Adams CDC Cripple

Rena Ørred Blue Spot 18-08-04

Our Swedish friend, Joel Skoghäll once again has provided us with some material for the blog that we’re very happy share. This time, a cripple-version of one of the most famous American dry flies, the classic Adams. The fly is a old one – from 1922, where Michigan fly tyer Leonard Halladay tied it on the request of his friend, Charles F. Adams. The classic Adams is a traditionally hackled dry fly with upright, hackle-tip wings. A parachute-version is a well known variation and here, Joel presents a crippled merger version.

I’ll give the word to Joel:

Adams by Håkan Karsnäser-06
Traditional Adams tied by Håkan Karsnäser.

The original Adams and the parachute Adams are unquestionable some of the most famous fly patterns out there and that’s for a good reason. However, sometimes we just need to fish cripples because it’s easy food for trout, they like struggling insects. If you want you can also trim the underside of the hackle which makes this fly sits lower in the surface and it can make the difference between a mediocre day (are there even any mediocre fishing days? Not in my book) and a great day. Here’s how I tie the crippled Adams. Enjoy.

The Adams:

Hook: Ahrex FW502 size 14

Thread: Danville 6/0

Tail: Moose Mane Body Hair

Abdomen: Superfine Dubbing, Adams color

Hackle: Whiting Farms Grizzly and Brown rooster saddle

Wing: CDC  Dun colored

Adams 1
Start the thread at the eye off the hook.
Adams 2
Tie in the antron at the start and wind backwards to form a smooth underbody.
Adams 3
Cut off the antron in the front and form a dubbing noodle of superfine dubbing in an Adams color. Make sure you build up the thread with dubbing in a tapered form.
Adams 4
Dub the body about 3/5 of the hook shank. Here you can see the tapered form as well.
Adams 5
Pick two CDC feathers. These are quite dense, therefore I use only two for a size 14.
Adams 6
Measure them to be about a hook shank in length. Pinch them with your thumb and index finger and take a couple of wraps with the tying thread just behind the eye off the hook. Remember, CDC can be a bit slippery.
Adams 7
Lay a foundation of thread back to where the dubbing ends.
Adams 8
Cut off the feather as shown. Make sure you have a smooth foundation of thread to wrap the hackle.
Adams 9
Strip the lower part of a grizzly hackle and a brown hackle and tie them in on that smooth foundation of thread you just did previously.
Adams 10
Now take both hackles and wrap them with touching turns. Take two turns of thread in front of the CDC feather to lock it down and then go forward to behind the hook eye to secure it.
Adams 11
Cut the shuck to length. Whip-finish and you’re done.
Adams 12
The finished fly ready to rock ‘n roll.

Thank you, Joel, for sharing this with us!

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