It was designed by Leonard Halladay from Mayfield, Michigan in 1922, at the request of his friend Charles Adams.

[2] The Adams has been considered one of the most popular, versatile, effective and best selling dry flies since its creation.

[3] In 1922, Leonard Halladay, a Michigan fly tyer conceived the Adams as a general mayfly imitation.

It was first fished by an Ohio attorney and friend of Halladay, Charles F. Adams on the Boardman River near Traverse City, Michigan.

Other variations include spentwings, downwings, females tied with a yellow body tag resembling an egg sac, hairwings, and with different tailing material such as elk, deer or moose.