Bruce E. Harang photo

Adams Variant
Fred Hall

Recipe:

Hook:                         Mustad 94840 (size 12 — 16)
Thread:                      Black 6/0
Wings:                        Grizzly hackle tips
Tail:                            Golden pheasant tippet
Rear Hackle:              Grizzly
Mid-body:                   Yellow ostrich herl
Front Hackle:            Grizzly

Tying Instructions:

1.               Tie on about 25% of the hook shank length back from the hook eye and wrap back to about 50% of the hook shank length and return forward to about 30% of the hook shank length behind the eye and leave the thread hang.

2.               Prepare a pair of Grizzly hackle tips for wings and tie them in at the point where the thread is hanging with the tips forward on top of the hook shank.

3.               Raise the wings and use thread wraps to position them upright. Then use figure eight thread wraps to split the wings and position the on top of the hook shank. Now cut off the butts at an angle This is a standard Catskill style dry fly wing.

4.               Bind down the wing butts with thread and continue wrapping the thread rear ward to the point of the barb of the hook.

5.               Tie in 4 — 6 Golden pheasant tippet fibers the length of the hook shank as a tail.

6.               Tie in a Grizzly hackle which is one size small for the hook size immediately in front of the tail and wrap the hackle forward to cover about 25% of the hook shank and tie off. Cut off the excess.

7.               Tie in two strands of bright yellow ostrich herl. Form a thread loop and wrap the thread forward to about the middle of the hook shank and leave it hang.

8.               Make a chenille of the two strands of ostrich herl and the thread loop by twisting all three together. Wrap the ostrich herl chenille forward to where the thread is hanging and tie off. Trim off the excess.

9.               Tie in a Grizzly hackle of the proper size for the hook size. Wrap it for several turns behind the wing. Cross under the wing and hook shank and wrap for several turns in front of the wing. Tie off and trim off the excess.

10.            Tie a neat, small head of thread, whip finish and cut off the thread.

 Notes:

            The is the only dry fly that Bryson City area fly tier Fred Hall actually invented, according to his widow, Allene. It has become an Appalachian classic: beautiful, functional and “yallar”.

 Published source consulted for this article was “Traditional Dry Flies of the Southern Appalachians”, by Vic Venters in Wildlife in North Carolina, Volume 58, Number 4, April 1994.

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