adams
n. countablen. a type of artificial fly used in fishing that looks like a small insect. It is very popular because it works well in many different rivers and lakes.
n. a versatile dry fly pattern used in fly fishing to imitate various species of mayflies or midges. Characterised by its grey body and grizzly hackle, it is considered a generalist imitation rather than a specific species match.
He tied an Adams to his line before casting into the river.
When the specific insect hatch is difficult to identify, many anglers rely on an Adams to attract trout.
The enduring popularity of the Adams lies in its impressionistic silhouette, which successfully mimics a wide range of aquatic insects across diverse geographical regions and water conditions.
From Adam + -s. (fishing fly): Named after Charles Adams, who asked his friend Leonard Halladay to design the fly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Usually capitalised as it is named after its creator, Leonard Halladay's friend Charles Adams.
Last updated May 2, 2026