Both a traditional prince nymph, and a typical hare’s ear fished in their original form catch fish like crazy on most rivers and streams in the world. Why there would ever be a need for a prince nymph/hare’s ear variation I do not know. One thing I do know is often times this variant fishes better for me than either of its predecessors. I was introduced to this fly by my friend Phil Tuttle. This great pattern was passed on to him by his fishing friend Joe Price who’s creative genius though of combining the two. It is now commercially produced and sold through Rainy’s flies.

While in Alaska this summer each day I would take a break from my pursuit of chasing silvers and I would target rainbows, dollies, and grayling. Everyone said all I needed to throw was an egg pattern of sorts. I fished a tandem egg rig for a while with some luck, but after a while i decided to experiment a little. My first fly to try was the Prince Hare-e on my dropper and an egg as my anchor. Fishing immediately picked up, and I quickly noticed a difference as the dollies and grayling steadily inhaled my fly.

I still fish prince nymphs and hare’s ears on a regular basis, but I have found myself tying on a prince hare-e much more often these days. It has earned a permanent spot in my fly box as it will yours if you give it a try.