The Prince Nymph & 30 Years of Trout

The fly rod in my hand was twice my height, and I had free reign of the Saint Vrain while my grandfather was on duty at the trailhead. That first day on the river was more than 30 years ago now, but the fly that was catching fish that day has rarely let me down over the decades, and that fly is the Prince Nymph. The perfect combination of weight, flash, seductively swaying soft hackle, and contrasting colors of light on dark, the prince nymph remains one of our 10 ten flies in the box. That first day on the water I landed 16 fish on the prince nymph, and over the decades the fish I've netted using this pattern can now be counted in the thousands. Equally deadly in the lake or river, at low flow or runoff, the prince nymph is one of our favorite flies, and if it isn't yet, it will also be one of your favorite flies after you fish it!