What’s the worst part of high alpine fishing in Colorado? It’s that the season is too short.

There’s always something memorable about exploring glassy alpine lakes and tumbling mountain creeks – finding trout in remote plunge pools or watching cutthroat cruise the shorelines in water so clear you could almost count their spots.

The season up here is fleeting, but the payoff is real. Cool mountain air, colorful wild trout, and the kind of scenery that makes long drives and steep hikes worthwhile.

Fishing these high-elevation waters comes with its own set of rewards and challenges. Whether it’s surprise hailstorms, long bushwhacks, or arriving at a lake to find it still iced over, anyone who explores high country waters will eventually see their share of tough days. But that’s all a part of the adventure.

Success often depends on a mix of preparation, observation, and the right flies for the job. From confidence patterns that consistently fool alpine trout, to terrestrials that shine in the short summer window, we’ve pulled together our go-to flies for these waters. Pair them with smart trip planning and a few time-tested high-country tactics, and you’ll be ready for your next alpine adventure. 

Here are ten of our favorite flies for summer in the Colorado High Country:  

1. Thunder Thighs Hopper

• Terrestrial - Grasshopper Imitation

• Best Fished: As the dry fly in a Hopper Dropper rig or as the lead fly in a double dry fly rig.

Notes: Paramore’s Thunder Thighs Hopper has quickly become a shop favorite. This fly has the perfect hopper profile, with split foam legs and a segmented foam body. Fish this thing EVERYWHERE. But especially around overhanging structures in the form of trees, shrubs, boulders, or cliff walls. Shop this killer hopper HERE—>

2. Hippie Stomper

• Terrestrial - Ant/Beetle Imitation

• Best Fished: As the dry fly in a dry dropper rig or as a solo dry fly.

Notes: Grillos’ Hippie Stomper is one of the best terrestrial patterns ever invented. It can be fished as a big ant, a beetle, or a small hopper. It can be fished on a dead drift or slowly stripped and danced along the surface. You can fish this fly just like the Thunder Thighs: everywhere. Trout will eat this fly anywhere from right up against the bank, to all the way out in the middle of a deep lake. The Hippie Stomper, in a wide variety of colors and sizes, is an absolute essential for fishing at higher elevations. Buy this fly HERE—> 

3. Flying Ant

• Terrestrial - Flying Ant Imitation

• Best Fished: As a solo dry fly OR drowned in the surface film as the dropper in a dry dropper rig

Notes: Flying ant imitations are seriously underrated as terrestrials. Winged ants take flight during the summer months in search of food or new territories, making them susceptible to strong alpine winds. Often, the ants will end up on the surfaces of lakes, creating easy meals for trout. Flying ant patterns can be fished high on the water, but they are especially productive when drowned. Shop this fly HERE—>

4. Hamburgler

• Terrestrial - Beetle Imitation

• Best Fished: As the dry fly in a dry dropper rig or as a solo dry fly.

Notes: Grillo’s Hamburgler is a thick, juicy beetle imitation. The Hamburgler is highly visible at a distance, which cannot be said about many beetle patterns. This pattern lands with a plop and floats like cork. Fish the Hamburgler next to grassy banks, near downed trees, and close to overhanging vegetation. Get your Hamburglers HERE—> 

5. Psycho Prince

• Attractor/Searcher Nymph

• Best Fished: As a dropper in a dry dropper rig or as part of a deep nymph rig. There is no part of the lake (in either depth or shore position) that you can’t fish with the Psycho Prince.

Notes: If we had to recommend only one nymph pattern to take on high mountain lake trips, it would be the Psycho Prince. Orange Belly, Caddis Green, Purple, Blue… #12’s, #14’s, #16’s, #18’s… all the color/size variations produce trout. The Psycho Prince has the perfect proportions, amount of flash, sink rate and ideal profile for fishing at high elevations. If you can’t catch a trout on this fly, it’s probably time to hike back down to the trailhead and head home! Get your Psycho Princes HERE—-> 

6. Peterson’s Batwing Emerger

• Mayfly Nymph/Emerger

• Best Fished: As an emerger hovering near the surface in a dry dropper rig or sunken into the film as a single fly.

Notes: The Batwing Emerger can wreak havoc on the upper half of the water column. Trout will eat mayfly duns without much trepidation, but they’ll sip emergers and cripples with reckless abandon. If you’re seeing a mayfly hatch popping off but can’t get a fish to eat a dry fly, fish the Batwing Emerger on a long leader. While deadly, this fly is difficult to see at a distance. Just watch for the water to boil in the general area where you placed the bug and then set the hook immediately. Check them out HERE—>

7. Neon Nightmare

• Midge Larva

• Best Fished: Middle to deep in the water column as part of a nymph rig or within a few feet of the surface during/leading up to a midge hatch.

Notes: When choosing flies to tie on in the high country, midge nymphs are probably at the bottom of your list. But don’t discount their importance! Midges are so abundant in high mountain lakes that trout will eat them by the hundreds every day. Matt McCannel’s Neon Nightmare is a simple, thin midge larva imitation with a pretty sheen. This luster of this fly will help it stand out among all the other midge larvae in the lake - which is especially important for grabbing the attention of cruisers. Get your Neon Nightmare HERE—> 

8. Sparkle Minnow

• Baitfish/Leech Imitation

• Best Fished: On a medium sink VersiLeader with erratic strips and jerks or low & slow along the lakebed.

Notes: Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow is one of the best all-around trout streamers you can have in your box, regardless of location. But if you want to strip streamers in the high country, the Sparkle Minnow is a great place to start. The #8 is the perfect size to avoid spooking trout, but the #4 is another good bet at times. Brook trout love a big pearl Sparkle Minnow in the early fall. Buy this fly HERE —> 

9. Baby Fat Minnow

• Baitfish Imitation

• Best Fished: Low and slow along the lakebed or stripped erratically in front of cruising trout in the shallows.

Notes: Cheech’s Baby Fat Minnow is a pint-sized, proportionally-perfect baitfish imitation for fishing in high mountain lakes. The fly is not too much bigger than the size of a quarter and does not necessarily look like anything special. But the Baby Fat Minnow’s size and movement make it a subtle offering that does not spook fish like larger, heavier streamers can. This fly can produce some beautiful trout around ice-off time during the spring and when the lakes start to freeze in the early fall. Shop the Baby Fat Minnow HERE —> 

10. Gold Jigger

• Baitfish / Leech Imitation

• Best Fished: Under an indicator bouncing in the chop, or deep and slow along the lakebed. Try long & slow, and short quick strips.

Notes: This fly from RIO is a perfect combination of flash and size as to get the fishes attention, without spooking them. The tungsten bead head and jib hook will help the fly get down fast, and ride hook side up minimizing snags and maximizing hook sets! Check this fly out HERE —> 

Contact Us With Questions

Have questions or need help before your next high country fly fishing trip? Stop by one of our fly shop locations in Littleton or Denver and our team would be happy to help you prepare for the adventure. You can also call us at 303-794-1104. And don’t forget that we offer fast, free shipping on all orders over $10 here on the website.

Get out there and enjoy that high-alpine fishing while the season lasts. Let us know how it goes and tag us in your photos so that we can see the fun!