Fly of the Month

May 2000

by Rich Johnson

Prince Nymph
Notes: The Prince Nymph shown here may also be know as the "Brown Fork Tail". When someone suggested this pattern I thought it would relatively simple. But in my quest to find a recipe, and background information I came across Skip Morris's book The Art of Tying the Nymph. He states that the original pattern created by Doug Prince was black and made with ostrich herl. I choose to demonstrate the pattern most often available commercially, but suggest you pick up Skip's book for the original dressing and other interesting nymph patterns. I am also tying this pattern with a beadhead, which can be done with any pattern.

Previous Flies

April 2000: Dahlberg Diver
March 2000: Super Prawn!
Febuary 2000: Midge Larva/Pupa
January 2000: Scud
December 1999: Sockeye Fry
November 1999: Not available
October 1999: Pin Head Muddler
September 1999: Signal Light
August 1999: Pink Pollywog
July 1999 : Leonard Shrimp
June 1999 : Delong Lake Special (parachute)
May 1999 : Beady-eye Nymph
April 1999 : General Practitioner
March 1999 : Sculpin (woolhead bunny)
February 1999 : Popsicle

January 1999 : Nuclic Bunny
December 1998: Alaska Mary Ann
November 1998: Niukluk Smolt
October 1998: Sea Flea
September 1998: Frank's Fly
August 1998: Sparkle Shrimp
July 1998: Flashfly
June 1998: Comet
May 1998: Everglow
April 1998: Battle Creek Special
March 1998: Pearl Marabou Smolt
February 1998: Crystal Egg Wooly Bugger
January 1998 : Tangle Lakes Teaser
December 1997: Bead-Head Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle


May 2000 by Rich Johnson Prince Nymph Notes: The Prince Nymph shown here may also be know as the "Brown Fork Tail". When someone suggested this pattern I thought it would relatively simple. But in my quest to find a recipe, and background information I came across Skip Morris's book The Art of Tying the Nymph. He states that the original pattern created by Doug Prince was black and made with ostrich herl. I choose to demonstrate the pattern most often available commercially, but suggest you pick up Skip's book for the original dressing and other interesting nymph patterns. I am also tying this pattern with a beadhead, which can be done with any pattern.
	Hook: 2XL (3XL a beadhead) Thread: 6/0 Black Lead: optional Tail: Goose Biots, Brown Body: Peacock Herl Rib: Oval Tinsel, Gold Hackle: Hen Neck, Brown Wing: Goose Biots, White
	1) Flatten the barb and slip an appropriate size brass bead onto the hook. ( On beadhead flies I rarely use lead as I feel that the bead provides sufficient weight. When using a bead I also use a hook whose shank is one length longer than called for in the traditional pattern.)
	2) Attach your thread behind the bead and wrap a base to the rear. Leave a thread tag of about six (6) inches off the rear. We will use it later.
	3) Tie in a goose biot on each side of the shank creating a forked tail. Look for the natural curve in each biot and tie them in so that the natural curve is away from the shank. A tight wrap at the rear also helps compress the material creating additional flair. (The view is from the top, showing the forked tail.) Trim the biots to fall short of the bead.
	4) Tie in the tinsel rib on the backside of the shank. (If you've tied in your tails wrapping forward, you can tie in the rib wrapping the rear. Be careful not to extend past the tail wraps.)
	5) Tie in the peacock herl by their tips. Use a 4 to 6 herls, depending on hook size and the desired bulk of the body. Bring the thread forward to behind the bead.
	6) Using the thread tag we left on step 2, twist the herl and thread together into a rope. This works best with some sort the tool that will grip the herl strands and thread at the same time and allow you to twist them. A hackle pliers with one rubber jaw work well for me.)
	7) Wrap the twisted herl rope forward tying off just behind the bead. Place two (2) half-hitches at the tie off spot. This helps hold the materials in place under the bead.
	8) Bring the rib forward. Tie off, trim, and half-hitch.
	9) Tie in a hen hackle by its tip. Trim the excess tip only after it is tied in. ( These are safety precautions to hold materials in place under the bead where you can not maintain good tension on the wraps.)
	10) Wrap the hackle. Tie off using two half-hitches to secure the materials before trimming the excess.
	11) Tie in the white biots on top of the body. The biots are tied in on top of one another but should be forked so that the tips are slightly wider than the body. Trim the excess biots with a little extra folded back over the thread. (This is a top view)
	12) Wrap thread over the butts of the biots and collar the hackle at the same time. Whip finish and cement.