dry
Parachute Adams
- Sizes
- #12
- Imitates
- mayflies · BWOs · PMDs · Callibaetis
- Origin
- Leonard Halladay, 1922 (parachute variation, 1970s)
The Parachute Adams is arguably the most effective all-around dry fly in existence. Its gray body and mixed grizzly-brown hackle suggest a wide range of mayflies, making it a go-to searching pattern on any trout stream. The white parachute post provides excellent visibility in broken water and low light.
Recipe
This is one dressing. Tie it in other colors to match the hatch in front of you.
Workbench
Variants
Swipe to see In box and Add
| Size | Bead | Body | In box | Add to box |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #12 | — | Gray | — | — |
At the vise
Tie a split-tail of moose body hair, dub a slim gray body, post white calf body hair, and wrap grizzly and brown hackle parachute-style around the base of the post.
Tying video
Fishing now on
Rivers whose hatch chart names this pattern this month. Names and sizes only.
On the water
Dead drift the Parachute Adams in riffles, seams, and eddy lines. It works as a prospecting fly when no hatch is visible, and during mayfly hatches it passes for BWOs, PMDs, and Callibaetis. Size down to #18-20 for pressured water.
History
The original Adams was created by Leonard Halladay in 1922 for his friend Charles Adams on the Boardman River in Michigan. The parachute variation emerged in the 1970s, adding a horizontal hackle wrap around a white post for improved floatation and a more natural profile sitting in the surface film.