Kirk Dietrich

If you have a DSLR and want to get closeup shots, almost any lens will do I use my 18 - 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 105mm. Honestly, most of my fly shots are done with the 35mm which is not a "micro" lens per se but is good for the close quarters in which I work. The 105mm is labeled a "micro" lens but as stated above you have to get a little further back depending on the size of your subject. The 105 is also considered a great portrait lens.

Kirk

Materials: Hard foam (Comal bobbers, strike indicators, pre-molded heads from WAPSI, etc.)

Soft closed cell foam (flip flops, foam craft sheets from 2 - 6mm to foam craft blocks, foam craft marshmellows, pre-shaped from several sources such as Cascade Crest, Rainey's, etc.)

Cork (bottle stoppers, wine corks, composite wine cork shapes from craft stores, different bottle stopper shapes from Netcraft, etc.)

Wood (balsa, tupelo, paulownia, etc.)

Hooks: Single hump, double hump, standard shank, long shank, articulated shank, tube to name a few.

Clear coating: here is a link to an article I wrote about clear coating durability comparisons http://onthevise.com/blog/10-clear-coat-durability-test-poppers

As you can see by my extensive yet partial list, there are many choices. What works best is what you are comfortable with using. I would do a search here on this forum for some past discussions as well as asking Dr. Google where you will find endless guidance and videos on the subject. Youtube would be a good source.

Good luck and be sure to post some of your popper results.

Kirk

I like Cheech use hard plastic box inside of padded envelope. Havn't had a mishap yet - knock on wood. I scavange the plastic boxes that my IT office throws out - they are empty backup disc boxes about 3 or 4 inches square and three quarters inch deep. They throw out twenty boxes every couple months. They are perfect, free and I'm recycling.

Heavynets, that's a good idea. I bet you could pick up a fire grate or BBQ grill top that would work and come in a variety of sizes.

Nice Bob! So it was your picture that turned me on to threaded rods. I like the wire to hold the rods together.

Kirk

I knew you sent me a pic of something for setting your eyes up.

Ditz, you might be right about Bob and thanks for the compliment on my rack.

Haha Mike.

Sandy, don't know where that pic is. Simple though. Set a threaded rod on table place lead eyes on/across threaded rod spaced as you like. Place another rod on top and rubberband the ends. I think that is how he did it. Maybe Tide can post his pic if he can find it, I may have the description a little off.

Yeah Mike, ever since I turned 50 I've been getting comments about my rack - didn't realize manboobs were that noticeable!

A while ago, Tidewater Capt. Bob Lemay posted some pictures of how he paints plain lead eyes by holding them between two threaded rods so they don't slide around. I have a fly holder with solid smooth rods a but the flies move easily and bump each other when I add one to the rod. I then started using bead chain spanned between wood and stretched between cup hooks in the bottom of a shelf above my tying table. The bead chain works well in keeping the flies where I put them but I wanted to try the threaded rods as holders.
Here is what I came up with - 6 rods each 10 inches long. I don't tie smaller than #10 so this and the bead chain work fine, might be tough hanging a #14.
Thanks for the inspiration Tide.

Kirk

Closeup of the threaded rod.

I tried taking inventory once, which worked good for ordering but I never kept up with it - not disciplined enough and tie to much different stuff so I'll always just using a little of this and a little of that.

What I found works for me is to keep an index card on my tying table and when I run across a material that I am low on or do not have a certain color of, I'll jot it down. When I have enough for an order, I'll look through some other boxes and place an order.

When the order comes in, invariable within a week or two of tying, I discover something that I "should" have ordered!

Kirk

I think Tidewater makes a good point. The fly is likely not nearly as important as presentation.

Damn Silk, great work! Good stuff!

AGN, probably me. The guide I used to work for, Capt Bubby Rodriguez, told me that one about the fly in the freshwater ice chest; kind of stuck being so simple.

