Humpy

Don't you just love the Humpy? I do! The Humpy is a fly that has achieved stardom in the western states. Very buoyant and the many tying variations on this fly makes it a very adaptable and wonderful fly for fast & furious water conditions.

I was fascinated (maybe obsessed? 😀) after I watched Jack Dennis' VHS video 'Tying western trout flies' back in the late 1980's. Unfortunately getting good deer hair (short tipped and not too coarse hair) for tying humpies was quite a challenge here. A few years later I met Chris Helm at the Dutch Fly Fair who helped me tremendously with getting good deer and elk hair for all kinds of flies.

The history of this fly has many stories, but it is believed that it was developed by Jack Horner in the 1940's. The 'Horner deer fly' or the 'Goofus bug' were names that were given by different people during different times. These days the fly is known as the Humpy. A great name it is!

The Humpy is quite a difficult fly to master. The different materials that is needed, handled and the tight margins of proportions it has to be tied makes it a fly that's loved and hated by many tiers.

Deer hair that is needed for the Humpy should be coarse but not too coarse (the tightening down of the 'hump' will cut right through the hair if it's too coarse or brittle). The tips of the hair should be short and even to give the wings that nice and neat silhouette. The hump should be neat, tight and even to show that typical part that makes the Humpy such a very recognizable fly.

The amount of hair that is needed differs from the size that is tied. Too small a clump of deer hair and it will look like a starving crane fly, while too much hair will mess up the balance of the fly as well as almost impossible to maintain the control of the hair going every direction but the right way. The best deer hair I've come across come from the brand Mission Mountain Hair. It's not readily available so it's kinda hard to come by. I've only seen this hair available at a fly shop I visited in Craig, Montana called The Trout Shop.

The right proportions of the Humpy is a crucial part of this fly. Ever slightest disproportional error will show up as a badly tied Humpy, more than probably any other (dry) fly. The balance between amount of material that is used, the size of the 'hump', a nice tail, the size and length of the wings and a nice full (but not too full!) hackle can make or break this fly from being a show-stopper in your fly box.

But if all goes well, this fly is a gorgeous fly to look at, versatile as very few flies can be (seems to be one of the 'must haves' when you want to fish the huge browns and bows in New Zealand) and just downright fun to tie. And the Humpy is a fly that can go as an imitation from anything from a fluttering caddis, beetle to an emerging mayfly.

Update March 2, 2026:

Jack Dennis dug out this video (partly on my request) of Andre Puyans tying a Humpy.

Really interesting how Puyans tied his Humpy!

Update Feb 12, 2025:

Jack Dennis uploaded a video of Jay Buchner how to tie a Humpy correctly.

Jay is the husband of Kathy Buchner. Kathy wrote an article on tying the Humpy in the late 1990's in the Fly Fisherman magazine.

Update Dec 25, 2023:

Update Nov 3, 2023:

I did a tying demonstration for April Vokey's website Anchored Outdoors.

Guess what I tied? 

Update Oct 30, 2023:

Gordon van der Spuy thought writing a book wasn't enough and came out with a 2nd book.

I wrote a chapter about the Humpy

Update Aug 12, 2023:

Another artist painted a Humpy for me.

This time by Cindy Day

Update April 16, 2022:

I received a package from Jack!

Update March 22, 2022:

Another video on tying the Humpy, this time by Jay Buchner.

Lots of information on the history of the Humpy too.

Here you also hear that André Puyans was the originator of tying the Humpy by tying the wings first.

Jay is the husband of Kathy Buchner. Kathy wrote an article on tying the Humpy in the late 1990's in the Fly Fisherman magazine.

Update May 15, 2020:

A Humpy swap with Charlie Craven

Update Jan 30, 2020:

Here Jack ties the Royal Humpy:

Update Dec 13, 2021:

Jack uploaded footages from his huge video collection on YouTube.

Here is the Humpy tying part from his 'Tying western trout flies':

Update Sept 3, 2021:

So what does the Humpy exactly imitate?

Update July 19, 2021:

More Humpies heading off to USA, with a comment by Jack Dennis.

Update June 29, 2021:

Check out the Humpies I tied for Ed van Put, the Catskill legend.

Update April 17, 2021:

Check out the rare Humpy tied by André Puyans I acquired.

Update Nov 9, 2020:

Jack Dennis is unmistakenly connected to my love for tying humpies.

Today Jack celebrated the 49th year being together his wife.

Update Feb 8, 2020:
Here's a framed Horner fly alias the Humpy tied by the man himself. Thanks Gary!

Update March 2014:
The brand Mission Mountain Hair is no longer available. I recommend Nature's Spirit for deer and elk hair now.