Dry FlyadvancedRocky Mountain West
$2.95
Every summer morning on western tailwaters, millions of Trico mayflies mate, die, and fall to the water with their wings spread like tiny crucifixes. The trout line up and eat them with metronomic rhythm, completely ignoring anything that is not a perfect size #20-24 spent spinner drifting without a hint of drag. This is either the most technical, rewarding dry fly fishing on earth or a punishment designed by someone who hates anglers. Possibly both.
Missouri River
MT · Tailwater
Big Horn River
MT · Tailwater
South Platte River
CO · Tailwater
Map unavailable. Locations for Trico Spinner: Missouri River, MT; Big Horn River, MT; South Platte River, CO
seasonal playbook
Summer is fly fishing's season of abundance. Sixteen-hour days, prolific hatches, aggressive fish, and the full spectrum from mountain trout to saltwater flats. This is your playbook for making the most of the warmest, longest, most generous months of the fishing year.
hatch guide
Mayflies are the foundation of trout-stream entomology. This guide covers every major hatch — BWOs, PMDs, Green Drakes, Sulphurs, Tricos, and Hendricksons — with the biology, timing, and fly selections you need to fish them effectively across the country.
Dry FlybeginnerRocky Mountain West
#12 - #22
Tied by Andy Carlson
The universal dry fly. Grizzly hackle, white post, dubbed body. If you cannot identify the hatch, tie on an Adams.
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout · Brook Trout · Mountain Whitefish
Dry FlybeginnerRocky Mountain West
#12 - #18
Tied by Chris Krueger
Al Troth's iconic caddis imitation. Elk hair wing, palmered hackle. Floats like a cork in fast water.
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout · Brook Trout
Dry FlybeginnerRocky Mountain West
#8 - #16
Oversized attractor dry that suggests stoneflies, caddis, and hoppers depending on size and color. A western staple.
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout · Brook Trout
Dry FlyintermediateRocky Mountain West
#14 - #20
Ephemerella mayfly imitation in pale yellow. One of the most important western hatches from June through August.
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout
Dry FlyintermediateRocky Mountain West
#10 - #14
Large mayfly imitation for the Ephemera and Drunella hatches. Size #10-12. Brief but legendary hatches in June and July.
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout
Dry FlyintermediateRocky Mountain West
#14 - #22
Craig Mathews' flush-floating mayfly emerger. Deer hair wing, trailing Z-lon shuck. Sits in the film like a natural.
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout