A winter midge, or an Adams Dry Fly?

From Dave Hughes' 1986 "American Fly Tying Manual, the Adams Midge is a great imitation of the midges or small mayflies that often hatch in the coldest months.
Hook: #16-26 dry fly
Thread: Black
Tail: Grizzly hackle barbs
Body: Muskrat
Hackle: Grizzly dry fly
** Some of the popular books used on this channel: **
Dave Hughes, "Essential Trout Flies," 2017, amzn.to/3lbCZYX
Dave Hughes, "Wet Flies," 2015, amzn.to/33ac3lQ
John Shewey, "Classic Steelhead Flies," 2015, amzn.to/2RywHcP
David Klausmeyer's "Favorite Flies," 2020, amzn.to/3oeSNMa
Morgan Lyle's "Simple Flies," 2015, amzn.to/3qB1zW1
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: amzn.to/34U0rUe
Mike Valla's "Tying the Founding Flies," 2015, amzn.to/354oSir
Mike Valla's "Classic Streamer Fly Box," 2020, amzn.to/3n3Vakf
Randle Scott Stetzer's "Flies, the Best One Thousand," 1992, amzn.to/34Q15mp
Terry Hellekson's "Popular Fly Patterns," 1976, amzn.to/2L4IyvS
Dick Stewart's, "Flies for Bass and Panfish," 1992, amzn.to/3aGpFs1
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: amzn.to/34U0rUe
Savage Flies is a project with the mission of encouraging and teaching fly tying to as many people as possible. The channel is named after one of my western Maryland homewaters, the Savage River. Thanks for stopping by.

[@comesahorseman]

If the fish are wanting it size 26, I'm heading for the nearest pub. The heck with 'em! 😅

[@joeduca8582]

🍻 Cheers!

[@CrimsonWillowBaitCo.]

I don’t go past 24

[@SavageFlies]

Hahaha! I hear you there my friend. :-)

[@garrettswoodworx1873]

Nice, simple fly but probably a bit small for my weak eyes and fat fingers. Thanks for sharing Matt!

[@bobhammond8067]

Dave's eyes were a lot younger then!! Super fly!!

[@warrenchester8467]

Nice tie Matt, thanks. Didn’t really get the cool looking tool. Maybe you could show it in action. Best w.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Warren! I'll probably pick up one next month and do a review on it. (J. Stockard was out of stock this week.)

[@markfritch3168]

Midges are great patterns as you said year around. Personally I tie down to a 22 but rarely these days as I can’t see as well as I used to. Hackle for really small flies can also be expensive. A couple of years ago I purchased some small hackle from Whiting, I think they call it 100 pack, specifically in the sizes I needed. This might help out some young or new tiers cost wise. Great tip on removing your thread and not your hackle fibers. Thanks again Matt for all your help. Warmest regards.

[@SavageFlies]

Good tip on the Whiting 100 packs. I've never bought them, but they certainly look convenient. And the feathers look to be long enough that each one could make 2-3 flies. Thanks for the note Mark!

[@jimgollach6202]

Now that's a cool tool, and a nice looking fly. Thanks for sharing Matt 👍.

[@bayoutrapper]

Great looking fly, just plain, old school, fishy looking. Cool tips, thanks. Love the backgroud music. Thanks Matt, God bless.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you my friend!

[@jimholland1592]

Hey Matt☕️☕️ Love the bug, and thanks for the product review. I have been on the fence about both of those. Now you push me over the edge 🤣🤣🤣👍 28° here feeling like 20°

[@SavageFlies]

Hahaha! You need this tool about as much as I do Jim. Meaning probably not at all! Stay warm my friend. :-)

[@crowdaddy8355]

Great looking fly. I saw that tool and immediately wanted one too. Thanks Matt.

[@Jd-yc3gw]

Good day Matt. Neat tool. I can’t imagine fly tiers being tool junkies 🙄. You make it look like a pretty easy tie. I usually don’t have much success tying those tiny hooks but I think I give this a try. Noticed in the comments a suggestion to tie the real tiny ones without a tail. May give that a try too. Take care Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Yep, you got it John. The smaller you get, the more you have to leave off. Lots of tiers don't even put a body on flies 20 or smaller.

[@cheflexx778]

You got me!!! I'm definitely a tool junkie. Been picking up old bobbin holders...🙂

[@SavageFlies]

Hahaha! You can never have too many bobbin holders Alex. :-)

[@cheflexx778]

@@SavageFlies ironically they gave out that hairline rake in the gift bags at the fly tying symposium dinner on Friday. Jose and I didn't even know about the dinner or we would have been there. But we will next year. LOL I heard there were some good goodies in that bag.

[@leemowers9395]

Great little fly, thanks for sharing Matt. Looks like an interesting tool.

[@ninacleven7889]

Great little fly.

