What Is A Parachute Adams? And What Does It Imitate?

What is a Parachute Adams? | What does a Parachute Adams imitate? | Fly Fishing Fix

The Parachute Adams is one of the most famous and, might I add, effective, dry fly patterns known to anglers. Moreover, between its versatility, reliability, and ease of visibility on the water, it is one of the most essential fly patterns to keep stocked in your fly box. Ok, that’s all well and good, but if you’re new to fly fishing, the question you’re probably asking is, what is a Parachute Adams?

A Parachute Adams is a dry fly pattern designed to accomplish two things:

  1. Imitate the adult stage of a wide range of aquatic-born insects such as mayflies, midges, and even caddis.
  2. Provide anglers with a high-visibility “parachute” to make the fly easy to see while it floats through the water.

The Parachute Adams is a staple fly pattern for just about any freshwater situation. Therefore, if you’re entering the wonderful world of fly fishing, this is one of the most important patterns you can have in your fly box.

And that’s exactly why I’m writing this article.

For the rest of this guide, I am going to cover everything you need to know to start catching fish (and probably lots of them) with a Parachute Adams.

Let’s jump in!

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we will receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you click through and make a purchase.

Where To Buy Parachute Adams?

Since the Parachute Adams is one of the most common dry fly patterns, we recommend buying them online in batches of at least 10. In most cases, this will cost you significantly less money than buying them from a local fly shop. And since you will eventually use them all, there is no sense in paying extra.

We recommend saving your “local fly shop money” for specialty flies that only work in certain locations. In our opinion, that makes the most financial sense.

Ok, but where, exactly, should you buy your flies online?

Well, our personal favorite is DiscountFlies.com. Their flies are incredibly durable, well-tied, and inexpensive. It doesn’t get much better than that.

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How To Fish A Parachute Adams

After becoming the proud owner of a few new Parachute Adams, the next most important thing you need to learn is how to fish them. Sure, a tasty-looking fly pattern like this will do a lot of the work for you, but you still need to get the presentation right.

So, if you want to get the most out of your Parachute Adams, follow these few simple tips:

1. Apply Floatant Often

If you want to maximize your fish-catching potential with a Parachute Adams, then one of your highest priorities is to keep the thing floating as high and perky as you possibly can. ]

To do that, I recommend drying out your fly and applying a liberal coat of floatant every 20 to 30 minutes and/or after every fish you catch. This will not only result in the best possible presentation, but it will keep the fly much more visible on the surface — both of which will help you catch more fish.

2. Trail It Behind An Attractor

Despite its high-vis parachute, a Parachute Adams can still be rather hard to see at times — especially if you’re casting it into a bit of current. And the harder it is to see your fly, the more takes you are likely to miss.

Therefore, if you’re struggling to keep track of your fly on the water, I recommend trailing it behind an attractor fly, like a Caddis or Stimulator. This will make your life a lot easier and comes with the added bonus of an extra fly in the water.

3. Cast Gently

As with any mayfly or midge pattern, a gentle presentation is your best friend. So, try not to slap the water.

In fact, your goal when casting a Parachute Adams should be to have your fly (or flies) land on the water before your line.

Additionally, I recommend gently lifting the majority of your line off the water before you start each cast. This will reduce each cast’s surface disturbance and keep even the most leader-shy trout interested in what you’re offering.

4. Wait On The Take

Since a Parachute Adams is a mayfly imitation, and mayflies aren’t the fastest flying bugs on the planet, trout will usually “sip” them off the surface. In my experience, like a glass of fine wine, trout like to take their time with a nice Parachute Adams. So, don’t rip it out of their mouth before they’ve had a chance to take it under.

Instead, allow yourself to hesitate for a split second before you set the hook. And when you do finally pull your rod back, don’t yank too hard. All it takes is a flick of the wrist.

Parachute Adams Colors

Traditionally, a Parachute Adams has a grey body, auburn hackle and tail, and a white post for the parachute. However, these days, you can find Parachute Adams with body colors ranging from purple to tan and even yellow.

It really just depends on the body of water you’re fishing.

If you’re not quite sure which color to get, I recommend sticking with the original grey body Parachute Adams. But, it doesn’t hurt to sprinkle in a few purple-bodied versions as well.

Parachute Adams Vs. Traditional Adams

The obvious difference between a Parachute Adams and a traditional Adams is that a Parachute Adams has a highly-visible post (i.e., parachute) sticking straight up from the top of the fly. This makes the pattern easier to see in the water, which can help you catch more fish.

That said, the traditional Adams is a great fly pattern for situations in which you need to be a little more stealthy. For instance, when fishing beaver ponds, where trout can be pretty leader-shy, and you don’t have to worry about visibility issues, the traditional Adams can be just the ticket.

Fishing A Parachute Adams As An Emerger (Our Little Secret)

A few years back, I stumbled upon a Parachute Adams secret that resulted in over 30 fish in 2 hours — and that was just the first day I discovered it. Since then, it has led me to quite a few similarly-incredible days on the water. And while most anglers are pretty reluctant to give away that kind of a secret, I’m more of a teach-everything-you-know kind of guy. So, here goes…

If you ever find yourself fishing a small stream or pocket water, try trimming the brown hackle off of the post of your Parachute Adams and fishing it without any floatant. (I know this goes against what I said earlier about floatant, but hang with me.)

By removing the hackle around the post and fishing it without floatant, you essentially turn your dry fly into an emerger, which is supposed to float just beneath the surface of the water. And let me tell you, this little emerger has the potential to blow your mind.

If you do it right, the fly will look slightly like an RS2 with an extremely long wing section and a brown tail. But to a trout, it will look like a big, fat, juicy cheeseburger. And seriously, they attack it with fury!

Next time you hit the water, I dare you to give it a try!

Related Questions:

What is the best post material for a Parachute Adams? Poly Yarn is widely considered to be the best post material for a Parachute Adams. For one, it is extremely buoyant, which will help your fly sit on the surface of the water. And secondly, it is an easy material to work with when tying flies.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, just about everything you need to know about a Parachute Adams. If you’re a beginner in the world of fly fishing, I hope this information helps you fill your net the next time you hit the water.

But in the meantime (before you head off and order a few Parachute Adams), be sure to subscribe to our email list. That way, we can send other useful tips, posts, and recommendations right to your inbox.

2 Comments

  1. The hackle of a parachute fly is ABOVE the body.

    Therefore, the body of the fly is SUSPENDED on or in the film. It is my belief that positioning the the parachute fly body on or in the film more closely matches an emerger than the fully emerged mayfly.

    It’s shape and positioning is closer to a Klinkhammer than the Catskill Dry Fly.

    I refer you to Gary Borger’s book, “Fishing the Film.” Gary describes the process of emergence. At the bottom of page 36, Gary writes. “The insect then pulls its had out, followed almost immediately by the legs. At this point the insect enters “Stage 3,” which is matched perfectly by the Universal Emerger – a Parachute Adams…”

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