Goofus Bug
Fly of the Month 7.26 - Goofus Bug
The Tom Thumb, a fly pattern designed in the early 1940’s in England made its way to Western Canada. The late British Columbia angler Collie Peacock named the pattern after meeting a California dentist who fished the Tom Thumb well near the town of Jasper. It was called the Horner Deer Hair Fly initially. The Tom Thumb did not utilize either a hackle or a split wing.
- author/angler Art Lingren
The Canadian fly pattern made its way to the Rocky Mountain region and a Yellowstone Guide, Pat Barnes, popularized this pattern by referring to it as the Goofus Bug for the “goofy looking” fly that his customer’s requested. This was in 1943 and for a period of time, the fly was referred to as the Goofus Bug in Montana.
This places the Tom Thumb as the early predecessor of the “goofy looking” fly pattern called the Goofus Bug.
Goofus Bug
The pattern made its way southeast into the Rocky Mountain areas near Yellowstone where guide Keith Kenyon added a hackle and split the wing to secretly create the Goofus Bug in 1944 for the Firehole River in Yellowstone National Park, thus, the Goofus was born. Keith fished this fly pattern on the Firehole River and its effectiveness leaked out. Anglers would come into the West Yellowstone Fly Shop of Sig and Pat Barnes asking for the “goofy looking” deer hair fly, so the name Goofus Bug was adopted. - American Angler (Spring, 1990)
Many fly historians believe that along about the same time in California, Jack Horner, in the Hat Creek area of the Northern Sierra, created the same pattern. It was known locally as Horner’s Deer Hair Fly. The fly utilized highly buoyant deer hair which could stay afloat in the fast water situations of the Truckee River. Jack fished the Truckee often with this fly pattern. A bend in the river above Hirshdale is known as “Horner’s Corner.”
Eventually, by the late 1940’s the pattern picked up the name “Humpy” due to the hollow hair, the large profile, and the way the hair is utilized. Boots Allen, the owner of a small fly shop in Jackson Hole, Wyoming is thought to have come up with the name. Thus, the name "Humpy" applies to this pattern coming from Wyoming sources. The Goofus Bug or Humpy fly pattern has great floatability and can be used in most western streams as well as cascading eastern streams.
From an unknown name in the UK, to the Tom Thumb in Canada, to the Horner Deer Hair Fly , to the Goofus Bug in the Rockies, the Goofus Bug or Humpy fly pattern has an amazing linage. Many color variations have evolved from this fly. It is probably one of the most successful attractor flies created. Traditionally the Goofus Bug is tied in two versions, Dark Goofus Bug and Light Goofus Bug, depending on the shade of the deer hair.
Their many variations of the Goofus Bug but they are all labeled as a version of the Humpy. The most popular is the Yellow Humpy. Tied in size 14 or 16, the Yellow Humpy can be used to imitate small Golden Stoneflies and Little Yellow Sallies. The basic body colors can be changed to red, green, or tan using Floss for the body material. Jack Dennis changed the body of Deer Hair to Elk Hair in the 1960’s, then added a Black Elk Hair tail naming the pattern an Elk Hair Humpy. As a result he Humpy is often tied with Elk Hair today. The Royal Humpy is a variation that was originated inn the 1970’s by Charlie Ridenour of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It combines the Humpy’s very buggy appearance and the visibility characteristics of the Royal Wulff. The Adams Humpy is an excellent attractor fly pattern and utilized for certain gray mayfly hatches as well as . The Black Humpy was a variation developed by Ramona Bressler in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the 1960’s. It is particularly good during overcast conditions as a beetle imitation. The most recent accidental variation is the Double Humpy which was a mistake at the vise by Boots Allen’s son Joe Allen, in 1981. However, the fly pattern ended up working so well on the stream that it became another fly pattern with the same set of variations.
So, technically one could say that there are variations a known as the Adams Goofus Bug, Black Goofus Bug, Dark Goofus Bug, Double Goofus Bug, Elk Hair Goofus Bug, Green Goofus Bug, Light Goofus Bug, Tan Goofus Bug, Red Goofus Bug, Royal Goofus Bug and Yellow Goofus Bug, It depends on the “goofiness” that is desired.
