Umpqua Hippie Stomper (3-Pack) Umpqua

Umpqua Hippie Stomper (3-Pack)

Introducing the Foam Humpy, a fly designed by Andrew Grillos. This innovative fly was inspired by Grillos’ experience while guiding in South America, where he discovered that fish were attracted to giant foam flies. He tied up a few foam and synthetic Humpy-inspired flies on size 2/0 light wire salmon hooks and found that the fish loved them.

Although he forgot about the idea for a while after returning to the US, he stumbled upon a single giant foam Humpy in an orange and black color combination while going through his fishing stuff. This coincided with the beginning of his season guiding for the stonefly hatch in the Gunnison Gorge, where the trout favored giant black and orange flies. Despite not having an accurate Salmonfly profile, Grillos’ foam Humpy caught dozens of fish in a day during the hatch.

This discovery reignited Grillos’ interest in the foam Humpy idea, and he started tying up more “normal sized” flies in the same style. His first Colorado-tied versions of the fly were in size 6, intended to be used as indicator flies while hopper/dropper fishing with clients on the Upper Gunnison. However, more fish ended up eating his indicator flies than the dropper, leading Grillos to realize that he was onto something.

He eventually toned down his giant flies to sizes 10-16, and tested them on small streams west of Gunnison, Colorado, where they proved successful in catching dozens of aggressive fish. The Foam Humpy is a versatile and effective fly that can be used in various situations, and is sure to be a valuable addition to any angler’s fly collection.