Prince Nymph Attractor

Why the Prince Nymph Belongs in Every Fly Box.

Doug Prince put this fly together in California in the 1930s, building on an earlier pattern called the Brown Forked Tail. It doesn’t imitate any one specific insect. The peacock herl body and white biot wings could pass for a stonefly nymph, a caddis pupa, or just something worth investigating, and trout have been responding to it for close to a century. Rivfly’s version comes in five color variants, so you’re not limited to a single look when conditions change through the day.

What Makes It Hold Up

The gold brass bead adds enough weight to get the fly down in most moderate-current runs without needing split shot. It’s solid brass rather than painted, so it won’t chip after repeated strikes or net contact. Fine copper wire is counter-wrapped through the peacock herl body, which keeps the herl from unraveling over time, a common failure point on cheaper nymphs.

The white goose biot wings and tail hold their split shape underwater rather than collapsing into a single clump, and the hand-selected brown hackle fibers stay stiff enough to pulse with the current instead of going flat. The hook is a 2X-wide curved nymph hook with a chemically sharpened point, giving you a wide gap for solid hooksets even with the added bulk of the bead.

Color Selection

Many anglers carry several variants and switch through them as light and water clarity shift over the course of a day, rather than committing to just one.

How to Fish It

High-stick nymphing: Dead-drift through riffles, keeping most of your line off the water for better contact.

Indicator rig: Fish the Prince as your point fly, with a smaller mayfly nymph as a dropper above or below it.

Euro setup: Use it as an anchor fly with a lighter sighter nymph above to detect strikes.

Swing technique: Let it swing and pendulum at the tail-out of a pool. The motion as it swings often draws a reaction strike.

Common Questions

Does this fly need floatant or sink paste? No, it’s built to sink. The gold bead handles most moderate-current situations. In faster water, add split shot 8 to 12 inches above the fly to get it down quicker.

How long does the wire ribbing last? With normal use, the body holds together well. The hook point will usually dull from contact with rocks before the body itself fails. Touching up the hook point periodically extends the life of the fly more than anything else.

Can I fish this in sizes smaller than #12? This series comes in #12 (Variants B, C, D, E) and #14 (Variant A). Going smaller starts to work against the bead’s sink rate and the bulkier, attractor profile that makes this pattern effective. For smaller water-column imitations, a Zebra Midge or similar pattern is a better fit.

Why five colors instead of just the classic black/peacock version? Water clarity and light shift throughout the day with sun angle, cloud cover, and recent rain. Carrying a few color variants lets you adjust without switching to an entirely different fly box.

Specs