What is the original or traditional...

pattern for a parachute Adams.

I am attempting to tie then with a moose tail, muskrat dubbed body which only extends
up to the wing post, poly-yarn wing post, and grizzly and brown parachute, black
thread.

I have looked on-line for pointers to tying this pattern and they vary considerably.
My pattern comes from the book I received anonymously several years ago which is
authored by Dave Hughes.

Hughes doesn't dub past the wing post, though most of the on-line sites I visited show
a dubbed head and they don't use moose hair for the tail?

My ties are getting to look much better, nonetheless. However, I don't have the
proportions down pat yet.

I don't have good hackles to work with and can't really afford to purchase what I need
presently. The necks, capes and saddles I have were my uncles and were purchased some
time during the transition from feathered dinosaurs to birds.

The good news is that I have lots of these feathered pieces parts! The really bad
news is that I don't know a rooster feather from a hen feather?

Mark

Mark wants a:
pattern for a parachute Adams.

The one I use is as follows:
Thread-Grey
Tail- mixed brown and grizzley hackle fibers(stiff ones)
Body- Muskrat underfur
Wing-Calftail,calf body or white poly yarn(latter on smaller ones)
Hackle-Cree(way easier than intertwining a brown and grizzley, although
the mixed version is the standard)
I do dub a small throrax/head region from the body fur. I think it looks
nicer. I seriously doubt that the fish care. The moose fiber tail is a
common western US variation, originated by Dick Cheney, I believeg.
The key thing, as I have always viewed it, with parachutes is to keep them
pretty sparsely hackled. It doesn't take a lot of turns of hackle in that
horizontal fashion to float a dry fly. Too much hackle tends to bunch up and
float worse, if anything, and also screws up the light pattern on the water.
I have a sneaking suspicion that your "improving" versions will work just
fine. Bring them up to PA in May/June and we will try them out. FWIW, the
Parachute Adams might be my favorite small-stream, native brown trout fly. I
fish a few streams with natives in with stocked trout, and the Parachute
Adams seems to be the fly to get the native fish to come out and play. Go
see Walt and tell him to put a nice cree neck on your tab.....although, one
of the beauties of parachute ties is that one doesn't need tip-top quality
hackle for them to work. I am not even sure the color matters all that much.
Tom

Mark wrote:snip
pattern for a parachute Adams.

I am attempting to tie then with a moose tail, muskrat dubbed body which only
extends
up to the wing post, poly-yarn wing post, and grizzly and brown parachute,
black
thread.

I have looked on-line for pointers to tying this pattern and they vary
considerably.
My pattern comes from the book I received anonymously several years ago which
is
authored by Dave Hughes.

Hughes doesn't dub past the wing post, though most of the on-line sites I
visited show
a dubbed head and they don't use moose hair for the tail?

My ties are getting to look much better, nonetheless. However, I don't have
the
proportions down pat yet.

I don't have good hackles to work with and can't really afford to purchase
what I need
presently. The necks, capes and saddles I have were my uncles and were
purchased some
time during the transition from feathered dinosaurs to birds.

The good news is that I have lots of these feathered pieces parts! The
really bad
news is that I don't know a rooster feather from a hen feather?

Mark
Why don't you get with Waldo? I suspect he carries the Whiting 100's which are
their saddle feathers in a quantity big enough to tie 100 flies. Then con him
into teaching you how he ties the pattern. I suspect that after you tie 100 of
them you will be catching a bunch of tout with them.

Big Dale

Mark wrote:snip
pattern for a parachute Adams.

I am attempting to tie then with a moose tail, muskrat dubbed body which only
extends
up to the wing post, poly-yarn wing post, and grizzly and brown parachute,
black
thread.

I have looked on-line for pointers to tying this pattern and they vary
considerably.
My pattern comes from the book I received anonymously several years ago which
is
authored by Dave Hughes.

Hughes doesn't dub past the wing post, though most of the on-line sites I
visited show
a dubbed head and they don't use moose hair for the tail?

My ties are getting to look much better, nonetheless. However, I don't have
the
proportions down pat yet.

I don't have good hackles to work with and can't really afford to purchase
what I need
presently. The necks, capes and saddles I have were my uncles and were
purchased some
time during the transition from feathered dinosaurs to birds.

