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| Rainbow
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 Hornberg
Fly - by Roger Hoffman
Without
hesitation, I would say my favorite fly is the Hornberg.
It has all the attributes I look for in a fly. It’s easy
to tie, it’s large enough to see in the water, it has great
action, it can be tied and used either wet or dry, trout
love it, but more importantly, so do I.
Jack Palance, the actor, once
made the remark "Confidence is so very sexy…don’t you
think?".I don’t know about the sexy part but I do know
that with confidence, we are better fishermen. The Hornberg
does that for me!
The
Fly Pattern
The
Hornberg is usually tied on a long shank hook in sizes #
6-10. That’s not to say a #4 3x would be out of place nor
would a #10 or 12 tied as a dry fly. The body is of flat
silver tinsel although I have used the gold with no noticeable
difference. The body is enclosed by a pair of yellow hen
neck hackles (some use yellow calf or buck tail) extending
past the bend in the hook. A pair of wider and slightly
longer mallard breast feathers is tied flat against the
yellow underbody. The ends of the mallard feathers are stroked
together and into a point that is then maintained with a
drop of head cement. Cheeks of jungle cock are then applied
on either side. Starling breast feathers will also work
here. Leave plenty of room at the head end to accommodate
at least two grizzly hen neck hackles wrapped in opposite
directions. The hackle needs to be soft but full. A small
head of black thread completes the fly.
Fly
Fishing with the Hornberg
A
Wisconsin conservation officer, Frank Hornberg, developed
the fly sometime prior to the Second World War. It works
well for all trout and I have caught land locked salmon
in Maine on it as well. I generally false cast the fly and
then let it sit on top of the water as a dry for a few beats
until it sinks. Fish it at any depth with strong 2-3 ft
strips and watch the hackle flow and undulate, unmistakably
proclaiming, "If you’ve got it, flaunt it". I
watch it and dream of Sheherazade!!
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