River Pattern Guide

Best Flies for Letort Spring Run

Letort Spring Run in the Cumberland Valley of south-central Pennsylvania is one of the most historically significant trout streams in American fly fishing, a tiny limestone spring creek that has influ...

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11 recommended patterns

Griffith's Gnat fly pattern
Dry Fly

Griffith's Gnat

The midge cluster pattern that saves the day on flat water.

Sizes 18–24

Thread Midge fly pattern
Midge

Thread Midge

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

Sizes 18–26

Adams fly pattern
Dry Fly

Adams

The original Adams dry fly is the foundation of American mayfly fishing. Its mixed grizzly and brown

Sizes 12–20

March Brown fly pattern
Dry Fly

March Brown

The March Brown imitates Rhithrogena morrisoni, one of the first significant mayfly hatches of the s

Sizes 12–14

Henry's Fork Hopper fly pattern
Dry Fly

Henry's Fork Hopper

Mike Lawson's Henry's Fork Hopper is the standard foam-body grasshopper pattern for slick water. Unl

Sizes 8–12

Last Chance Cripple fly pattern
Emerger

Last Chance Cripple

René Harrop's Last Chance Cripple imitates a mayfly that failed to fully emerge, trapped half-in, ha

Sizes 14–20

Parachute Hopper fly pattern
Terrestrial

Parachute Hopper

A foam-bodied grasshopper with a parachute post that provides visibility in choppy water and doubles

Sizes 8–12

Flying Ant fly pattern
Terrestrial

Flying Ant

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

Sizes 14–18

Juju Baetis fly pattern
Nymph

Juju Baetis

Charlie Craven's Juju Baetis is a sleek, modern nymph that imitates tiny Baetis mayfly nymphs with d

Sizes 18–22

Blue Dun fly pattern
Dry Fly

Blue Dun

One of the oldest and most storied dry fly patterns in the history of fly fishing, dating back centu

Sizes #14–#18

Black Spider fly pattern
Wet Fly

Black Spider

W.C. Stewart popularized this minimalist spider pattern in the 1850s, and it remains one of the most

Sizes #12–#18