Best Flies for Fly Fishing in 2023
This summer has been a wild ride in the fly fishing world – fortunately, we know the flies to put trout in your net!
Young trout often fall for a larger-than-life mop fly, especially during the high-water season.
Tactical presentations and precise rigging has been crucial for anglers to find success on the river, especially during high stream flows. And, because we’re absolutely obsessed with fly fishing, our time spent on the river has helped us compile a list of the best flies for fly fishing near Crested Butte in 2023.
Further, we’ve made predictions of the best flies for the latter half of July, going into August.
Read on!
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Tung Bomb PT Leggy Barbless
A jig pattern with plenty of weight and a realistic looking body will turn the heads of a hungry fish.
This fly screams confidence when the water is deep and turbid. The 3.2 or 3.8mm tungsten bead that accommodates this jig pattern assists the fly to the bottom of every deep run. Additionally, it often easily fools a hungry fish. This fly works best as the point fly (the fly at the terminal end of your rig) paired with a lighter, more realistic pattern 12-18” above it.
This is a pheasant tail pattern variation but on a jig hook with plenty of weight to sink fast. Such a perfect fly! This fly is available at Dragonfly Anglers in downtown Crested Butte.
Tungsten Bead Rubber Legs
Rubber Leg flies are popular in most trout streams. Use one with a heavier bead head to get the fly where the fish are feeding.
This leggy imitation has been our go-to stonefly pattern that packs a punch when fishing deep. The tungsten bead gives this fly a touch of flash and helps the fly sink. The rubber legs pattern is a time-tested favorite fly in Crested Butte and can be fished in various methods on large and small streams.
When fishing a lake, suspend this fly beneath an indicator four to seven feet deep to find feeding trout. We suggest this fly in size 10-16, depending on the depth and speed of the water you’re fishing. Long Lake near town and Lake Irwin near Kebler Pass offer excellent opportunities to use this rubber leg when targeting Rainbow and Cutthroat Trout.
This fly is available at Dragonfly Anglers fly shop in Crested Butte, Colorado.
CDC French Jig
French jig patterns are a fun way to target trout when nymphing.
Popular among competition anglers, heavy enough to get deep quickly, and appetizing to trout – this is one hell of a good fly. The CDC adds more body to one of our favorite jig patterns for small and large trout streams near Crested Butte.
Suspend this fly beneath a hefty dry or as the point fly for an indicator/euro nymph set up for the most success. This pattern in size 12 or 14 works well on large streams with stronger hydraulics. Or in sizes 16-20 (with or without CDC) on smaller streams. No matter how or where we’re fishing, we always have plenty of Frenchies in our fly box.
This fly is available at Dragonfly Anglers.
Micro & Macro Chubbies
Chubby flies are one of the most versatile flies you can have in your fly box. They are a great imitation of a variety of dry flies and terrestrials.
This fly is timeless (and productive year-round) for a good reason. It is buggy as all get out, floats high and dry, and acts as a wonderful indicator/suspension tool when dead-drifting nymphs. When the dry eat AND the nymph eat are on, we love a dry-dropper setup with this fly. Or when we need our indicator to land on the water more delicately than a bobber, we choose a chubby.
Simply put, it’s an incredibly versatile fly.
If you’re targeting smaller fish (under 12”), use a micro chubby size 14 or 16 to ensure they get the hook in their mouth. Use a size 8 or 10 fly for larger trout streams or when more suspension power is needed.
Variations of this fly are easily tied, found at most fly shops, or is also available at Dragonfly Anglers in Crested Butte.
Green Drake/Adams
A green drake dry fly.
A Parachute Adams can imitate a variety of different mayfly patterns. Use an oversized size 10 or 12 during the Drake hatch to mimic this larger insect.
The Green Drake hatch of mid-summer is an extraordinarily memorable time in Gunnison County. Often, we are committed to size 14 and smaller dries to fool a trout on the surface. During the Drake hatch, size 10 parachutes work just fine.
This fly is best used as a single dry or the lead pattern on a double dry rig with a size 12-14 elk hair caddis or size 12-14 stimulator following. Apply plenty of floatant to this fly and be ready for some explosive top water takes when the Drake hatch is on!
This fly is available at Dragonfly Anglers.
Mop Fly
A brightly colored Mop Fly.
The mop fly is a simple yet effective pattern that can easily turn a trout’s head, especially during high water. We love the mop fly because it saturates itself enough to sink quickly and acts as an attractor when paired with a more realistic pattern.
Do they look like anything realistic that a trout may eat? Nah, not really. Maybe they look like an insect larva on steroids born in a nuclear wasteland?
It doesn’t matter what they look like because they work! Check out this fly in brown or a chartreuse color for a good time with one of our favorite junk flies.
Predictions for the coming month:
Fly fishing near Crested Butte is currently about as hot as it gets.
Flows are favorable, water temps are in the right zone, and fish are feeding in all columns and all types of water. For the next few weeks, we predict fly fishing will remain all-time in all major watersheds. This includes the Taylor, East, and Gunnison Rivers (Check out our Crested Butte fishing report for these rivers here).
Towards the end of July, we expect fish to begin keying in on smaller insects and more realistic patterns. You will know when it’s time to change your game when the fish are no longer eagerly eating size 10 mop flies and absurdly heavy jig patterns.
So what flies will be best heading into August? We predict that more realistic patterns of nymphs and dries will be the ticket to success.
Here is our short list of what we expect fish to eat during the last half of the summer.
Size 10-14 Stimulators (varying colors)
Size 14-18 Elk Hair Caddis (not too much flash)
Size 10-16 Chubbies (Our favorites are yellow, golden, and purple)
Size 14-20 Pheasant Tails (beaded and unbeaded, depending on depth and speed of water)
Size 12-16 Hares Ear (beaded and unbeaded)
Size 14-18 Perdigons (varying colors)
Size 14-18 Caddis and Mayfly Emerger Patterns
Please email us at trout@jonesguides.com for more information on fly selection or beta on some of Colorado’s best fly fishing rivers!
Thanks for reading.
Dan