Prince Nymph - Substitute For Collar

[mic]

I was going to tie up my first prince nymphs. My book calls for brown hen hackle for the collar. I don't have any. What can I use for a substitute? I have brown cock hackle, brown CDC, and a full partridge skin.

[sean c]

I leave the collars off my princes but you can never go wrong with partridge.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Brown cock would work, pick a bad one with some web.

[mic]

I was looking a fly database. Anybody but dubbing on the head? Saw a couple with hare and peacock ice dubbing. Any luck fishing with it?

[stlfisher]

The prince is my favorite nymph hands down. Lot's of variations are possible. I would say it is not necessary to track down the hen unless you want to stay true to the pattern. I have dubbed a different color body (in place of peacock hearl like a physco prince) and dubbed a funky collar at times in place of hackle. Both have worked.

However, most of the time I keep it simple and leave off the hackle and collar all together and just use hearl, brown biots for the tail, white for the wings, gold wire for the ribbing, and a tungston bead for weight.

[mic]

The prince is my favorite nymph hands down. Lot's of variations are possible. I would say it is not necessary to track down the hen unless you want to stay true to the pattern. I have dubbed a different color body (in place of peacock hearl like a physco prince) and dubbed a funky collar at times in place of hackle. Both have worked.

However, most of the time I keep it simple and leave off the hackle and collar all together and just use hearl, brown biots for the tail, white for the wings, gold wire for the ribbing, and a tungston bead for weight.

What size do you fish with on the small streams?

[sean c]

I was looking a fly database. Anybody but dubbing on the head? Saw a couple with hare and peacock ice dubbing.

This is what I do I don't even use herl anymore just ice dub. After I tie in the biots i just dub over the thread wraps.

[stlfisher]

What size do you fish with on the small streams?

16 probably the most, but I do use 14's and 18's on occasion. I try to throw the bigger size to keep some of the 3 inchers away, but sometimes the little sizes are what they want the most. You know how that goes...just when you have them figured out....

[Kayser]

I use a brown cock hackle, in a #12 beadhead. I keep a minimum of 5 in my box at all times. For some odd reason, they seem to like the larger fly, with beadhead, and cock hackle over hen hackle when I've fished them. Don't know why, but fish don't lie.

Rob

[esox niger]

What size do you fish with on the small streams?

Mic, I've had fairly huge success with a size 6 prince, typically no hackle, no beads, just biots, on the smallest of streams. The fish just don't care...at least not the fish over 10 inches. And the prince is my favorite, I don't even have any under size 6.

Well I lied, looks like i do hackle some of my flies, with just plain old saddle hackle.