Here is the 5th Adams I have tied #18

[cmchadwick 0]

Hi all I am new here been tying for a few months. This is my 5th try at this fly #18 Adams. Things I think need improving.

1. tail is to long

2. too much dubbing.

3.tail rotated from the top

 

Criticism appreciated.

 

Cheers

Chris

 

[BassMouth87 0]

I can guarantee that bad boy will catch you some fish, not bad at all for the amount of time you have spent around a vise. Being able to identify what is "wrong" with the fly is a good start to improvement, I says wrong in quotes because you will find very quickly that most flies will catch fish regardless of these small imperfections.

 

As far as keeping proportions consistent you can use different sections of the hook to insure things are consistent and proportioned correctly, I.E some patterns call for a tail that is half the length of the hook shank, 2/3rds etc. As for dubbing less is always more. Start off with a very light dubbing noodle, just enough dubbing to color the thread and then go from there, its easier to put more dubbing on then to take it off. There are a few ways to combat spinning of materials on the hook shank. One is to hold the materials on the near side of the hook when you tie it in, thread tension when you wrap will pull the materials up onto the top and can be arranged a little bit with some gentle re-arranging with your finger before tying down tight.

 

Here is a well done video showing some tying steps for an adams, might give you some insight and help in perfecting the pattern, though like I said my friend, that bad boy will still end up hooked into the jaw of a fish if you use it.

 

http://vimeo.com/11138567

 

Cheers and great work!

[phg 0]

First of all, you are trying to tie left handed....just kidding.

 

The tail is actually just about the right length, maybe a tad long, but not enough to worry about. Rolling materials is a common problem, even for experienced tiers. Hold the material while you take 2 or 3 wraps over it, then use your fingers to push it back into place.

 

The abdomen of the body is a bit fat, but mostly it's too short. Take it on back to the back end of the barb, where the hook begins to curve down. Of course, it's perfectly legal to tie a short bodied fly if that's what you intended to do, but as a general rule of thumb, use the whole flat of the shank.

 

The wings are just about right for a fly that uses the whole hook shank.

 

The hackle is well done, but too thick for a normal Catskill style fly. If, however, you normally fish steep, rushing streams with lots of turbulence, then the hackle is OK. Here in the southeast we tend to go heavy on the hackle, but I think you'll be happier with the fly if you back off a couple of turns.

 

Only other observation is that I wouldn't recommend starting with a size 18 hook. Move up to a size 14 or even a 12 so you can see what you are doing better. Working on small hooks is adding more challenge than you need at the beginning.

 

I agree, though, that this fly will catch fish. Don't strip it off, unless it's your only hook.

[Piker20 0]

I agree with comments above. I personally prefer a little more dubbing on my dries as you can tease it out and the air it traps helps floating. You can always use the scissors to trim it back a little if you want when actually fishing.

[SilverCreek 0]

The fly proportions are closer to a Grey Wulff than a classical Adams. It will catch fish on riffles and broken water and it should have good flotation.

 

Work on proportions to get it closer to an Adams.

 

 

Hi all I am new here been tying for a few months. This is my 5th try at this fly #18 Adams. Things I think need improving.

1. tail is to long

2. too much dubbing.

3.tail rotated from the top

 

Criticism appreciated.

 

Cheers

Chris