Most guides I know carry fly boxes that took them years to build. They added patterns one tying session or shop run at a time, and eventually landed on a selection that works for their water. Most people who pick up a fly rod for the first time haven’t had years to figure out the perfect formula for their home water, let alone build a box that fishes just as well.
Matthew Bernhardt launched Drifthook in Colorado in 2014. His father guided rafting trips on the upper Colorado River in the late 1970s and ’80s, and Bernhardt grew up around guides and fly tiers. He never learned to tie himself, but he spent enough time around people who did to learn how to judge a good fly: hook quality, hackle placement on a dry fly, whether the thread on a midge was wound tight enough to last through a full day of fishing.
He started building the company after standing in a fly shop one afternoon, looking at the board for the hot fly of the week, about to spend three dollars on a pattern he wasn’t sure how to fish. Very little of it told an angler what to actually do and how to fish it properly. He went looking for better information and found that most of it contradicted itself, and spent the next several years working on a system that did.
What’s in the Box
The Guide Nymphs Kit is $168 shipped. That’s 120 nymphs at $1.40 per fly, in a double-sided water-resistant box, with free shipping and a 30-day money-back guarantee. A single, quality nymph at a fly shop typically runs $2.50 to $3.50.
The box is labeled by pattern, and flies are organized by insect order. When you’re standing in a riffle trying to decide between a mayfly imitation and a stonefly, having the order printed on the box simplifies the decision. Physical dimensions run 5 inches by 3.75 inches by 1.5 inches, sized for a vest pocket or a sling pack.
On the Water
I fished these over several weeks of after-work sessions on a small brown trout stream near the shop. Swinging caddis through riffles picked up a lot of feisty little browns, and there were the usual unintended collisions with streamside trees and bankside grass that come with tight water.
The flies aren’t discounted website or bargain bin, but also not the fit and finish of a premium pattern. The hooks felt reasonable on the fish I landed, not like the soft wire that rolls out on cheap flies. Proportions are consistent, though you’ll notice the difference from a top-tier fly. Nothing came apart through repeated snags and vegetation pulls across multiple sessions. Thread wraps held, materials stayed put, and the box held flies securely through wet evenings on the water.
The Selection
Side A runs heavy on midges and mayflies. A solid spread of midge patterns down to size 20, RS2s, Lightning Bugs, Flashback Pheasant Tails, and a thorough run of Hare’s Ears across multiple colors and sizes. There’s also a worm and egg row for spring and fall.
Side B covers caddis, a Prince Nymph series in several variations, a deep spread of Copper Johns across colors and sizes, and a stonefly row anchored by Twenty Inchers and Kaufmann Stones down to size 8.
The midge depth reflects a box put together by people who fish Colorado tailwaters. A new angler building a first nymph selection will find enough here to cover most trout water.
Anglers with years on a specific river will find gaps. No Frenchies, no Pat’s Rubber Legs, no jigged patterns, but expected for a one-size-fits-all kit.
Beyond the Flies
Drifthook pairs the kits with a library of more than 35 short-form videos covering beginner through advanced technique, a weekly newsletter, and a seasonal hatch chart. For a newer angler still sorting out what to fish and when, that’s useful context to have.
At $1.40 per fly with shipping included, the Guide Nymphs Kit held up through several weeks of regular fishing. The midge and mayfly selection in particular is deeper than most starter assortments, and the quality is impressive at the per-fly price.
Check out the Drifthook Guide Nymphs Kit and Full Fly and Instructional Library Here
