I love parachutes for two reasons…visibility and they stay floating like corks all day long thanks to the hackle/s position that offer/s more surface support on the water film.
However, after many years I noticed more bites with the classic Adams…believe it or not. At least in my region.
What’s your experience in your home waters?
Regards
I have to agree with the Classic. We were out on a lake on Sunday, a 16 Parachute Adams wasn’t doing to bad, but when I switched to a 16 Classic Adams the fun really began. It was non stop action for almost an hour and a half. It seemed a little odd that there would be so much difference, but I guess the fish know best.
let the fish tell you . usually there is a progression from nymphs to emergers to duns. if it is late in the hatch fish will likely being focusing on duns(tradition adams). Earlier an emerger/cripple(parachute) would likely have done better.
Of course I believe it. In my experience, traditionally hackled flies outfish parachutes (except on days when they don’t.)
The reason I don’t fish a lot of parachutes is that during times when the parachute would outfish the normally hackled fly, I can usually do better with a wet fly in the film. On days where the fish really seem to prefer a dry fly, the traditionally hackled one works better. My theory is that parachutes are for those who really can’t bring themselves to fish a wet fly.
Honestly…I do not have a parachute pattern in my box. Over the years I have left them alone 1-by-1. I lean towards the classic dry flies…or a thorax pattern. I just have better luck with them.
I have my best success with Wonder Wing parachutes. They’re not much easier to see than traditional collared flies, but I have confidence that they’ll land correctly and that the wings are highly visible to the trout, appropriately split, and hold their shape.
Now here goes nothing…I am of the opinion that the traditional collared fly actually represents an emerger. Despite the myth, catskills do not float on the tips of their hackle and tails. However the base of the hackle is thick, so I think the abdomen does float a bit higher than it would for a parachute. On the other hand, I think this slight angle leads to the tail sinking more regularly than it would on a 'chute.
In this case, we think tail. On the other hand, the trout don’t see a tail, they see a shuck. Wings out of the water, shuck beneath the surface = emerger.
My heretical $0.02.
Depends on the type of water. Fast water, the traditional flies do well. They can look like a mayfly or a fluttering caddis. On slower flows, I like parachutes and no hackles.
You can also change how low in the flim a parachute rides by either treating or not treating the body of the fly and how you tie the fly. Tied convex side of the hackle down will ride lower and concave side down will ride higher. It is a much more versatile pattern than a standard tie. It can ride high or lower like a low rider pattern.
Fished in the standard configuration, it lies flat like a dry fly
Bend the shank down with a hemostat and it mimics an emerger like a Klinkhammer. You can trim the tail to a few fibers to imitate the trailing shuck, and cut down the post to imitate the emerging wing or the emerger to make the conversion more realistic.
Bent parachute
Klinkhammer
I use both parachutes and traditional… I seem to have better luck with the parachutes.