The Tom Thumb, a fly pattern designed in the early 1940’s in England made its way to Western Canada. The late British Columbia angler Collie Peacock named the pattern after meeting a California dentist who fished the Tom Thumb well near the town of Jasper. It was called the Horner Deer Hair Fly initially. The Tom Thumb did not utilize either a hackle or a split wing.
- author/angler Art Lingren
The Canadian fly pattern made its way to the Rocky Mountain region and a Yellowstone Guide, Pat Barnes, popularized this pattern by referring to it as the Goofus Bug for the “goofy looking” fly that his customer’s requested. This was in 1943 and for a period of time, the fly was referred to as the Goofus Bug in Montana.
This places the Tom Thumb as the early predecessor of the “goofy looking” fly pattern called the Goofus Bug.
Goofus Bug
The pattern made its way southeast into the Rocky Mountain areas near Yellowstone where guide Keith Kenyon added a hackle and split the wing to secretly create the Goofus Bug in 1944 for the Firehole River in Yellowstone National Park, thus, the Goofus was born. Keith fished this fly pattern on the Firehole River and its effectiveness leaked out. Anglers would come into the West Yellowstone Fly Shop of Sig and Pat Barnes asking for the “goofy looking” deer hair fly, so the name Goofus Bug was adopted. - American Angler (Spring, 1990)
Many fly historians believe that along about the same time in California, Jack Horner, in the Hat Creek area of the Northern Sierra, created the same pattern. It was known locally as Horner’s Deer Hair Fly. The fly utilized highly buoyant deer hair which could stay afloat in the fast water situations of the Truckee River. Jack fished the Truckee often with this fly pattern. A bend in the river above Hirshdale is known as “Horner’s Corner.”
Eventually, by the late 1940’s the pattern picked up the name “Humpy” due to the hollow hair, the large profile, and the way the hair is utilized. Boots Allen, the owner of a small fly shop in Jackson Hole, Wyoming is thought to have come up with the name. Thus, the name "Humpy" applies to this pattern coming from Wyoming sources. The Goofus Bug or Humpy fly pattern has great floatability and can be used in most western streams as well as cascading eastern streams.
From an unknown name in the UK, to the Tom Thumb in Canada, to the Horner Deer Hair Fly , to the Goofus Bug in the Rockies, the Goofus Bug or Humpy fly pattern has an amazing linage. Many color variations have evolved from this fly. It is probably one of the most successful attractor flies created. Traditionally the Goofus Bug is tied in two versions, Dark Goofus Bug and Light Goofus Bug, depending on the shade of the deer hair.
Their many variations of the Goofus Bug but they are all labeled as a version of the Humpy. The most popular is the Yellow Humpy. Tied in size 14 or 16, the Yellow Humpy can be used to imitate small Golden Stoneflies and Little Yellow Sallies. The basic body colors can be changed to red, green, or tan using Floss for the body material. Jack Dennis changed the body of Deer Hair to Elk Hair in the 1960’s, then added a Black Elk Hair tail naming the pattern an Elk Hair Humpy. As a result he Humpy is often tied with Elk Hair today. The Royal Humpy is a variation that was originated inn the 1970’s by Charlie Ridenour of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It combines the Humpy’s very buggy appearance and the visibility characteristics of the Royal Wulff. The Adams Humpy is an excellent attractor fly pattern and utilized for certain gray mayfly hatches as well as . The Black Humpy was a variation developed by Ramona Bressler in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the 1960’s. It is particularly good during overcast conditions as a beetle imitation. The most recent accidental variation is the Double Humpy which was a mistake at the vise by Boots Allen’s son Joe Allen, in 1981. However, the fly pattern ended up working so well on the stream that it became another fly pattern with the same set of variations.
So, technically one could say that there are variations a known as the Adams Goofus Bug, Black Goofus Bug, Dark Goofus Bug, Double Goofus Bug, Elk Hair Goofus Bug, Green Goofus Bug, Light Goofus Bug, Tan Goofus Bug, Red Goofus Bug, Royal Goofus Bug and Yellow Goofus Bug, It depends on the “goofiness” that is desired.