|
Adams
|
|
|
HOOK: #10-18 standard dry-fly (Tiemco 101 shown).
|
|
THREAD: Gray 70-denier Ultra Thread.
|
|
WING: Grizzly hen hackle tips.
|
|
TAIL: Mixed grizzly and brown hackle fibers.
|
|
BODY: Gray Superfine dubbing.
|
|
HACKLE: Brown and grizzly hackle.
|
|
A "standard" hackled dry fly is one with the wing set forward on the hook shank and rooster hackle wound on the hook shank on both sides of the wing. Dozens of effective trout flies fall into this category but they all have similar components and proportions. Learn to tie one and you have taken the first steps toward tying dozens of other patterns, merely by altering the body, wing or hackle color, or the type of material used for these components.
Perhaps the most famous dry fly of this type is the Adams—a pattern that is a passable imitation of all mayfly duns. You can use the same tying methods and vary the materials to tie patterns with colors that more closely resemble the naturals on your local waters.
Pay close attention to the proportions as illustrated previously on page 10. While the length of these materials should rarely vary, the amount of material depends on the intended use and local conditions. The pattern shown in the accompanying tying steps is sparsely dressed with four wraps of hackle (two behind and two in front of the wing) covering about ¼ of the hook shank. This type of dressing is best for finicky trout in slow, flat water. It would quickly sink in fast, broken water. Another pattern with the same list of ingredients can be heavily dressed with a thicker tail and eight or more wraps of hackle covering 1/3 to nearly half of the hook shank. More hackle creates a higher-riding pattern better suited for choppy riffle water, where floatation is a prime requirement and the fast water forces the trout to be less discriminating.
Tying Steps
Step 1. Prepare the feather-tip wings by measuring a wing length the same as the hook shank. Strip away the feather barbs beyond this point leaving a 1/16" section of bare feather stem as a tie-in point. Mate the feather tips so the outsides of the feathers face each other and the natural curve of the feathers splay the tips outward.
Attach the thread to the hook shank and position the thread at the ¾ point. Pinch the bare hackle stems to the top of the hook shank directly above your thread and use a pinch wrap to secure the hackle. Raise the wings to the vertical position. The hackle barbs at the base of the quill extend parallel to the hook shank when you kink the hackle stem at a 90-degree angle. Wrap the thread over these hackle fibers and directly against the base of the hackle stem to prop the hackle in the upright position. Continue to wrap over the hackle fibers to create a smooth base for the body.
Step 2. Select long stiff hackle fibers for the tail. Stand them up 90 degrees from the hackle stems to align the tips before you cut them away from the stem. Use a pinch wrap to secure them to the top of the hook shank. Wrap backward over the tail and then forward to create a smooth underbody.
Step 3. Dub a slender body forward to the 50% mark.
Step 4. Match and align grizzly and brown hackle so they both face the same direction with the shiny side facing you. Mount the pair together on top of the hook shank.
Step 5. Wrap the first hackle forward with equal wraps behind and in front of the wing so the wing is centered. Tie off the first hackle leaving a gap behind the hook eye to properly seat the second hackle.
Step 6. Wrap the second hackle forward weaving it back and forth through the previous hackle so as not to bind down any hackle fibers and tie it off just in front of the previous hackle. Use a double hitch or whip finish to complete the fly.
Log In