The good news is that I have lots of these feathered pieces parts! The
really bad
news is that I don't know a rooster feather from a hen feather?

Mark
Why don't you get with Waldo? I suspect he carries the Whiting 100's which are
their saddle feathers in a quantity big enough to tie 100 flies. Then con him
into teaching you how he ties the pattern. I suspect that after you tie 100 of
them you will be catching a bunch of tout with them.

Big Dale

Thomas Littleton wrote:

I am not even sure the color matters all that much.
Tom



in october, in snowbird creek, i fished adams parachutes and bwo
parachutes of same size. remarkably, the color did seem to matter a lot
to those normally indiscriminate, starving trout. i floated the adams
two or three drifts in a likely seam, then switched to the bwo. they
took the bwo ... i fished stretches with the adams, nada. changed to
bwo for next several runs and caught fish. it was...well,
almost...pennsylvanian.

jeff

"Big Dale" wrote in message
...

Mark
Why don't you get with Waldo? I suspect he carries the Whiting 100's which are
their saddle feathers in a quantity big enough to tie 100 flies. Then con him
into teaching you how he ties the pattern. I suspect that after you tie 100 of
them you will be catching a bunch of tout with them.

Big Dale

I went by Uncle Wally's on Friday and bought some stuff to add to my younger and less
intelligent Republican brother's goodies. Wally seems to be very busy of late, what
with opening a larger fly shop and book emporium. He was able to give me some very
good advice on tyin' my parachute Adams pattern. I spent considerably more than I had
plan--go figure? so I didn't purchase any feathery materials, as I have a pile that I
haven't use for several years now. I figure, if I tie some less than proper flyz, no
big deal. I just need to get tyin'! This may seem confusing, to the thinkin'
individual, but I found so much variation (on-line) with one particular fly that I
though I might get some input from the pros.

Actually, IMMHO, I think I'm gettin' the hang of tyin' the parachute Adams. My
proportions aren't right yet, but that will come with time, the right materials, and
practice--I HOPE, anyway! Once I get them down pat, or at least where even I would
recognize them as parachute Adams, I will send you a batch of 50 or so. I owe ya
considerably more!

Thanks,
Mark

"Thomas Littleton" wrote in message
news:yVIzd.5131$sh5.4923@trndny08...
Mark wants a:
pattern for a parachute Adams.

The one I use is as follows:
Thread-Grey
Tail- mixed brown and grizzley hackle fibers(stiff ones)
Body- Muskrat underfur
Wing-Calftail,calf body or white poly yarn(latter on smaller ones)
Hackle-Cree(way easier than intertwining a brown and grizzley, although
the mixed version is the standard)
I do dub a small throrax/head region from the body fur. I think it looks
nicer. I seriously doubt that the fish care. The moose fiber tail is a
common western US variation, originated by Dick Cheney, I believeg.

Well there goes the moose hair! Please tell me that Dick don't actually breathes too.
I don't think I can hold my breath for the rest of my life...Hmm?

The key thing, as I have always viewed it, with parachutes is to keep them
pretty sparsely hackled.

Some of mine are quite sparse, but not intentionally or by design.

It doesn't take a lot of turns of hackle in that
horizontal fashion to float a dry fly. Too much hackle tends to bunch up and
float worse, if anything, and also screws up the light pattern on the water.

Light pattern? I didn't think about that. Guess I should read more than the pattern
instructions. I bet Hughes mention light pattern somewhere in the big assed book!

I have a sneaking suspicion that your "improving" versions will work just
fine.

I suspect you are right, as I have caught fish with every fly I have tied that I have
fished. Some will never get fished. I don't even look at them anymore--they are
hideous!

Bring them up to PA in May/June and we will try them out.

I sure hope too!

FWIW, the
Parachute Adams might be my favorite small-stream, native brown trout fly. I
fish a few streams with natives in with stocked trout, and the Parachute
Adams seems to be the fly to get the native fish to come out and play.

