Fly fishing the Animas River can be a tough cookie to crack but when an angler comes tight on a big rainbow or brown it’s worth all the time spent figuring it out. There are a few things an angler can do on the Animas River to increase their hookups and speed up the learning process.
This blog will cover different rig combos, what water to focus on, times of year when the fish are most active, and the different bug life in the river. Let’s dive in and learn some of the best practices when fly fishing the Animas River! 
Times Of Year
The Animas River is the second biggest freestone river in Colorado. It is subject to big runoff in the spring, blowouts on big rainy days, and hot water in the late summer and fall. This all plays a big role in how the fish react and the bug cycles that take place in the river.
Spring fishing the Animas pre-runoff is an exciting time to be on the water. Water temps are rising as well as the CFS (cubic feet per second). Fish are starting to become more active and aren’t glued to the bottom of the river. This time of year we will start to see large midges come off mixed in with BWO’s (blue wing olives) which are a small mayfly.
Summer on the Animas river is beautiful and loaded with bugs and consistent hatches. The water in early summer (June) tends to be big and there are caddis hatches most evenings. Fish are in full swing and putting the feed bag on which is a great time to target them. Going into July we start to see larger mayflies and occasional stoneflies and the fish take advantage of these bugs as a high protein option.
Fall always brings all the orange and yellow a person can handle as well as big brown trout. Hopper fishing is in full swing as are the small dry flies. Water levels tend to be around 400-200 CFS unless it’s been a wet year and it’s perfect for wade fishing or float fishing upstream. The fish are very active and willing to chase streamers and rise for dries.
Winter on the Animas can be hit or miss. If we have a mild winter the fishing tends to stay fairly productive and the midges take first place on the food chain. Water is low and the whole river is accessible by foot. If it’s a cold winter with lots of snow there are still times to take advantage of warm days but the fishing does slow down considerably. Less bugs and the cold water has the fish sluggish and bottom locked.
Bug Life On The Animas River
The Animas river is host to many species of bugs throughout the year. Starting in the Spring anglers will start to see large midges and mayflies (BWO’s). Fish will start coming out of deep buckets and transition into feeding lanes higher in the water column. Here are a few patterns that consistently put fish in the net during these hatches.
- Black Beauty size 18-22
- Mercury Midge size 18-22
- RS2 Size 18-20
- WD-40 Size 18-20
- Zebra Midge size 18-22
Animas brown while fly fishing in Durango
The nice thing with the swift current and short feeding lanes on the Animas is that an angler doesn’t have to go crazy technical with their bugs. Match the right size and color and lay down a good drift and fish will be in the net. I try to have 4-5 goto patterns for midges and mayflies and I stay on the simple side for the Animas.
As Spring turns into Summer, anglers will start to notice the large caddis the Animas produces. Caddis represent a MASSIVE amount of food for fish on the Animas. Caddis will come off in the hundreds of thousands and leave fish gorged day after day. When fly fishing the Animas River there is always a place on an angler’s line to have a caddis imitation. Whether it be dry fly or nymph, learning the caddis hatch and how fish feed on them is crucial for increasing the amount of hookups an angler has.
Caddis are an emerging bug that fish take full advantage of under the surface of the water. Having a few nymph patterns and dry fly patterns will ensure fun fishing on the Animas. Caddis tend to concentrate 1-6 feet off the bank of the river and fly low once they have emerged. They consistently tap and skitter on the water laying eggs and mating. Fish key into this pattern and have explosion-like takes that will make your heart race!
These are goto patterns when fishing a caddis hatch on the Animas.
- Prince nymph size 14-18 (favorite)
- Jigged Prince Nymph size 14-18
- Hares Ear size 12-16 (favorite)
- Blow Torch size 14-16
- Copper John size 14-16
- Elk Hair Caddis size 14-18
- Missing Link size 14-18 (favorite)
- Madam X size 14-16 (favorite)
- Parachute Adams size 12-16
Stoneflies on the Animas also offer fish a larger meal and great opportunities to put on weight. Stoneflies crawl out of the river compared to emerging and fish eat them off of rocks, sand bars, and when they become detached from the river bottom. Increase in flows will often dislodge these bugs and offer big meals for fish. As the water temp increases after runoff anglers will start to see these on tree branches, bushes, and long willow chutes. 
Stoneflies “buzz” and tap the water when laying eggs and offer a big target for surfacing fish. As bugs go through their life cycle anglers will notice them falling out of limbs and bushes and appear almost motionless. Their wings won’t be splayed out so they have a relatively thin profile on the water with not much commotion. It’s important to have a few dry fly patterns with a large wingcase and others with a slender/dull wing case to match what the bugs are doing.
