Delaware Adams

[ibookje]

Mary Dette turned 90(!) yesterday.
Tied a few Delaware Adams on a vintage Allcock W175 size 12 to celebrate

[twistedtippet]

Very, Very, Nice. One of my favorite searching flys.
tt

[ibookje]

Thanks TT

[Bill T]

That looks like a great fly Jay. Henrysville was one of my favorite dry flies when I started flyfishing.

[alberta al]

It is a great pattern. Nice picture of it.

[flyfishermann1955]

Looks great! Has the "Catskill classic un-crowded hook eye", which isn't easy to achieve. What did you use for the olive body?
Also wondering if you reinforced the body hackle with tying thread or wire?

Thanks- Ken

[ibookje]

Thanks guys!

Getting that bare piece of hook just behind the eye is, as tying any fly, putting attention to the proportions. In case of Catskill style dry flies get a 'map' of the hook and tie according to this map. To end up with the bare hook, the position of the wings is crucial. You want to have enough room to have two hackle wraps behind the wings and two front of the wings. Getting three hackle wraps front of the wing would get you a fishing with the head touching the hook eye.

This time no reinforcing with thread (of thin wire) of the the body. In Eric Leiser's book ‘The Dettes’ there's a step-by-step of this pattern where the tier (Dette?) uses olive wool strand and capture the palmered grizzly hackle at the end with the thread, similar to Al Troth's Elk hair caddis. I used rabbit dubbing in olive color here.

[billems]

That gap at the front of true Catskill patterns was to accommodate room for the turle knot, which was the prevalent knot in the days of gut leaders.

[ted patlen]

Leaving that little gap also assists balancing the fly...

[upstate]

Have to agree with Ted. The wings were set back from the eye of the hook at the expense of a shortened body to balance the fly on the water. So stated by Harry Darbee in his book A Catskill Fly Tier!.

Tom