For my friends who are new to fly tying and fly fishing: the Adams dry fly was created in 1922 by Leonard Halladay, a fly tier from Michigan, USA. He designed it for his friend Charles Adams, after whom the fly is named. It’s a beautiful fly that catches tons of fish.
But based on my local rivers, fishing conditions, and—of course—my love for CDC feathers, I prefer to slightly modify this classic pattern. Instead of the traditional grizzly hen feathers used for wings, I use CDC. I find that the fly has a better water imprint, floats more naturally, and is more resistant to fish teeth.
What do you think about this change? Have you tried similar modifications to the Adams? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!
July 18, 2025
These are beautiful flies. I would love to see a version with the wings a mix of stacked brown and grey to resemble the grizzly tip wings a bit more.
July 22, 2025
Hi Tim,
Thanks a lot for your comment and great suggestion! 🙂 I think mixing white and gray is a great idea — it would give the fly that nice “dirty grizzly” look while also improving contrast. I’ll definitely give it a try and tie a few like that. Thanks again for the inspiration!
Lucian
July 20, 2025
Great pattern and perfectly tied (as always).
Maybe you could share some ideas with our beginner tiers step-by-step how you tie the fly (especially the wings) and let us hear your thoughts on the wing angle and durability?
July 22, 2025
Hi Arge, Thank you so much for the kind words — I really appreciate it! That’s a great suggestion, and I’ll definitely keep it in mind. I’ve been thinking about sharing more step-by-step content, and your comment is the perfect motivation to start. I’ll begin working on some blog posts and videos, especially focusing on the wings, their angle, and durability.
Thanks again for the encouragement 🙂
August 1, 2025
I love your technics , did you perhaps made a video of this fly ?
August 7, 2025
Hi Karel, I will do in the following weeks 🙂 thank you for your appreciation !