A preliminary part of the Branson Expo was yet another Fly Tying Contest. For me it was a short turn-around bit because I found out about the contest about August 1st and the entries were due by August 15th. In addition (subtraction actually), that didn’t leave me much time for tying since there would be at least 3 days needed for shipping.
At any rate, I whipped up a few of my recent favorite flies and … lo and behold … I won three awards! They were Best Dry Fly, Best Wet Fly, and Best Bass Bug. Here were my winning entries:
Best Dry Fly – Hornberg
The award winner for the Best Dry Fly was a fly called the Hornberg. The pattern was developed by Frank Hornberg of Wisconsin in the 1920s.
Best Wet Fly – Claret Bumble
The award winner for the Best Wet Fly was a fly called the Claret Bumble. Bumble style flies date back to the 1500s in Derbyshire Ireland. A ‘Bumble’ is simply another description of a palmered fly where the body hackle is wrapped in open spirals.
Best Bass Bug – CJ’s Freaky Frog
The award winner for the Best Bass Bug went to a fly called CJ’s Freaky Frog. The pattern was developed by Chad Johnson of Dally’s Ozark Fly Fishers. It is a floating fly that is typically used when fishing for bass in water with Lilly pads. The wire weed guard between the front of the fly and the hook point help to keep it from snagging.
I must admit that these three flies had won awards for me before but that was at a different contest and in a different state. However, my rule is not to win a repeat award with the same fly in the same contest so I’m good here. I will just not submit them again next for this contest time around.
Are those actual jungle cock feathers on the Hornberg? They look so real in the photo. Great looking flies!
Yes, they are real. I found a used cape on eBay a year or two ago. The feathers are just unbelievable.
Wow. I’ve used those imitation paper things years ago, and was not pleased with the results.
The imitation ones I’ve used before were black rooster hackles dabbed with spots of white and pale yellow paint. They weren’t terrible but the authentic hackles are superb.