From the Vise
From the Vise
Parachute
HOOK : Mustad 94840 signature R30 or R50, size 12 to 24
THREAD: Uni-thread 8/0 Grey or Black
WING POST: White calf tail, High Vis or Poly
TAIL: Dry Fly hackle Brown and Grizzly
BODY: Hairline Grey superfine or muskrat dubbing
HACKLE: Dry fly Grizzly and Brown mixed
Tying Instructions:
1 - Tie on thread near hook eye.
2 - Tie on a clump of calf body hair, High Vis or Poly, for the wing post. Place tips facing forward at approximately ¼- to 1/3- of the hook shank length behind the eye. Lift the wing so that it stands straight up and make several wraps in front and around the post, approximately 1/8 up, to form the post for the hackle. Cut off excess behind the post at an angle to help form the body.
3 - Wrap the thread back to the hook bend. Tie in mixed grizzly and brown hackle tips for the tail and secure. (Remember proportions.)
4 - Wrap thread back to the start of the tail and dub a thin body up to the base of the wing post.
5 - Tie on one brown and grizzly dry fly hackle tips up. (Remember proportions, size 14 hackle for a size 14 hook)
6 - Dub the rest of the hook in front of the wing post. Leave room to form a head.
7 - Wrap hackle counter clockwise or clockwise around the wing post (not the body), approximately 2 wraps up and 2 wraps down, and tie off behind eye.
8 - Finish with a neat tapered head and secure.
The Adams is one of the most popular dry flies. It is used and tied by fly fishermen all over the world. You may tie it in the traditional style with a grizzly wing hackle in front, thorax style where the hackle is behind and in front of the wing, or parachute style. This fly is very productive. Many claim it to be the best dry fly ever made, created by Leonard Halladay for his good friend Charles Adams. It imitates many different hatches of mayfly dunns.
When tying, remember your proportions, matching the size of the hatch is just, if not most important. When you have size 16 Blue Winged Olives hatching, you don't want to cast a size 12 Adams to that rising trout. To fly fishermen, size does matter!
Using the same method I have described, you can match or closely resemble the natural flies on your local water; just change the material and body color. It takes time and practice to perfect the skill of wrapping the hackle around the wing post, but once you fish the parachute and see how nice your fly rides on the water, you'll be hooked -- just like that big brown that sipped your fly.
So, tie some up and when you’re having a hard time catching that rising trout, tie one of these on in the right size… you just might get that bent rod and screaming drag that we all like!
Tight lines,
Brad Berlin
Brad has been tying flies and fly fishing many of the local streams in Northeast and Central Pennsylvania. for more than 20 years. He occasionally guides on area streams and the Susquehanna River. Brad has taught classes in fly tying and casting. He currently serves as president of his local TU Chapter, (Columbia County Trout Unlimited). Brad and I have the pleasure of fishing together in the Fall on the tribs of Lake Ontario.