stonefly nymph pattern with rubber legs that pulse an

Sizes 4–10

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

Quigley Cripple fly pattern
Emerger

Quigley Cripple

Bob Quigley's Cripple is a hybrid emerger with a nymph body below the film and a hackle-tip wing abo

Sizes 14–20

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

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