These five patterns will cover you on any Colorado trout stream, any time of year. Each guide includes a full materials list, step-by-step tying instructions, and specific tips for fishing them on Colorado's best rivers. We've connected every pattern to our live river conditions so you know exactly where to fish what you tie.
Winter
Zebra Midge, Woolly Bugger
Spring
BWO Emerger, Zebra Midge, Woolly Bugger
Summer
Elk Hair Caddis, PMD Emerger, Woolly Bugger
Fall
BWO Emerger, Elk Hair Caddis, Zebra Midge
Woolly Bugger
The most versatile fly in Colorado. Imitates leeches, crayfish, baitfish, and large stonefly nymphs. If you could only fish one pattern for the rest of your life, this is the one.
Elk Hair Caddis
The definitive caddis dry fly for Colorado freestone rivers. Floats like a cork, visible in broken water, and triggers aggressive strikes during summer evening hatches.
Zebra Midge
Four materials, five minutes, and more trout caught than patterns ten times as complex. The single most productive fly on Colorado tailwaters, year-round.
PMD Emerger
Colorado's most important summer mayfly. This emerger catches fish when they're keyed in on the vulnerable transition from nymph to adult — which is most of the time during a PMD hatch.
BWO Emerger
Blue-Winged Olives are the first and last major mayfly of the season. When the sky goes gray and the barometer drops, this emerger becomes the most important fly in your box.