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Adams.

With or without the wings? Are the wings necessary?

 

I guess it depends on what you mean by necessary. If you are framing the question as to whether wings are necessary to catch fish, clearly the answer is no.

 

On the other hand, the traditionalist might argue that without wings it isn't really an Adams, so clearly the answer is yes.

 

It's kind of like the analysis of the motives of the Dread Pirate Roberts with respect to the iocaine poison.

 

Other questions that need to be rolled into the same general discussion would be: Does a parachute Adams qualify under the terms of your answer? Al and Gretchen Beatty recently posed another twist to this that I hadn't considered when they pointed out that some tyers use a single post wing on a traditionally hackled dry fly. It was in the article "Winging It" (Which is a totally awesome tutorial on dry fly wings, btw) in last year's Hatches Magazine. I think you can still get that issue through the links on this forum.

 

I guess I should offer a position though... it's a good question. I find wings aesthetically desireable but not necessary. I generally tie with wings unless I am tying a parachute pattern. But sometimes if I am in a hurry to knock out a bunch of tiny dries to fish the next day for a hatch I heard about, I might skip the wings on a bunch of them. My shortcutting is induced by my personal hobby of decorating trees with flies. I may need more flies on the water than you would, so available time becomes part of my personal equation. Wingless dries are often easier to lose sight of on the water though. It's a trade-off. And it's possible that I might fail to hook some fish which would be triggered to strike by a more defined wing.

 

David <><

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Without the wings, it isn't an Adam's. But it will still catch lots of fish.

 

Ha! See? rockworm slipped that in there while I was typing my post! LOL

And I agree with Rockworm, but with reservation. I would argue that an Adams parachute is a variation of an Adams, while some would argue it is an entirely different pattern. I see their point though, and appreciate what they are saying. It is necessary to have some standards, so lines must be drawn.

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David

 

In respect to your question as to whether a Parachute Adams is an Adams and what standards should we set for this pattern; It should be remembered that the original Adams was meant to resemble an adult caddisfly and had trude-style wings.

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I have tied ONE Adams ever... and the wings were too long. I think today I'll try a few parachutes as well as winged versions. So I don't have any input for this thread, but thanks for the inspiration.

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Thanks for all the responses. I just can't get the wings to sit right when I try to tie them in. So it got me thinking if they were even necessary.

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Thanks for all the responses. I just can't get the wings to sit right when I try to tie them in. So it got me thinking if they were even necessary.

Try poly yarn for the wings, it's a lot easier than hen hackle stems.

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ADAMS_Display_FINAL1-1.jpg

 

 

Hook: "Mustad #94840, #94833 or Orvis Supreme.

 

Thread: Black - silk, monocord or nylon.

 

Tail: Two strands from a golden pheasant neck feather.

 

Body: Gray wool.

 

Hackle: Mixed, from neck feathers of Barred Plymouth Rock and Rhode Island Red roosters.

 

Wings: Narrow neck feathers of Barred Plymouth Rock rooster, tied "advanced" forward and in a semi-spent manner."

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David

 

In respect to your question as to whether a Parachute Adams is an Adams and what standards should we set for this pattern; It should be remembered that the original Adams was meant to resemble an adult caddisfly and had trude-style wings.

 

I didn't know that. I had read variously that it was supposed to be an imitation of a deer fly, or of a mosquito...

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