Fly fishing from an previous grey rowboat with a cowboy information on a high-country Western Colorado trout pond, I made a decision that the moody, unresponsive trout wanted to see one thing with an Jap motif. A Hornberg was known as for.
“What’s THAT lil’ thang?” Sam requested me. Underneath the shadow of his sweat-soaked Stetson, he stared at me by way of squinting, uncertain eyes.
V. Paul Reynolds, Outdoor Columnist
“That, sir, is a Hornberg, a killer fly on Maine trout ponds,” I mentioned.
Did it work? You understand it did. The Colorado Cutthroats banged it repeatedly till the fly was only a remnant of its former self. Sam modified his tune. He, too, grew to become a believer within the Hornberg, a fly he had by no means seen or heard of in his time on the waters within the Rockies.
Ah, sure, the Hornberg. In his new e book, fishing author Bob Mallard devotes a chapter to the Hornberg, which was, in accordance with Mallard, invented in 1920 by Frank Hornberg, a Wisconsin recreation warden. Mallard goes as far as to opine that the Hornberg “could be essentially the most fished fly in Maine.”
That may not shock me. The Hornberg has lengthy been my go-to fly. It has a versatility that’s unmatched, for my cash. You’ll be able to fish it moist, fish it dry, and something in between. In my fly field, you will discover Hornbergs of each description, various sizes and colours. When the Inexperienced Drake hatch is on, the usual measurement 6 is at all times lethal.
In keeping with Mallard, the Hornberg was truly designed as a dry fly, however is taken into account a moist fly by most Mainers.
A Hornberg man for a few years, I found just some years in the past a considerably unconventional Hornberg that’s significantly efficient on each salmon and trout, particularly early within the season when the caddis hatch is on.
When Barry Higgins was working his sporting items retailer on the principle highway in Medway, Three Rivers Canoe, he bought a diminutive model of the Hornberg that I had by no means seen in fly outlets. Similar recipe — silver tinsel physique, yellow underbody, mallard wings and grey hackle — however small hooks, #14 and #16.
Since Barry closed his store, I’ve not been capable of finding these tiny Hornbergs in different shops. Fly supplier Alvin Terriault ties some nice Hornbergs, however he doesn’t supply the small ones, in his catalog not less than.
Fly Shack, the web fly retailer, does carry the Hornberg in #14 and #16. When you plan to fish this fall, or subsequent spring, be sure to fill your fly field with an assortment of those smaller Hornbergs. The smaller variations at all times appear to work higher for me, particularly on trout.
So the subsequent time the fish defy you in your agonizing effort to “match the hatch,” put a double clinch on a Hornberg, and, earlier than you ship the road, say a “thanks” to Mr. Hornberg, a legacy tyer, for certain.
V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal, an creator, a Maine information and host of a weekly radio program, “Maine Outdoor,” heard at 7 p.m. Sundays on The Voice of Maine Information-Discuss Community. Contact him at [email protected]
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