BSA Jojo's Comparabuzz

Jojo’s Compara-Buzz is one of our all-time favorite dry flies from the mind of Madison River guide Joe Moore. Inspired by Gary Lafontaine’s legendary Buzz Ball, Joe added a Comparadun-style deer hair wing and a synthetic Widow’s Web trailing shuck, creating a highly visible and buoyant dry fly designed to ride confidently through riffled water.

Originally tied to imitate caddis adults skittering or drifting on the surface, the Compara-Buzz has proven to be remarkably versatile. Over the years we’ve come to rely on it across a wide range of fisheries and hatch scenarios.

In spring on the Madison, Gallatin, and Henry’s Fork, it shines during midge cluster events, where its buggy profile and dark wing make it stand out against the greasy glare of early-season water on overcast days. That same visibility also makes it a fantastic point fly for technical dry-dropper rigs, where flotation and tracking are essential.

We also fish it as:

• A caddis adult imitation

• A small fluttering stonefly

• A midge cluster

• A general attractor on small backcountry streams

Its intentionally scruffy silhouette adds to the fly’s suggestive, fish-catching appeal—exactly the kind of pattern that trout interpret as “alive.”

Simple, versatile, and highly effective, Jojo’s Compara-Buzz is one of those flies you’ll find in nearly every guide’s box in Big Sky Country.