This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is a Parachute Adams encore. I call it an encore because I featured this fly back in 2014, the year I started RiverKeeper Flies.
I wrote the following back then:
“This week’s TBT fly is the Parachute Adams. I’m sure you’ve used this highly effective fly. It originally was known as a Gyro fly and sold by William Mills & Son of New York. I’ve read where it was patented by William Avery Bush of Detroit MI in 1934. One entry stated Bush patented a hook using a wire post to make tying easier. Regardless, it’s a fish-catching fly!”
I hope you read last week’s TBT about the Adams fly pattern history. I thought it appropriate to bring back the parachute variation of the fly.
To be fair, this fly above isn’t the original Parachute Adams. They were tied with a calf tail wing and mixed brown and grizzly hackle fibers for the tail. I think mine is the “western” version, where the moose tail is used to add buoyancy to the fly. And I don’t believe poly yarn was used back in the day for a post!
I really can’t find out who was the first to tie it. I did read where Doug Swisher & Carl Richards in their book, Selective Trout (1971) had a great deal to do with promoting this style of fly. Can you imagine not having some type of parachute fly in your box?
This is one of the most popular and effective dry flies. I bet you have one in your fly box.
Enjoy…go fish, stay safe!
Hi John,
I had completely forgotten about the hook with the wire parachute support/post. I haven’t seen one in years and no longer have any in my inventory. As I remember their hook eye curve up over the shank then the rest of it was bent up to make the para post. Thanks for the reminder. Take care & …
Tight Lines – (Gretchen &) Al Beatty