Poppers!

[Andy C]

Some poppers that I tyed up. Found out I can't paint very well.

 

[Guest rich mc]

they should all catch fish. if you have trouble painting eyes on, use stick on eyes and seal them in with nail polish. we just need to get rid of all the ice now. rich

[Guest]

IMO you could use a short hackle collar to fill in the transistion area from the foam to the tail. I'm sure it will catch fish as it is, it'll just look more finished. (we tie pretty flies to impress each other - not the fish)

[Joe D]

I always liked rubber legs on poppers, they just seem like they belong there

 

Joe

[Andy C]

I do use the Hackle and I often put rubber legs on as well, but i don't think they are always necessary. I need to learn to paint a little better though!

[joshborton]

I think there is scientific evidence connecting the tying of top water flies to an early arriving spring.

[Joe D]

well if it matters I saw my shadow yesterday while I was at my vise tying

come on spring!!!!

 

Joe

[Mike G]

Andy,

 

Those are great. They remind me of the bluegill poppers I tied 50 years ago. They were just painted cork bodies with a little bucktail tied on at the tail-no hackle skirts, no legs, no eyes... I eliminated the frills to make an easy casting bug. The bluegills ate them up.

 

But you are in better company than mine.

 

 

Lefty Kreh's bug is a classic.

 

 

And so is Tapp's.

 

PS the black wedges show how to slant the face or trim the bottom for better performance.

[Rob G]

I once read an article about surface bass fishing with Lefty and it was stated that Lefty frequently used a white foam popper body and two white hackles tied in at the back and that was it, no eyes, no paint or body markings and no rubber legs. I often wonder just how much do we tie for our eye and if often the fish couldn't care less.

[ronk]

I recall an article in which Kreh said he preferred black bassbugs without legs for smb and unlike lmb fishing which calls for leaving the bug sit motionless for awhile between strips stripping it constantly for smb.He didn't explain his reasoning for the differing techniques. He may have assumed that the lmb fishing would be in stillwater and the smb fishing in streams.

[Mark K]

I often wonder just how much do we tie for our eye and if often the fish couldn't care less.

 

 

It's interesting though that fish such as bluegill and shad have a spot that is thought to represent an eye. Why would nature go thru the trouble to put a "fake eye" on a fish didn't care.

 

Besides that. They look cool.

 

 

[Rob G]

Mark, I'm not sure the blue spot on the gill of a sunfish, if seen as an eye by another fish, is an evolutionary advantage. I guess it might cause some confusion on the attack? Now if the dark spot is found on or near the tail as it is in some species, yes now that is definitely an advantage in avoiding a predator. But I do agree with you, yea, they look cool and I stick a pair of eyes on all my poppers and streamers if possible, even if Lefty feels they aren't needed, because if I'm not catching anything then my fly might as well look good.

[Mike G]

Now that we are getting really scientific, I will add this bit of quantum physics. Lefty and Tapp both knew the law of the inverse proportion. "The length of time in metric hours between tying the fly on on the end of the leader and the snagging of the fly one meter beyond reach in a tree is inversely proportional to the market value of the fly expressed in 1948 pounds sterling." (The market value is directly proportional to the number of bells and whistles on the fly.)

 

You can tell from the pounds in the formula that the Brits developed the formula originally for Salmon Flies-notorious for bells and whistles. So far it is the most plausible explanation why only the nobility use Salmon Flies. They can afford the heavy losses.

[Rob G]

Mike, excellent observation. Definitely what I've found over the years, The longer it takes to tie the fly at the bench >>> the quicker I snag the thing in a tree or underbrush thereby losing said fly

[Terry Dodge]

Andy C.,

How's the painting going? I have the same problem. Something I've always wanted to try but have not as of this time is

food coloring dye, like in the same manor as Easter eggs. I have some coloring tablets that I purchased last year after Easter

but have no popper bodies to try them on. Just a thought.

[Terry Dodge]

Here's a popper that I've been working on

 

 

 

It's an ear-plug popper. I started messing around with them last year, trying differant types of ear-plugs and this one seemed to work

the best. It has a thin plastic coating on it so it don't absorb water. All the other ones I've tried did.

[Guest Don R]

Fish like their prey with no eyes. Better to sneak up on.

[Kevin Dells]

Making poppers out of lightweight wood for my spinning gear is what got me interested in making them for my flyrod a year or so later out of foam.

 

The wood poppers i made because as many pointed out i was tired of throwing chug bugs into tree's at 5 bucks a pop. I could make pencil poppers and fatter poppers from dowel rods, a small assortment of hardware and also tie tails on the trebel hooks.Dremel tool to shape the mouth and cut the slot for the hook.

 

I found small translucent circles that were plastic (about the size of candy you would use to decorate a cake maybe 1/8th inch) and glue those on in rows and then clear coat it. I did this after a base color because i also admit im awful at the painting.

 

I carried the translucents over to the fly poppers as well and just from my own experience it seemed to catch more fish. Anything you add just make sure and clear coat a couple times to lock it in place. Great topic! Where's my vice!