Mr Miller taught me that on Upper one fishin' trip. "You want a parachute Adams,
Mark?" Asked Mr. Miller. "No, I think they'll hit this Tastes Like **** fly!" Mark
replied. "Okay, but I have already caught 50 nice trout on this single parachute
Adams, you really ought to try one." Smirked MR MILLER "Thank you very much, but I'm
perfectly happy gettin' skunked today!" Mark exclaimed through his teary eyes.

Go see Walt and tell him to put a nice cree neck on your tab.....

In due time.

although, one
of the beauties of parachute ties is that one doesn't need tip-top quality
hackle for them to work.

Hey, I did read about that!

I am not even sure the color matters all that much.

I wouldn't know, I never catch any fish!

Mark --said wiping the tears off his keyboard :~^( --
Tom

Mark wrote:snipActually, IMMHO, I think I'm gettin' the hang of tyin' the
parachute Adams.
My
proportions aren't right yet, but that will come with time, the right
materials, and
practice--I HOPE, anyway! Once I get them down pat, or at least where even I
would
recognize them as parachute Adams, I will send you a batch of 50 or so. I
owe ya
considerably more!

Thanks,
Mark

I'll tell you how to get practice and that is to join the fly swap after new
years. That will give you a little pressure and I bet that by the time you tie
enough for the swap you will be tying a pretty good parachute Adams. Then just
tie it is different sizes and colors. I still think of flies as little yellow
or black or green or grey ot brown bugs.

Don't worry about sending me any flies...get someone else hookd on tying flies.
It is something that is fun to do when the weather is too bad for either work
or fishing.

Big Dale

Mark wrote:snipActually, IMMHO, I think I'm gettin' the hang of tyin' the
parachute Adams.
My
proportions aren't right yet, but that will come with time, the right
materials, and
practice--I HOPE, anyway! Once I get them down pat, or at least where even I
would
recognize them as parachute Adams, I will send you a batch of 50 or so. I
owe ya
considerably more!

Thanks,
Mark

I'll tell you how to get practice and that is to join the fly swap after new
years. That will give you a little pressure and I bet that by the time you tie
enough for the swap you will be tying a pretty good parachute Adams. Then just
tie it is different sizes and colors. I still think of flies as little yellow
or black or green or grey ot brown bugs.

Don't worry about sending me any flies...get someone else hookd on tying flies.
It is something that is fun to do when the weather is too bad for either work
or fishing.

Big Dale

"Big Dale" wrote in message
...

I'll tell you how to get practice and that is to join the fly swap after new
years. That will give you a little pressure and I bet that by the time you tie
enough for the swap you will be tying a pretty good parachute Adams. Then just
tie it is different sizes and colors. I still think of flies as little yellow
or black or green or grey ot brown bugs.

Don't worry about sending me any flies...get someone else hookd on tying flies.
It is something that is fun to do when the weather is too bad for either work
or fishing.

Big Dale


I figured out some time ago that, just because I tied 100 flyz, even the one hundredth
fly could still be a POS. I was so embarrassed with my entry in one of Frank's big
swaps, after receiving flyz tied by real tiers, that I decided not to enter another
swap until I could send out something presentable. I have decided to work in that
direction. I'll see in a year, if I am capable of entering another swap.

I think the parachute Adams I have tied so far are fairly decent. However, my size
16s look more like 14s and my 14s look more like 12s or even 10s in some cases. The
tails on all are probably way to long, but they look good that way to me. The dubbing
doesn't seem near as tight as the ones I recall havin' purchased, or the ones I see in
Hughes' book and on-line. I'll work on a tighter wrap. I think I'm not using enough
wax--plenty on the thread, but I haven't been puttin' any on my finger and thumb, when
I twist the dubbin' on to the thread? I'm gonna keep workin' on parachute Adams for a
while. I want to see how small I can tie them.

I also need to get some new glasses and a mag./light comb. I think I will work
exclusively on dry fly patterns for the foreseeable future, as they are what I like to
fish and they are just so nifty lookin' to me. I love how light and dainty dry flyz
appear to be, yet they will take a hell of a beatin', if tied with care.

Anyway, you'll end up with some of my flyz in the near future, no matter how much you
protest! Remember, I still have your address form all the flyz you have sent me--YOU
HAVEN'T MOVED, HAVE YOU!?

Thanks for the helpful advice,

Mark