I think the two hardest steps in tying a parachute are picking the correct amount of material and then posting the wing, and then winding the hackle without getting too cluttered around the hook eye.  Here is the full bunch of hair lashed to the hook shank – the beginning of the process.  Don’t forget to lay a nice thread base on the hook shank.

Here is the Parachute post standing proud.  Try to trim the butts as close as possible after the first step and bind them down tightly.  Use some horizontal wraps to gather and lift the post – you can take the thread back behind the wing butts during the horizontal wraps to help pull the post upright.  Keep the wraps to a minimum – keep the base of the post trim and tight.   Once again this is a #16 T-100 hook with Bright Orange died calf hair and 8/0 UniThread.

Making progress – I’ve used a mix of Brown and Grizzly hackle fibers for the tail – about equal to the length of the hook shank, and have wrapped a tight, tapered body of Adams Grey Superfine dubbing.  If you’d like the original pattern calls out a Grey Muskrat body and they never heard of Orange Calf hair!

Now it starts to get dicey – lash down the Brown saddle hackle – concave side (or dull side) down.  Two wraps are all you need.  Next comes the Grizzly Saddle – right on top of the Brown, two more wraps and then add a little dubbing to cover beneath the post and end the thread in front of the post.

Two or three turns of Grizzly, two or three turns of Brown and then finish with a very sparse dubbed head.  Whip finish and a fine drop of head cement and it’s finished.  Don’t get frustrated, the two hackles in an Adams makes things rather difficult, so if you can tie this fly, a standard Parachute with only one hackle color is a snap.

A top view of our finished fly.  As you wind the hackle gently weave or wiggle it into the existing hackle, trying not to trap any fibers – this will help you achieve a nice full diameter of hackle and float your fly upright and proud.