THE HOSSFLY TIER No, the HOSSFLY is not a fly pattern. Rather, it is one of the many facets of the angling career of Tom Herrington of Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Over the last couple of decades, Herrington has become a pillar of the fly fishing community along the Gulf of Mexico, both as a fly tier and a founding member of the Historic Ocean Springs Saltwater Fly Fishing Club or HOSSFLY. Add to that his prowess in fishing his creations and you begin to get a sense of what sets him apart. All photos courtesy of Tom Herrington
T
om Herrington is a native of Jones County, Mississippi, which he refers to as the Free State of Jones. That’s a reference to a group of that county’s residents who rebelled against the Confederacy during the Civil War by setting up their own “free state.” He grew up fishing the fresh and saltwaters of the Gulf Coast region. Very early in that career his parents gave him a cheap bamboo fly rod, with the intent to keep him busy and out of their way while they fished with conventional tackle.
28 l www.sosaltwaterflyfishing.com
l September 2018