[@harryjoesather6539]

thank you matt... getting up to date on videos....lol.... see ya joe

[@pc5439]

Great pattern Matt.

[@laytonmarvin3790]

Great pattern and definitely worth having in the box. Thanks Matt for sharing

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Layton! Hope you had a great weekend my friend. :-)

[@bigdaddy99929]

One of my favorite!! Great little fish catcher. Thx Matt. 😊

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Clyde!

[@hirkojs]

Awesome video Matt. Mega Thx for the tying tips

[@benklotzer8232]

Great fly. Super easy to tie, and super effective to fish

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Ben! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@marshallbaldwin8960]

I’m not sure I can see some of my 16 or smaller hooks…I love this pattern. Thanks Sir Matt

[@tompeterson559]

A classic. Thank you, and thank you for the extra instructional comments. Those are tips we pick up over the years, but they can help bring someone new to tying up to speed very quickly. Great job on teaching the community!

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you Tom! I really appreciate these kind words my friend. :-)

[@howardmceachern6614]

Great tips are subtle but handy. Always enjoy your content. Thanks, Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Howard! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@davehall2160]

Cool looking fly Matt Thanks for the tips,they definitely come in handy

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Dave! I always appreciate the notes my friend. :-)

[@edwardchavez5627]

Good Morning Sir Matt, I'm liking this fly alot, the colors and the size is what I enjoy tying and the challenge. I'm kinda a perfectionist I always have to do things right or make sure my flies look right ... ugh. Have a great weekend Sir.

[@SavageFlies]

Hahaha! I've never had to worry about being a perfectionist Edward. I'd never get anything done if I was. :-)

[@TERRYBIGGENDEN]

Perfect for many occasions. :-)

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you Terry!

[@burtonbrocious171]

Another fine fishable fly tks matt

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Burt! I still haven't forgotten that you picked the name for my first book. :-)

[@jashbaug]

Very nice!

[@juwright1949]

Excellent!👍🏻

[@DB-iu8yl]

Nice fly Matt. Looks quite fishy also. Thanks for the review of a cool tool.

[@SavageFlies]

You bet! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)

[@joutdoorsmen23]

Great fly I always have a few from 16 to 24 great tips Matt you be very surprised when start tying big to small how easier it is to tie the smaller ones take care and thanks for what you

[@mikemarchacos2532]

Hey Matt, I use this fly in sizes 18-24 on the Swift river here in Massachusetts all winter long. In sizes smaller than 20 we don’t dub it or put a tail. Thin thread body and a few turns of grizzly that’s it. Still looks like an Adams and it works great. Works well tied in black also. Done in this style it’s easy to do down to size 26.

[@SavageFlies]

Great tips Mike! I'd definitely have to leave a couple materials out for a size 26. :-)

[@doncogswell9596]

Nice fly Matt. Good explanation and tips. I have that book that it came from as well. If I had a place to fish, I'd use it. Well done Mr. Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Don! I always appreciate the notes my friend. :-)

[@melchurch3019]

More good hints. No matter how long I've tied I can always use some more. I've tied some 24-26 when I had a trip to Colorado but had to put on some very strong magnifiers to do it. More to see if I could than a need.

[@SavageFlies]

Yep, same here Mel. I can tie the really small ones on my vise a lot easier than I can to my tippet. :-)

[@jeffreystone7327]

Man that looks good. Just gives you a good feeling when you see it. It’s like putting on your favorite wintertime wool coat 😅. Thank you Matt, great fly. What would be the largest hook you could get away with this one? Just wondering about using outside the norm? Thanks buddy. Have a great weekend.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Jeff! Sorry I'm just getting to this backlog of comments. You could easily tie this as big as a 10 or 12. I'd probably put some kind of wing on it if I was tying it that big though. Any real bugs that big, you'd definitely see the wings if they landed on the water.

[@richardjones2129]

Thanks Matt for another nice tie n good tips. I like the Adam's fly n tie it in browns n black. They are effective here in CA. God Bless n fish on!

[@SavageFlies]

Great to hear Richard! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)

[@joeduca8582]

Another great teaching video Matt. Nice pattern too, an ICSI fly - I CAN'T See It 🔍👀😉 Unfortunately the smallest I've tied is 14 and not that many of them. I'd probably be more successful on top and under the surface if I tied smaller, but I'm happy with what I've accomplished. Now a rake is something I've often considered buying. Maybe they were stainless and feasible at around $10, but that slick "space age" Hareline model is pricey :o( It must be like the deshedding tool we have for the dogs. Just noticed, a new mic for Christmas? I like the music, looked up Blackest Crow. Cool lyrics. Hey! New wildlife sighting, an Ermine! First time I've seen one in it's white winter coat with that black tip tail. Beautiful! I'll send you a pic and text asap. Have a great weekend! 🤓 👍

[@SavageFlies]

Ermine?? That's cool! I've never seen one in the wild, but without looking them up, I envision them being kind of mink-like. Yeah, this is a pretty cool tool. Is it worth $40? Ehhh... maybe not. I think I've used an old metal dubbing rake a few years ago, but this one does have blades in between the tines so it actually cuts the material instead of just yanking it. Regarding the mic... I got it a few months ago, just been too lazy to figure out the settings until recently. This KZbin video tech stuff befuddles me sometimes. Okay, gotta finish editing so I can get some sleep. I've been swamped lately. Looking forward to some down time at the farm this weekend. Have a great week my friend!

