| The original yellow humpy has its
origins somewhere in California; this fly is a variant of that pattern that is credited to
Jack Dennis. I have had some success with this pattern on my home waters in Sweden where
it has proved successful as a search pattern during the earlier part of the season usually
in a size 14. Later on in the fall
when the hatches are sparse it has worked well for my grayling fishing, especially on the
Idsjöströmmen of the Gim river in smaller sizes, usually 18īs.
The materials used in tying this fly give
the pattern excellent floatability, incorporating a lot of deer hair, which contain air
pockets within their fibres. This however is perhaps not such an important factor with
modern day floatants it is now possible to make most flies float.
The bright white wings make the fly easy
to see on the water especially in low light conditions, which is a good attribute for
people like me with my eyesight not being what it was twenty years ago.
It was whilst fishing New Zealand’s
wilderness rivers that this fly proved to be invaluable. These backcountry rivers very
rarely have heavy hatches and the most common patterns are bug like search patterns. New
Zealand’s gin clear waters give an opportunity to see just how fish react to certain
flies and on the whole this one met with their approval.
Not the easiest pattern to tie but well
worth the effort. The Yellow, Red and Green variants will all prove to be worthwhile
having in the fly box, whichever part of the world you may find yourself in.
| Hook: Standard dry fly hook 8-20 |
| Tail: Dark Deer Hair |
| Thread: Red |
| Under body: Tying
thread or floss |
| Wings: Calf body Hair |
| Hackle: Brown |
Photo and text: Sean
Andrews 2002 ©
Sean Andrews is a
professional flytyer. |
