Re: [VFB] Questions - Humpy

Mon, 02 Oct 2006 22:02:08 -0700

In a message dated 9/30/2006 10:14:26 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
This is what Randall Kaufmann wrote about the Humpy:
 
Jim Quick in Trout Fishing and Trout Flies claims that an all-deer hair fly called the Algonquin was used by native Americans in northern Michigan decades ago. The Horner Deer Hair or Little Jack Horner, a cousin to the current Humpy, was created by SF tier Jack Horner in the early 40s.
Pat Barnes and wife Sig guided and operated a flyshop in West Yellowstone for 36 years, and this Pat was fishing a lake with George Fay, a friend of Horner's. Pat picked up George's rod, hooked a trout on the first cast, lost it, borrowed a new fly, and caught the very same fish. He released the fish, and removed a length of mono and the fly, and placed the fly in his hat. Customers asked abt the fly in his hat with the leader attached, and the Barneses started producing the Little Jack Horner. No one would accept the name, and people asked for " a few of those goofy deer hair flies that fooled that rainbow twice in 10 minutes". Goofy looking was shortened to Goofy Bug and then to Goofus Bug.
In the early 50s Dan bailey cataloged an identical fly and called it the Poor Man's Wulff but tied it with yellow, red and green floss underbodies. In the mid 60s there were Goofus bugs in West Yellowstone and Humpies in Jackson Hole - they were identicaland both areas claimed it as a local pattern.
Jack Dennis seems to be responsible for refining and popularizing the Royal Humpy in the 70s but he attributed it to a Charles Ridenour.
 
Mart
Let's not forget the Canadian B.C.contribution of the "Tom Thumb" that was introduced about the same time as Jack Horner's "Horner Deer Fly" in the late 1930's on Hat Creek in the Northern Sierras.
 
 
Many flies can be traced to more than one fly tier due to similar innovations and marketing ploys. For instance, the Wooly Bugger by Russell Blessing of Pennsylvania or Don Martinez of Montana. (Isn't it really a derivation of the English'  Wooly Worm?)
 
I just got back from 5 great days of fly fishing. 325 e-mails awaiting me mostly from VFB. I've also been a member of this list since it's inception many years back. I have become a lurker over the years since most of the mail seems trivial to me. I use the delete button often. My kudos to Paul Marriner for not losing sight of what many of us have enjoyed about the list...a great source of information and knowledge. At times, Byron brings this list back to focus on the topics that make this list worth our time. My thanks is really to all of you. I appreciate all of your contributions...I just use the delete button a little more frequently these days. ;-)
 
Steve Schalla

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