Classic Dry Flies

$1.25 to $1.50 = USA,  $0.75 to $1.00 = Imported and clearance.

The Original Adams:  If you are from Michigan, you may know the Geniuses from Grayling were a century ahead of their time.  That Golden Pheasant Tippet tail was an excellent trailing shuck representation.  Nothing will bring inactive fish up better.  When they see this fly they think, #1 That is definitely a bug, #2 That bug is stuck in the shuck and isn't going to fly away.  If, as the Adams drifts downstream, it is slightly skating at some upstream angle they may take more notice. (A down and across cast with slight tension on the drift). 

The Adams is often damned with faint praise from the hatch matching elite, "Well it sort of looks like a lot of bugs".   Because it looks like lots of bugs, it is perceived as more definitely a bug.   The natural brown hackle collar has barbs with glossy brown and lighter tan on each side,  mixed with the glossy grizzly, which makes a superb representation of the blur of fluttering wings.  As the fly moves downstream towards the trout, His angle on it and the lights angle change.  As the angles change, the bright and black spots are alternately blocked or revealed, the tan and brown sides of individual barbs are blocked then revealed.  This creates the illusion of movement.

My biggest Brown Trout, caught fly casting ever, took a #10 2XL Adams Dry in the trout water below the Dam on the Big River, mid summer and midday, when nothing was hatching.