Here are some goto patterns for stoneflies on the Animas River
- Pat’s Rubber Leg size 10-16 (favorite)
- Prince Nymph size 10-14 (favorite)
- 20 Incher size 10-14
- Bitch Creek size 10-14
- Chubby Chernobyl size 10-16 (favorite)
- Stimulator size 10-16
- Morning Wood size 10-16 (favorite)
- Sofa Pillow size 10-16
Late Summer and Fall on the Animas brings larger mayflies and hoppers (even though it’s not aquatic there are many grasshoppers along the banks of the river). As the river loses water volume and shallow riffles are exposed we start to get our larger mayflies. Green drakes and gray drakes are a fun hatch to hit and the fish have memorizing takes. These bugs emerge out of shallow, fast water and sit on the surface while their wings dry. On sunny days there will be less of these bugs and their wings dry faster getting them off the water sooner. Cloudy days will bring the party out and fish tend to eat off the surface more willingly. The bugs’ wings don’t dry as fast so there are many more targets available for them.
Fly fishing the Animas river with a hopper pattern is simply a ball. Anglers can fish them in shallow water, deep pockets, tail outs, and anywhere in between. The wind drops grasshoppers all over the river and fish take advantage of the meal.
Some of the best patterns mayfly patterns for the Animas are 
- Pheasant Tail size 12-18 (favorite)
- 20 Incher size 12-16
- Olive Copper John size 12-16
- Hares Ear size 14-16
- Spanish Bullet size 14-16 (favorite)
- Parachute Adams size 12-16 (favorite)
- Royal Wolff size 12-16 (favorite)
- Missing Link size 12-16
Water To Focus On
The best way to find the most productive when fly fishing the Animas River is to think about water temp and bugs. If the water is cold (sub 45 degrees) anglers will want to focus on the tail outs of runs, slow buckets, and generally more deep and sluggish runs. The fish are hugging bottom and are more column locked. This would be early spring and late winter. The bug selection should be all nymphs (most of the time) and fished deep.
As the water warms up and bug life becomes active, fish will start to elevate off the bottom and find feeding lanes. This water temp is roughly (45-52ish) and midges and small mayflies will be present and hatching. Focus on pinch points and funnels for drifting your flies. Look at the river and find the areas that naturally produce funnels like between rocks, where two seam lines meet up, and right before a rapid. The fish will stack in here and start eating the buffet.
As anglers start to see mature insects on the surface of the water and fish eating them it’s time to focus on riffles and banks. The fish want the most amount of food for the least amount of effort. They can sit in shallow riffles or deep boggy banks and eat dry flies until there isn’t any left. With that being said, for every fish you see on the surface there is 10X the fish eating under the surface. If there are mayflies or caddis coming off focusing on the riffles is prime time. The fish will pile into the heads of runs and feed heavily on emerging insects.
Favorite Rig Combos For Fly Fishing The Animas River
There are a few rigs that just flat out put fish in the net on the Animas. Very often from about Spring to Fall anglers will see me with very similar rigs no matter the bugs coming off. I will change accordingly but I always try to have a confidence bug on that fishes year round. We will start with nymph rigs and evolve to dry fly and dry-dropper combos.
- Size 14 prince nymph down to a size 18 Olive RS2
- This may be my favorite all time rig for the Animas from March-October
- Size 12 black Pats Rubber Leg down to a Size 16 Prince nymph
- This is a goto rig from April-July. I fish it in fast water off of banks and deeper runs that form into funnels.
- Size 14 classic Hares Ear down to a gray WD-40
- I love this rig when there are BWO’s popping off and I’m fishing in and out of boulder runs and shallow riffles.
- Size 16 Prince Nymph down to a black size 18-20 Mercury Black Beauty.
- This is a constant rig for me when fishing February through April and getting some of the larger gorilla midges coming off.
- Size 18 Olive RS2 down to a size 20 black Zebra Midge
- Awesome rig for February through the end of March
- Single Madam X size 16
- Dry fly rig for early season caddis! It skates well and matches a lot of the darker gaudier caddis the Animas has.
- Size 14 Foam Hopper down to a size 16 prince nymph
- Later summer and into fall this rig puts fish in the net!
Fly Fishing The Animas River
The Animas is one of the most fun rivers out there for anglers to test their skills. Wade fishing or float fishing there is never a dull moment on the Animas. I hope this blog helps and sends some people in the right direction. If you want to talk fishing or learn from going with one of our guides click HERE. We are happy to show people the river and give the most up to date knowledge on the river. Thanks for stopping by!
