How to Tie the PMX Parachute Madam X Dry Fly

Sep 26, 2022 · 4 min read

How to Tie the PMX Parachute Madam X Dry Fly

Learn how to tie the Parachute Madam X Dry Fly pattern, including step-by-step instructions, a video tutorial, pictures, and much more. Improve your fly-tying skills here.

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While we love technical match-the-hatch dry fly fishing, we also enjoy situations where the trout have something less than a Princeton education. Sometimes a simple attractor dry is needed to fool a backcountry cutthroat out west or Appalachian brookie. Regardless of which side of the country you fish, the fly must float high and be easily seen in broken-up pocket water. Second, the best attractor patterns seem to imitate everything and nothing at all simultaneously.

For these reasons, Doug Swisher popularized the Madam X in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. Caddis, stoneflies, hoppers, and whatever bugs are on the water, the Madam X just works! We’re bringing you a hi-viz parachute adaptation of his original fly. If you happen to leave the gink at home, don’t fret about reaching for the PMX Parachute Madam X!

Recipe

Hook: Mustad R43 1 XF/3XL size 12
Thread Abdomen: Veevus GSP 50D in White
Thread Thorax: Veevus GSP 50D in Black
Tail: Hareline Bleached Deer Hair
Abdomen: UTC single Strand Floss in Red
Wing: Hareline Bleached Deer Hair
Post: Hairline Para Post in White
Legs: Hareline Medium Round Rubber White
Hackle: Whiting Dry Fly Cape Grizzly
Thorax: Hairline Strung Peacock Herl

Buy Material Kit

Step One

Black vise grips a gold hook with white tying thread and pink bobbin tip — PMX parachute fly tying for Madam X dry fly

Establish a thread base by running the thread from below the hook eye to the bend.

Step Two

Hand positioning white synthetic PMX parachute fibers in brass fly-tying vise for Madam X dry fly tutorial

Start the tail section by removing the fuzzy fibers from the deer hair, then stack the fibers and trim them to run the same length as the shank.

Step Three

Hands tying cream PMX parachute dry fly with white feather parachute, ribbed body on gold hook held in vise

Position the deer hair on the shank’s midsection with approximately half the material’s length extending past the bend. Tie the fibers by the tip-ends loosely, then slowly crank down on the thread while rotating the hair around the shank.

Step Four

Red-bodied PMX Parachute Madam X dry fly with white feather parachute tail tied on brass hook in vise, fly tying close-up

Tie the red floss over the deer hair, then wrap the thread down to the bend, leaving the tag end uncovered to begin the body.

Step Five

Red-bodied Madam X dry fly with white feather tail on gold hook held in vise, fly tying thread hanging, gray backdrop

Complete the body by making overlapping wraps up the shank with the floss’ tag end, then secure the material before the hook eye.

Step Six

Cream and orange PMX parachute dry fly on gold hook in vise, feathery white wing and tying thread visible

We’re using the bleached deer hair for the Parachute Madam X’s wing case. Stack a slightly larger clump than the tail and secure them by the tips right below the eye. The wing should extend right past the rear.

Step Seven

White and orange PMX Parachute Madam X dry fly with cream feather, black thread head and gold-eye hook in vise

We’re now switching over to the black thread. Build up a quick base in front of the wingcase, then cover the very front of the wing.

Step Eight

PMX Parachute Madam X dry fly in vise, cream deer hair parachute post, white rubber legs, black thread body

Create the Parachute Madam X’s legs by securing a short section of rubber legs material next to the wing on either side of the shank.

Step Nine

Hand-held vise tying a PMX Madam X parachute dry fly with white post, silver body and black thread on a small gold hook

Before tying on the parapost, let's move the legs out of the way by pulling the forward-facing material rearward, then wrapping a wire around them and the shank.

Step Ten

Hand-tying PMX Parachute Madam X dry fly: white foam post, tan deer hair wing, silver wire and black thread on vise

With the legs out of the way, tie the parapost fibers on the head at the material’s center. Next, make thread wraps up the parapost’s base, and finally, make helicopter turns around the base and shank.

Step Eleven

Silver and brass fly-tying vise holding a gray-white PMX Parachute Madam X dry fly with patterned barred feather trailer

Prepare the hackle by trimming the fuzzy fibers from the tip, then secure it below the post with the shiny side facing outward. Be sure to leave the feather’s flowy section exposed, and we’ll complete it later.

Step Twelve

Madam X PMX parachute dry fly on vise with white synthetic post, pink rubber legs and dark green peacock herl thorax

Peacock herl is the last material we’ll be using today, and it’s for the thorax. Tie a few strands by the tips next to the post, then wrap the material in front of and before the post. Finally, Secure the herl before the eye, then clip the extra fabric.

Step Thirteen

PMX Madam X parachute dry fly in vise with white poly post, barred feather tail and dark dubbed thorax, fly fishing

Returning to the hackle, wrap the feather around the post several times, then secure and clip the extra fibers.

Step Fourteen

Madam X parachute dry fly in vise, white poly post, brown hackle head and silicone legs, fly tying

The tying section is complete after building a quick head, then completing a whip finish.

Step Fifteen

Close-up hands tying PMX Parachute Madam X dry fly with olive dubbing, black parachute hackle and white post in vise

Apply a small drop of Zap-a-Gap in front of the hackle and head cement behind the eye.

Step Sixteen

PMX Parachute Madam X dry fly on vise with black dubbed body, cream elk-hair tail and white synthetic parachute post

Finally, trim the parapost, and the Parachute Madam X is ready to hit the water. Now go catch some cutties!

Written by

Stephen D' Angelo

Stephen D'Angelo is a fly fishing expert with a passion for fly tying, gear, and time on the water. From small-stream trout to saltwater flats fishing, Stephen brings hands-on experience across a wide range of species and scenarios — and he's always happy to help you find the right setup for your next adventure.

Comments

(1)

Mike Duclos

Mar 2, 2026

Nice tie,