The fly box · No. 23 of 36
Prince Nymph
Nothing exactly; it suggests a dark stonefly nymph or a cased caddis and trades on contrast.
- Kind
- Nymph
- Hook sizes
- 10–16
- Season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- For
- Trout
- At the vice
- A moderate tie
The dressing
| Hook | 1X- or 2X-long heavy-wire nymph hook, barbless, sizes 10–16 |
|---|---|
| Thread | Black, 8/0 |
| Tail | Two brown goose biots, forked |
| Body | Three or four peacock herls twisted into a rope and wound |
| Rib | Fine oval or flat gold tinsel, counter-wound |
| Hackle | Brown hen or soft cock hackle, two turns as a collar, swept back |
| Wing | Two white goose biots tied flat over the back in a V, tips reaching the end of the body |
| Also | Lead-free wire underbody; a 2.4–3.3 mm gold bead is a common modern addition |
Tying it
- Wrap lead-free wire over the middle of the shank and lock it in with thread.
- Tie in the two brown biots at the bend, one each side, curving away from each other.
- Tie in the gold tinsel and the peacock herls; twist the herls with the thread and wind a full body.
- Counter-wind the tinsel in four or five turns and tie off.
- Tie in the brown hackle, make two turns, and stroke the fibres back and down.
- Tie the white biots on top, flat and curving upward, splayed in a V over the body.
- Build a neat head, whip finish and varnish.
Fishing it
A fly for lively water and for the days after rain, when the river is carrying a tinge of colour and a subtler nymph goes unseen. Fish it dead drift along the seams and through pocket water on 4X (0.18 mm) tippet, deep enough to tick the bottom from time to time. It also takes fish on the swing as the line straightens below you, so let each drift finish and hang for a moment before lifting off. Sizes 12 and 14 cover most rivers; go larger in heavy, stony streams.
Where it comes from
The fly carries the name of Doug Prince, the Californian tier who made it popular in the middle of the twentieth century, though similar forked-tail peacock nymphs were in use before him and its earliest roots are debated. Iridescent herl, a gold rib and two white biots laid over a dark back give trout a sharp, readable target in broken water.