Nymphomania, an Addiction: The Prince Nymph and Hare’s Ear Nymph

I thought her out-fishing me was because it was her family’s property and she’d been fishing it since her pre-teen years. Angie Roth is in her 70s, and it turned out she almost exclusively fished nymphs on the family Eberly Farmstead, which straddles North Carolina and Georgia — and nymphs, no matter the trout fishing destination.

I made light of nymphing in general, as a good way to catch crappie, trout, or river bass, but not as much fun as dry flies, streamers, or poppers. That all fell apart when I realized that nymphs worldwide make up about 90 percent of trout’s diet throughout their lives. In New Zealand, double-digit brown trout are caught in water that only supports aquatic life — no mice, no baitfish, no freshwater shrimp — nothing but bugs.

As a fly tier of no particular note, I gravitated to tubes more than a decade ago, awakening to the fact that I could catch anything Mo Betta. I wondered how it would be tying on thin tubes — a Hare’s Ear or Prince Nymph in #18 to #14. Turns out, it is easier on tubes. However, a hook shank provides a better sense of proportion than a plastic tube does. Mastering visual proportion is essential.

There are hundreds, if not more, nymph-tied flies available online to buy or tie via a YouTube video. However, the two biggest trout I ever caught tell the story best. One rainbow in Pennsylvania’s Cedar Run Inn (Slate Run) went around 5- to 6-pounds on a Prince Nymph, and a double-digit brown trout taken on a Hare’s Ear in New Zealand’s North Island was +/- 12-pounds, the guide estimated. Both were caught with IGFA-approved rigging.

Here are two good videos of tying the Hare’s Ear Nymph (Matt O’Neal) and the Prince Nymph (James Spicer). You could also pick your favorite freshwater YouTube tier, and they will have videos of one or both of the nymphs mentioned.

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