Written by Mike Gentry

Denny Rickards is well-known for developing and deftly fishing a variety of top-notch stillwater patterns in the lakes of the West.  One of my favorites flies is his AP ("all-purpose") emerger.  His stated goal was to create a fly that would imitate a variety of aquatic insects, and this fly serves well for emerging mayflies, caddis, dragonflies and water boatmen and perhaps others.  This pattern takes a bit of time to tie, but it will be well worth it.

Materials:

Hook:                            Tiemco 5262, #s 10-14

Thread:                         Black or Olive 8/0

Tail:                               Wood Duck

Body:                            Hare's Ear

Rib:                               Small Copper wire

Thorax:                         Peacock herl

Wing Case:                   Wood Duck

Hackle:                          Partridge
 

1.  Tie in the tail, five or six wood duck fibers about as long as the body.

2.  Tie in a piece of cooper wire at the tie-in point of the tail, leaving the wire extending off the back of the fly.

3.  Make a dubbing loop at the tail tie-in point, and prepare a "dubbing yarn" by spreading the hare's ear in the dubbing loop (thinner to ticker from back to front) and then twisting or spinning the dubbing loop to capture and "yarn" the hare's ear material. 

4.  Wind the yard to halfway to the eye to form the body.  The body should slightly increase in size from the tail to the front of the body.  Tie off with several turns of thread and clip the excess material.

5.  Counterwind the copper wire three or four turns to the front of the body, tie off and clip.

6.  At the front of the body, tie in about ten wood duck fibers by the tips and let them stick out the back of the fly.  

7.  Tie in a strand of peacock herl by the tip at the front of the body.  I find it best to twist the herl around the tying thread, winding down toward the bobbin about two or so inches and then holding the herl strand loose end and the thread together with my fingertips, to make a herl "rope".  Then wind the herl back and forth from the body to just behind the eye to create a thorax slightly larger than the body.  That way the herl does not become chewed and broken and unwind.  Or if you desire, just wind the herl back and forth without make a "rope"

8.  Pull the wood duck fibers forward over the eye, spread out over the top of the herl thorax, and tie down with three turns of thread.  Cip the excess material closely.

9.  Tie in a soft hackle Partridge feather, butt first immediately behind the eye and with the darker "front" of the feather facing up.  Choose a feather that will allow the feather spline tips to be about even with the back of the hook.  Gently wind the thread two or three times around the hook right behind the eye.  Tie off and closely clip.

10.  Form a head by thread wraps, wrapping back a bit to cause the Partridge splines to angle backward a bit over the fly body.  Finish the head with three half hitches, trim and finish with a small drop of head cement.