Thanks Bighorn. I'm getting ready to order a block of beeswax for finishing some of my wood projects, may have to try that.

Fla, I could use a wide bandsaw, just have the narrow blade and it is hard as hell cutting a straight line. I originally got the lathe, the little bottom of the line one from Harbor Freight, for turning popper heads; works okay for larger heads but I found I use the heck out of it for a myriad of things, great little tool.

Kirk

Thanks KOK.

Yeah Flytire, not only that but even if you do have a pedestal vise they are not all steel. This won't stick to my Renzetti base.

Fla, I made some small tool caddies for a friend and should have made one or two for meself but didn't, much more versatile than this but with the steel base it is really great. I was going to use steel wool but I get a lot of humidity in my shed where I tie and the SOS shouldn't rust. The ones I made for my friend, I just put foam in the hole to stick the bodkin into.

Mostly just playing around with some lathe techniques so I had to make something.

Kirk

Got tired of knocking over my foam bodkin holder so decided to turn a piece of Crepe Myrtle and glue a rare earth magnet into the bottom. Jammed an SOS pad into the wooden holder and now it sits on my vice stand at the ready. Now, I've got to turn a nicer bodkin handle to match the holder...

Just thought I'd share case any fly tying wood turners are looking for a little project.

Kirk

Sounds good Tee. Never fished over that way. Farthest west I've fished was Cocodrie for redfish.

Kirk

Bonjour Tee, those are some good looking heads and will surely excite the patasa and put a bend in your rod and meal on the table! Nice mess of patasa in the pic above too. Where in Louisiana do you fish?

Kirk

Nice colors Tee.

Silk, I believe the late Tony Accardo of Accardo Tackle in Baton Rouge, Louisiana originated or at least popularized this shaped bug and called it the Round Dinny. Mine which Fla put a link to is pretty much like the original except I used a tuft of rabbit for the tail instead of rayon fibers and tied in the legs behind the head instead of threading them through the head like Mr. Accardo did.

Great pattern especially with the legs. Using a larger ball, they make a great bass and redfish fly as well.

Kirk

FlaFly, how many colors are you looking for? Just think hard and figure what light color fly you pick out your box when you want a light colored fly and what dark color fly you pick out your box when you want a dark colored fly. For most, it's white and chart for the light and black and purple for the dark. Sure there are times when you want yellow, tan or brown but be honest, what are your light and dark go-to colors and just order those for now. Just a thought.

Kirk

Gotcha Tide. I tie the Gurbubble with seperate hackles as well; I tried CA gel but it dried to slow. Then I tried Fletch Tite and it works pretty well and dries quicker than CA so you don't have to hold it as long. I like the hot glue idea, may have to try that.

Incedentally, my personal preferance when using feathers for skirting/hackling poppers, divers and sliders is to use dry fly saddle for #6 and below and the Buggar patches from Whiting on larger bugs.

Thanks,

Kirk

Tide, that hopper is killer looking! as is the Gurbubble bug. On the Gurbubble Bug, what glue do you use for glueing the feather in the side of the head slot? Do you use the same feathers for the skirt and just tie off and pull the butt sections up through the cuts? or are they seperate feathers?

Kirk

Den and Tide great looking flies! Wish my box had those flies in it, would look a lot nicer than it does now.

Kirk

Good looking flies Den!

I would also do some soft foam poppers/gurglers on a size #4 maybe even #2, that should cast easy enough on a 6wt and provide some nice excitement if the fish are looking up.

Basically, you want to cover the water column, your clouser for deeper water, a popper for surface and baitfish streamers with little to no weight for below the surface but not to deep.

Size #2 and smaller depending on the weight in the fly should cast pretty well on the 6wt and if you use bucktail and synthetics, you can get away with a pretty good size looking bait with no additional weight as those materials shed water. Not saying you need large baitfish patterns as many saltwater fish feed on pretty small minnows.

Kirk