Fly Tying

Without question, the Parachute Adams is my all time favorite go-to dry fly.   The greatest quality of this pattern is that it imitates nothing in particular, yet looks close enough to several mayflies and caddis flies to fool trout consistently.  I have used a Parachute Adams during a Blue Wing Olive hatch, a March Brown hatch and a caddis hatch, to name a few.  Learn to  tie this fly fishing favorite.

Adding the parachute makes this fly slightly more challenging to tie than regular adams flies, but the added visibility is well worth learning the fly tying techniques required to tie it.

INSTRUCTIONS

THREAD:  Black

TAIL:  Grizzley and/or Brown Hackle Fiber (stiff)

BODY:  Gray Muskrat or Dry Fly Dubbing

WING: Calf Tail or Poly Yarn

HACKLE:  Brown and Grizzley 

If this is your first attempt at a parachute fly, I recommend starting with a larger size until you get the hang of it.  To begin, tie in your thread from just behind the hook eye and wind it to about mid shank.  Trim the excess and tie in your tail.  The tail should be about a hook length.  Continue to the bend of the hook with your thread wraps.  Trim the excess, then wrap the thread to about two thirds of the way to the hook eye.  If you use a calf tail post, trim and stack a healthy pinch and remove the underfur.  Tie in your parachute with the stacked fur or poly yarn extending over the hook eye.  Start with two or three loose wraps and then add a two or three more tight ones to keep the hair or yarn from rolling off the top of the hook shank.  Trim the excess and neatly wrap over the cut ends.  To prepare the wing, wrap the thread forward again and when you reach the parachute lift it up and start wraping in front of it.  Instead of wrapping towards the hook eye, build a damn to keep the parachute perpendicular to the hook shank.  Once the wing is secured this way, we will build the post for the hackle.  Hold your bobbin upside down and wrap in a clockwise motion around the base of the parachute.  Make sure you keep the tying thread paralel to the ground.  A post of about 1/8" should be sufficient.  Now neatly wrap back to the bend of the hook.  Add your dubbing and build a tight body.  It should get slightly meatier as you get to the wing.  Stop at the wing and tie in your hackle.  Add a drop of Head cement to the base of the post.  Now tie in the hackle tightly.  Try to wrap each turn below the previous.  Four to five wraps of each hackle should be sufficient.  Carefully tie off the hackle and trim the excess.   Add a little bit more dubbing and wrap forward stopping about a hook eye lenght behind the hook eye.  Whip finish and add head cement.

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