I tend to organize my boxes by the type of stream I use them on. I have a small stream/Brookie box, a Limestoner box, a hatch chaser box, and then one, larger “little bit of everything” box. Depending on the type of stream I’m on I usually only have to carry one box, two at most. There are some common flies in all the boxes (Buggers, Adams, Caddis, etc), but then each box branches out and specializes for what I otherwise use most often on those streams. As such I don’t really have a “nymph” box, but if I did, I’d probably try to fill it like this…this tries to avoid duplication (as much as possible anyway), but still cover all the basics fairly well.
Both Standard and BH:
Generic Brown Nymph of Choice, 12-18 – PT or HE probably
Generic Olive Nymph of Choice, 12-18 – PT or HE probably
Attractor Nymph of Choice, 12-18 – Prince or CJ probably
Caddis Pattern of Choice, 14-18 – Brown/Olive/White
Emerger Pattern of Choice, 14-18
Dark Stonefly, 10-16
Golden Stonefly, 8-12
Standard (non BH) only:
Baetis Nymph, 16-20
Sulphur Nymph, 16-18
Wets:
Soft Hackles, 14-16 - Brown/Olive/Orange
Royal Coachman, 12 or 14
Picket Pinn, 12 or 14 – Yes, I’m a dork.
Junk:
Green Weenie, 12 or 14
BH SJW, 12 or 14 – Pink/Red/Brown
If you wanted to throw in the typical Limestoner subsurface bugs, along with midges, you could but I tend to group those separately.
Cool thread...lots of different ideas and ways to organize your flies. I like these kind of discussions.