[@rollinlapoint4554]

As always, some great advice and tips in this video. Especially, learning to tie smaller flies starting with larger sizes first. IMHO muskrat is my favorite gray dubbing. A small patch goes a long way and even offers some guard hairs for some delicate uses. Kudos on getting down to size 18, that's where I stop!

[@SavageFlies]

You're not kidding about the muskrat Rollin! I think I've had this patch for over a year and it's probably tied three or four dozen Adams. And there's about half left!

[@johnnylightning1491]

Another nice simple fly Matt. Not too much variation I can think of on this one. Keep the good stuff coming buddy.

[@SavageFlies]

You got that right Dave! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@johncoates8474]

I really like this pattern and although I have only been tying for about a year my favorite hook to tie is a 26, only because I cant find anything smaller, so I will be tying several of these.

[@pc5439]

John, try Gamakatsu C-12 BM Large Eye Midge barbless hooks, you can find them in sizes 26, 28 & 30. The size of the eye makes them so easy to attach your tippet, the only problem that you may run into is they seem to be a production run item, so if you can't find them, then you might have to have your fly shop put them on backorder for you, but they will be worth the wait.

[@SavageFlies]

Great tip Phil! I can more easily tie flies on a 22-24s than I can fish them. With their tiny eyes they're hard for me to tie on my tippet. If it takes me ten minutes to put on a new fly that I'll probably lose in a tree a few minutes later... that's frustrating!

[@bsaks51]

Great pattern. I won't be tying any on a 26 either. My old eyes can only go as small as a 20.

[@SavageFlies]

You and me both Brian! Even if I could easily tie a #22, I can hardly see to tie it on my tippet!

[@drewzimmer7357]

Have you tied an H and L variant on KZbin before? If not would love to see that one. Supposedly one of Eisenhower favorite flies

[@SavageFlies]

I have not Drew, but I did like Ike so I'll add this one to my to-do list. Thanks for the request!

[@drewzimmer7357]

@@SavageFlies awesome, please show how you “strip” the peacock herl if you can. I have some older books that has it in it, but directions are not great. I tied it when I was just beginning, but would love to see someone who ties older flies give it a try.

[@johngallagher5821]

I would have already tied on my go-to muskrat nymph.

[@SavageFlies]

Hahaha! I'm with you. It never fails, that when I spend ten minutes changing tippet so I can tie on a size 20 anything, I lose it in a tree in the first few casts. :-)

[@williamwigfield7296]

Remember junkies: the first step to recovery is admitting your addiction 🙃 Nice tips for tying small Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Hahaha! I admitted long ago that I have a problem. :-)

[@FlyTyer1948]

Good basic fly. It looked like that dubbing rake just pulled out underfur & not guard hairs. Yes? If so, I want one.

[@SavageFlies]

That's exactly what it did Bob. I think this is what sets it apart from the old plain metal dubbing rakes. It has some pretty sharp blades between the tines so it makes pretty easy work of getting to the underfur. Kind of pricey, but I think I'll get my money's worth using it over the course of a year or two.

[@jamesvatter5729]

Another "Widget" for the tying bench!

[@SavageFlies]

You know it Jim! I think I've used a generic dubbing rake a few years ago, but this one has the blades in it so it's not just yanking the underfur out. :-)

[@evilmothericebearkillerbir6016]

did not know were to ask this .do you or someone on here know were to get like a starter pack or kit of thred for starting out .i got thes small roles thay flaton out and you can spin them to get thin strand .looking for more of strate thin for small flys o and do you have a spot were we can ask things like this

[@SavageFlies]

It's fine to ask questions here. You don't need a starter pack. Just get a couple spools of this stuff. A black, brown, dun and maybe a yellow or gold. www.jsflyfishing.com/products/ultra-thread

[@keithr4224]

KZbin keeps sending your vids as New? When I’ve already seen them. Annoying....

[@SavageFlies]

Sorry about that Keith! I have no idea why KZbin does what they do. I'll watch one video on how to unclog a toilet and they think unclogging toilets is my new hobby. So I hear you, their algorithms can be annoying. But I do appreciate you watching.