NymphBurk's Aggravator Prince
The Aggravator Prince is a highly effective nymph pattern that can mimic a variety of aquatic insects. Its flashy body attracts fish in clear and stained water alike. It provides a great profile and movement, making it irresistible to trout.
Spring, Fall
Intermediate
Trout
Apr 2025
Overview
Burk's Aggravator Prince is a flashy and high-contrast take on the classic Prince Nymph. It swaps the traditional brown goose biots for hot-colored ones (like chartreuse or red) and incorporates a flashy body material such as Lite-Brite or Ice Dub. The thorax is typically bulked up with peacock or synthetic dubbing, and rubber legs or bright hot spots are often added for extra attraction. It's tied on a curved or standard nymph hook with a bead head for weight, making it a great attractor nymph for dirty or fast-moving water.
Materials
Hook: Hanák H 400BL, size #12–#16
Thread: Black Veevus 14/0
Tail: Brown goose biots
Ribbing: Gold oval tinsel
Body: Peacock herl
Throat: Brown hen hackle
Bead: Gold tungsten bead, size to match hook
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Large stonefly nymphs crawl deliberately across cobble substrates in fast water, gripping rocks with powerful legs while foraging on algae and detritus. They periodically lose their grip during high flows or pre-emergence migrations, tumbling downstream with legs and antennae extended in a helpless drift that makes them highly visible to opportunistic trout.
Where Trout Eat It: Trout intercept these nymphs in the bottom third of the water column, particularly where rocky substrates and moderate to fast currents concentrate drifting insects.
How to Fish It: Fish with dead drifts through runs and tailouts, maintaining bottom contact with weighted rigs. The beadhead helps keep the fly ticking along structure where stoneflies naturally tumble.
Best Water: Most productive in tail-outs, seams, and pocket water where current breaks deliver concentrated drifts of displaced nymphs.
Strike Type: Watch for indicator dips, subtle line tightening, or hesitation in the drift as trout intercept the tumbling nymph.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Fish as a dropper 18-24 inches below a dry fly, or as the lead fly in a two-nymph Euro rig. Use 4X or 5X tippet.
Seasonal Timing: Most productive during from April through June and from September through October when mayflies and stoneflies are most active.
Pro Tips: The beadhead provides quick sink rate in fast, deeper water while the biots and hackle create natural movement. This attractor pattern often triggers strikes when fish aren't feeding selectively.
Entomology
Stonefly nymphs crawl aggressively along bottom structure in fast water, using their powerful legs and flat bodies to maintain position while feeding on detritus and smaller invertebrates. These large nymphs periodically dislodge during high flows or pre-emergence migrations, tumbling downstream with legs splayed and creating an obvious, meaty silhouette that triggers strikes from large, opportunistic trout. Their substantial size and protein content make them preferred prey items during early season runoff and throughout the year in productive freestone rivers.
- Order
- Plecoptera
- Common Name
- Stonefly
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- general