Sub-Total: $0.00
A.P. Nymph – an all purpose proven pattern
A.P. Nymph, BWO
Tying Instructions
1. Wrap lead wire from the midpoint of the shank to one eye width behind the eye. Squeeze the tag ends firmly against the shank with your finger nail.
2. Secure the lead wire with thread wraps and bring the thread to the bend of the hook, midway between the point and the barb for a thread foundation. Then wrap the thread back behind the lead wraps,
3. Clip a section of Mallard Flank fibers. Attach the Mallard Flank so that the tips extend beyond the bend of the hook by about 1.5x the hook gap. The tail should be relatively short as compared to other mayfly pattersn.
4. Trim about half of the tips to thin out the tail and wrap the thread securing the flank fibers to the top of the shank up to the midpoint of the barb and point (Tail tie-in position). Place a couple of thread wraps under the tail to lift and spread the fibers.
5. Attach a ribbing wire parallel to the hook shank on the tier’s side. Dub the thread at the base of the tail with Olive Dyed Beaver fur.
6. The dubbing is wrapped around the shank up to the lead wire wraps.
7. Wrap the ribbing forward with spiral wraps and secure with thread wraps. Only the abdomen gets ribbed.
8. Trim off the tag end of the ribbing in front of the wingcase and secure with thread wraps. Apply dubbing to the thread for a thorax.
9. Dub a thorax that is about twice as thick as the abdomen. Keep about an eye width behind the eye open.
10. Pull the Mallard Flank over the thorax for a wingcase and secure with 6-7 thread wraps up to just behind the eye.Separate a few fibers from the tag end of the eingcase and secure the fibers with thread wraps so that the fibers sweep along the sides of the shank. These will be the legs. Trim off the remaining Mallard Flank .
11. Head is dubbed with a very small amount of dubbing, and the legs are clipped off just to the rear of the thorax. Whip finish . The wingcase of the A.P. Olive should be darkened with a marker pen.
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | TMC 3761 #12-18 |
| Thread | Danville Olive 6/0 |
| Weight | 0.015 Leadfree wire |
| Ribbing | Small Gold Oval Tinsel |
| Body | Olive Dyed Beaver Dubbing |
| Tail and Legs | Olive Dyed Mallard Flank |
| Wingcase | Olive Dyed Mallard Flank darkened by Olive Copic pen |
| Head and Thorax | Olive Dyed Beaver Dubbing |
Andre Puyans
A.P. Nymph
A.P. Nymph, some think that the “A.P.” stands for the late Andre Puyans, the designer, but it actually represents “All Purpose”. He was often kidded by his peers that he named this pattern with his initials but he always denied it. Andre designed this nymph pattern during the early 1960’s while teaching Vietnam War Vet’s how to tie flies for rehabilitation. He based the nymph design upon three main criteria: size, shape and color. The size and shape of the A.P. Nymph was inspired by Frank Sawyer’s PT Nymph that Andre also made contributions tovariations of that pattern.
Nymph Design
The design of the A.P. Nymph was based upon the knowledge that only certain nymphs were available to the the trout, the mobile types that swim and crawl within the trout’s environment. These nymphs have gills along the abdomen as well as filaments within the abdomen and thorax areas.
Natural Materials
Andre stressed that natural aquatic fur dubbing is ideal to create this texture and focuses on muskrat/beaver rather than rabbit. The legs of a natural nymph are very evident and are swept back along the sides not underneath. So each of his patterns represent these leg features with swept back fibers. Andre also noted pronounced heads on nymphs that were generally the same color and texture as the rest of the body, so he always dubs a small head in front of the thorax with the same body material.
Wingcases
The wingcases of the naturals are usually darker than the rest of the body and gets darker and larger as the nymph matures. A pattern such as A.P. Olive requires the need for a marking pen to highlight the wingcase with a darker color. Similar to the Pheasant Tail Nymph, Andre used the same piece of material for the tail, wingcase, and legs. On some patterns such as the A.P. Olive Nymph, Andre used Olive dyed Mallard Flank. On other patterns such as the Beaver Nymphs, he used Moose Hair. And on the Hare’s Ear, Muskrat, and Hendrickson, he used Bronze Mallard flank for the tail/wingcase/legs.
Lifetime Legacy
Altogether, Andre created 7 different patterns which covers most of the basic colors of nymphs. All 7 of his patterns are listed on this page. Andre founded the California Chapter of Trout Unlimited in 1964 and was the National Director of Trout Unlimited until 1974. He was deeply involved with the youth program of his local fishing club, Diablo Valley Fly Fishers, and had a cadre of fly fishers known as “Andy’s Kids”. He was awarded the Buz Buszek award in 1977 and was inducted into the FFI Hall of Fame in 1995. Andre passed away Oct 25th, 2005 in Idaho Falls, ID.
Variations
A.P. Hare’s Ear/Beaver Nymph
| Hook | TMC 3761 #12-18 |
| Thread | Uni thread Tan 6/0 |
| Weight | 0.015 Leadfree wire |
| Ribbing | Small Gold Oval Tinsel |
| Body | 50% Hare's Earand 50% PMD Beaver Blend |
| Thorax | 50% Hare's Earand 50% PMD Beaver Blend |
| Tail and Legs | Bronze Mallard |
| Wingcase | Bronze Mallard |
| Head | Uni thread Tan 6/0 |
A.P. Claret/Beaver Nymph
| Hook | TMC 3761 #12-18 |
| Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Weight | 0.015 Leadfree wire |
| Ribbing | Small Copper Wire |
| Body | Blend of 40% Claret Beaver, 20% Claret Angora Goat, 20% Fiery Angora Goat, and 20% Hare's Ear |
| Tail and Legs | Dark Moose Body Hair |
| Wingcase | Dark Moose Body Hair |
| Head and Thorax | Blend of 40% Claret Beaver, 20% Claret Angora Goat, 20% Fiery Angora Goat, and 20% Hare's Ear |
A.P. Beaver Nymph
| Hook | TMC 3761 #12-18 |
| Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Weight | 0.015 Leadfree wire |
| Ribbing | Small Copper Wire |
| Body | Beaver, Gray Olive |
| Tail and Legs | Dark Moose Body Hair |
| Wingcase | Dark Moose Body Hair |
| Head and Thorax | Beaver, Gray Olive |
A.P. Muskrat Nymph
| Hook | TMC 3761 #12-18 |
| Thread | Danville Gray 6/0 |
| Weight | 0.015 Leadfree wire |
| Ribbing | Small Gold Wire |
| Body | Nat. Gray Muskrat |
| Tail and Legs | Bronze Mallard Fibers |
| Wingcase | Bronze Mallard Fibers |
| Head and Thorax | Nat. Gray Muskrat |
A.P. Hendrickson Nymph
| Hook | TMC 3761 #12-18 |
| Thread | Danville Tan 6/0 |
| Weight | 0.015 Leadfree wire |
| Ribbing | Small Gold Wire |
| Body | Beaver Dubbing, Rusty Spinner |
| Tail and Legs | Bronze Mallard |
| Wingcase | Bronze Mallard |
| Head and Thorax | Beaver Dubbing, Rusty Spinner |
A.P. Black Beaver Nymph
| Hook | TMC 3761 #12-18 |
| Thread | Danville Black 6/0 |
| Weight | 0.015 Leadfree wire |
| Ribbing | Small Copper Wire |
| Body | Black Beaver |
| Tail and Legs | Dark Moose Body Hair |
| Wingcase | Dark Moose Body Hair |
| Head and Thorax | Black Beaver |