River Pattern Guide

Best Flies for Yampa River

The Yampa River flowing through Steamboat Springs is one of Colorado's most distinctive fly fishing destinations — a large, meandering freestone river that retains wild flow characteristics largely ab...

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11 recommended patterns

Dry Fly

Royal Wulff

The king of attractor dry flies — regal and irresistible.

Sizes 10–16

Nymph

Deep Sparrow Nymph

A heavy tungsten jig nymph with a dubbed body and CDC collar that imitates a range of small mayfly n

Sizes 14–18

Dry Fly

Callibaetis Cripple

This cripple pattern imitates a Callibaetis mayfly that failed to fully emerge from its shuck — stuc

Sizes 14–16

Dry Fly

Quill Gordon

The Quill Gordon is a Catskill classic tied with a stripped peacock quill body that creates a delica

Sizes 12–14

Nymph

Two Bit Hooker

A hot-collared jig nymph that combines a wire body with a fluorescent dubbing collar for a slim, fas

Sizes 14–18

Emerger

Spotlight Emerger

A modern emerger pattern with a bright foam post for visibility and a sparse body that hangs in the

Sizes 14–18

Wet Fly

Carey Special

The Carey Special is a Pacific Northwest stillwater staple featuring a pheasant rump hackle that cre

Sizes 8–12

Nymph

Juju Baetis

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

Sizes 18–22

Midge

Midge Larva

A simple thread-body pattern imitating the larval stage of chironomid midges. Despite its simplicity

Sizes 18–26

Nymph

CDC Pheasant Tail

A refined variation of the Pheasant Tail Nymph that replaces the wing case with a CDC feather puff f

Sizes #16–#20

Dry Fly

Comparadun

Developed by Al Caucci and Bob Nastasi, the Comparadun revolutionized dry fly design with its fan-sh

Sizes #12–#20