Yellow blanket yarn (mop) and EVA foam blocks for trade

[Jay D]

I currently have an over abundance of Bernat Blanket Yarn in School Bus Yellow. I wouldn't mind trading some for chartreuse or white. If I was just tying mop flies I'd just pick up a dust mop head or wash mitt, but I'd like longer pieces for tying Shenk Streamers, so I'd like to lighten the excess of yellow yarn for some additional colors. I also have a few nice chunks of chartreuse and yellow EVA foam chunks if someone happened to have some orange pieces. These could be cut into blockheads, plugs or whichever.

[Jay D]

Update: The topwater bite is on, folks. I still have plenty of foam blocks and plugs to trade. I would like some white and chartreuse blanket yarn if someone is so inclined...

 

Tight lines,

 

Jay

The Fishin' Musician

 

[Bart Durham]

Jay, can you show us one of your blockhead poppers?  Are they easy to tie?

[Jay D]

Sure thing. Blockhead poppers are easy to tie, however if you're cutting your own foam heads that's the challenge. It takes practice and a very sharp blade to cut them cleanly, evenly and consistently. Being a woodworker I'm planning on making my own cutting  jigs, something of a mitre box to cut them consistently. There's a commercially made one available for the cylindrical plugs, I'm going to start with making that style.

As far as foam popper selection goes, I mostly plan on using 1/2" cylindrical poppers as I mostly fish a shallow, clear creek. Tim Holschlag recommended saving the noisier blockhead poppers for the bigger waters. I will be throwing a mini blockhead on my creek as well. I'd keep the popper body size and style in mind for the type of water you'll be fishing.

 

 

 

 

[Ben K.]

Got my first topwater bass Friday on blockhead mop frog. It’s like ringing the dinner bell. Stock up people!
 

What sized hook are you using? Looks like you could go a little bigger, there’s plenty of foam to balance it out. 

[Rob G]

Lefty was strongly convinced that a longer shank hook was needed on a popper such that the point of the hook was well behind the posterior end of the popper body and not located underneath the body, in order to create reliable hook ups.  Not surprisingly, I have found over many years that Lefty was spot on (as usual)

[Ben K.]

Here’s a mop frog on a size 1 b10s. About as big of a hook as I’d go for this pattern. This has been a killer fly for me the last couple years. Dead drifted, long pops, or worked fast. The mono loop helps with the legs fouling, 

[Jay D]

Now that I look at the blockhead, I'm inclined to agree with you. That's from last year when I first started tying poppers. That size hook seemed to work well enough on the smaller cylindrical poppers I use on stream smallmouth, but for the blockheads it looks like I need to size up. The photo shows one of the block heads, plus a size 6 Mustad that I use for Shenk Streamers and a Lightning #4 popper hook I should try. I never really grasped hook sizing numbers as they seemed less than consistent, but I just need experiment and tie, tie tie...

[Ben K.]

That #4 would be a better fit, and afford you more room on the shank to tie in your Maribou.  Give it a shot! The smaller ones are great for foam bugs. Maybe a smaller old mr. Wiggley. 

[Rob G]

Don't hesitate to use these Mustad popper hooks, an old reliable that is priced right for a box of 50.  And I agree with Ben, go with the size 4 popper hook as you're going to miss a ton of takes with that popper as it stands.

https://www.feather-craft.com/mustad-33903-popper-hook

[Rob G]

Ideally something like this.

[Jay D]

Thanks to all for the input. I’ll snag a box of those Mustads and get back to tying.

[Terry Dodge]

9 hours ago, Jay D said:

Thanks to all for the input. I’ll snag a box of those Mustads and get back to tying.

But what about trading the over abundance of Bernat Blanket Yarn in school bus yellow? That is what this was all about. 😁

[Jay D]

29 minutes ago, Terry Dodge said:

But what about trading the 

over abundance of Bernat Blanket Yarn in school bus yellow? That is what this was all about. 😁

Yes indeed! To make matters worse I have another block of EVA foam on the way in orange. I'd be willing to make some of that available as well, in bulk or plugs.