Adams

intermediatedry flymayflysearcherattractormichigantroutspringsummerclassichalladay

Description

The Adams is a general mayfly searcher pattern that suggests a broad range of duns without imitating any single species. Fish it during mixed or unidentified hatches, on riffled freestone water, and as a prospecting fly through spring and summer. Leonard Halladay tied the original in Mayfield, Michigan, around 1922 at the request of Charles Adams. Halladay's first version used golden pheasant tippets for the tail; the modern standard substitutes mixed grizzly and brown hackle fibers, which is what's tied here.

Materials

Tying Instructions

1.
Mount a standard dry-fly hook (size 12-22, 14 and 16 most common) in the vise and pinch the barb if fishing barbless.
2.
Start the thread behind the eye and lay a smooth base back to a point above the hook point.
3.
Select two grizzly hackle tips of equal length, roughly one hook-shank long. Pair them with curves opposed and tie them in on top of the shank about one-third back from the eye, tips forward.
4.
Post the wings upright, divide them with figure-eight wraps, and stand them with a few thread turns at the base of each wing. Trim the butts at an angle.
5.
Return the thread to the tail tie-in point. Strip a small bunch of grizzly fibers and an equal bunch of brown fibers, even the tips, and tie them in as a mixed tail roughly one shank long.
6.
Bind the tail butts forward to the wing base to build a level underbody, then return the thread to the tail.
7.
Apply a thin, tight noodle of Adams gray dubbing to the thread. Keep tension firm so the body stays slim, and wind a tapered body forward to just behind the wings.
8.
Select one grizzly and one brown hackle sized to the hook (barbs roughly 1.5x the gap). Strip the lower fibers and tie both in by the stems behind the wings, shiny side forward.
9.
Wrap the brown hackle first: two or three turns behind the wing, one between, and two or three in front. Tie off and trim the tip.
10.
Wrap the grizzly hackle through the same path, weaving between the brown turns. Tie off in front of the wing and trim.
11.
Form a small, neat head, whip finish, and apply a drop of head cement.
12.
Check that wings are upright and divided, hackle is evenly distributed front and back of the wing, and the body is slim. Adjust barbs with a bodkin if needed.