Questions About Adams

[Ryno17]

Hello, first off this is my first time posting here, thank you all for all the great info and knowledge you all share here. Being somewhat of a rookie to the sport this board has been a great resource ! I have a question about the Adams. I notice on a regular Adams there is more hackle around the entire body but on an Adams parachute there is much less and seems to only go out to the sides. So does the difference change the profile of what a fish sees ? Other than the the need for your fly to be more visible is there a situation where an Adams parachute would be a better choice over a regular Adams or vice versa ? Again thank you all.

 

[jeremymcon]

I'm a bit of a rookie too, but I've read that the "parachute" patterns tend to make the fly sit in the water differently than the standard patterns. Basically the back of the fly sits in the water instead of on top, which can make the fly resemble an emerging fly rather than an adult (dun). Apparently fish will sometimes tend to key on the emerging flies because they're less likely to fly away than the adults sitting on the water. So sometimes a "parachute" pattern may work better than a standard pattern. I've heard some people say that parachute patterns *always* work better than standard duns, but I don't know if that's true or not.

 

[JackM]

Well your suspicions are correct. The parachute style of fly sits with the body in the surface film, whereas the "catskill" pattern balances the fly on the hackle and tail. In any given circumstance, one might work better than the other.

The impression made by the fly in the surface film may look more or less like what the trout are seeing and successfully eating. If flies are taking off quickly and a given trout has made a few attempts, only to be thwarted by the natural alighting from the surface quickly, they may begin focusing attention on the naturals that are still shedding their shuck or trying to break the surface tension. This is when the parachute will outperform.

I use both and experiment with each when it seems possible that a preference may be at work in that pea-sized brain of trouts.

 

[troutbert]

If you are going to choose just one to tie and fish, choose the parachute.

Because the parachute works well both on flat water and fast water.

The standard tie works well in fast, broken water, but not so well on slow, smooth water.

As you fish up freestone streams you will find some sections with tumbling, riffly, pocket-water, and some sections with glassy smooth pools. With a parachute you can fish both types of water and do well, so there's no need to switch flies.

It's good to tie up some parachutes in other colors too. Especially some Yellow Adams parachute style, for the yellowish bugs that start hatching in mid to late season. Just use a yellow body. And a light ginger hackle mixed in with the grizzly hackle, instead of dark ginger.