Hatch-chart pattern list

Best Flies for Little Cottonwood Creek (Utah)

Little Cottonwood is a Wasatch canyon creek, not a tailwater. It fishes well in a short spring window, then Utah's summer thermal shutdown is real. When it is open, a small dry-dropper and a tight nymph rig cover almost every pocket you can reach from the road. Treat the hatch chart as a calendar for stoneflies and caddis, and treat July afternoon water as a reason to walk away.

This is not a live report of other anglers' catches. Presence and flow live on the Little Cottonwood Creek river page and the Utah destination guide.

What's hatching now

Month, insect, size, and pattern from the Little Cottonwood Creek hatch chart. We do not invent a hatch that is not on the chart.

No month-by-month hatch chart is stored for this river yet. Use the nymph, dry, and streamer lists below, then read the river guide.

Nymphs

Subsurface patterns matched to this river's chart and catalog. Fish them at the size the chart lists, not the size that looks good in the bin.

Dries

Dries and terrestrials for the Little Cottonwood Creek. If the chart says a size 18 PMD, do not start with a 12.

Streamers

Streamers and wets for stained water, banks, and low light. This is not a claim that streamers are "on" today.

No catalog patterns in this group yet. Use the hatch chart and the river guide.

Setup

4X and 5X cover most nymphing. 4X on dries until the fish get picky, then 5X. A 3.0–3.8mm tungsten on the point and a lighter dropper is a default until you see the water. Tight-line the near bank and the heads of pockets. Use an indicator only when you need to search water you cannot euro.

FAQ

What flies work on the Little Cottonwood Creek?
Start with Hare's Ear Nymph and Silver Bullet Baetis, then match size to the hatch chart for the month you are standing in. The Little Cottonwood Creek does not need a 40-pattern box. It needs the right size on the insect that is actually in the drift.
When is the best time to fly fish the Little Cottonwood Creek?
The editorial window we list is May, June, September, October. That is a planning month range, not a guarantee. Shoulder months can fish well if flows and water temperature cooperate.
Do I need a guide on the Little Cottonwood Creek?
Utah has walk-up wade water and, on some sections, float water. A guide is worth it for a first float or a technical tailwater. A hatch chart and a gauge are enough for a first wade if you already nymph. We list local guides and shops on this page when we have them.
Where can I see live flow for the Little Cottonwood Creek?
Open the Little Cottonwood Creek river page for the USGS gauge, access notes, and the same hatch chart this fly list is built from. We do not publish other people's spots or fish counts.
Is this a report of what's working now on the Little Cottonwood Creek?
No. Executive Angler does not publish other anglers' catches, GPS, or a crowdsourced hot fly. This page is hatch-chart patterns plus catalog flies. Presence on the river page is gauge and weather only.

Related

River guide

Little Cottonwood Creek

Access, hatch chart, USGS gauge.

Destination

Utah

Trip planning for this region.

Pattern

Hare's Ear Nymph

Nymph

Pattern

Silver Bullet Baetis

Nymph

Pattern

Elk Hair Caddis

Dry

Fly shop

Anglers Den

5348 S 1900 W Suite A1, Roy, UT 84067

Fly shop

Basin Fly Shop

Vernal, UT

Nearby water

Big Cottonwood Creek

Open the river guide, then its fly list.

Nearby water

Ham's Fork

Open the river guide, then its fly list.

Nearby water

Logan River

Open the river guide, then its fly list.

Nearby water

Provo River

Open the river guide, then its fly list.