Havtafish

Very Very nice. Makes mine look like a :baby: made them.

Thank you for the positive comments. I have just been out doing some testing and you were right about the legs Kirk. I had to trim them slightly to short of the tail length to stop the flouling. Good eye.I have to say I like the way this acts/swims in the water much better than a hackled popper. Some extra water puch and bubbles with the elk hair. The wing on top seems to right the fly every cast as well. I think I will tie up a bunch of these in different colours. I really like the tail/body with this material as it really sparkles even without the crystal flash. agn54 I will be painting, epoxying and adding eyes to these flies now that I like them after testing them. I just may add a plume or two flouresent CDC over the hair wing just to give it a bit of softness to it plus it will be "super"hi viz

Any thoughts good or bad are welcome!! I have been browising the forum and tried this. Tail is crystal flash and emerger sparkle yarn on a Rainy's size small mini me pop. Elk hair for the wing.

All excellent points. Do you think hair is a better material to keep the back of the fly up? I have been testing a few and noticed that my flies tied with hair seem to orient the hook horizontal (better and longer)when sitting in the water. I have been ginking the hair. I too have been using some sythetics like DNA fibre. I am liking them for the translucency and lightness. I want to try some EP fibres I will say this about fly poppers in general is that more times than not these smallies cant resist them. I was out one day 2 of us in the boat. I was chucking poppers and he was throwing small spinning poppers. i was outfishing that spinning popper by a mile. The stamp of fish was a lot better as well. I think there is something about the small profile along with the "big" noise and a bit o buginess. I think Kirk made a good point with the bubbles and comotion. When these fly poppers attract the fish and they come up for a look they see this small wee thing sitting helplessly. Easy prey. Good to hear my tying is on the right track. I think Ill do some with and some without legs. Hard not to put legs in though they make it look so much like a little beastie.

Tied these up this morning. No hackle and no hackle spears for a tail just hair and a bit of sparkle. They also have small rattles in them. Makes me ask the question. What in your opinion makes a good smallie popper? What would you add to the ones below excluding hackle to make it a "killing" pattern.

Its not my first but it is my first tied in a long long time. I havnt made any for about 10-12 yrs. I have been tying flies off and on for a good while. My first fly ever was at 12(1982) for bluegill. My Dad showed me how. It was an Orange FishHawk wet fly. orange yarn for the body with a badger hackle.I think it came from a Dan Bailey fly book. It used to kill the bluegill on a local quarry. I used to sneak away as I wasnt allowed to the quarry myself. Did it anyway. I got in trouble a lot. It was worth it and looking back my Dad said glad it was fishing and not drugs.

Thanks. Curtis I have to thank you as you put me on to the Copic marker. I seen it on youtube.That thing does rock. So easy to use, no mess and some great colours. I have just started playing with it. I have about 15 colours I want to add this head is finished with Diamond 2 rod finish. Even though it a finish it has a great adhesive quality but also levels very easily and gives it that extra shine.

Thanks again to everybody who replied. Heres one. Go easy on me!!!

Thanks Guys. The Mini Me's are on the epoxy rotator now. I will post a few photos of them once they are dried and dressed. Ok these Rainy's poppers are flat on the bottom. Can you just put the hook right through the center on these instead of on the bottom as described above? There seems to be very little meat if you put the needle through the bottom. I put them as close as I could get to the bottom on the Mini Me's. Still plenty of meat n those. These poppers also have a flat face on them. Any differences between the way these act and sound in the water as opposed to the cup face? Tailing proportions---- Most of you guys just do a body length?(from the eye to the barb) Thanks again for the replies.

I ordered everything and am just waiting on some hooks. I went down to a local shop and bought some possibles to get me started. Can anyone tell me if these look suitable. I would really apreciate some feedback on what I should be looking for in a popper hook? These hooks are both straight eyed and are not heavy but not fine wire sorta in between. Notice in the second photo the point is a lot closer to the popper body. I am thinking this may impede hook ups as the hook point is sortamasked by the body? I am having a hard time sourcing hooks as Im not in the USA. I have found some 8089 from 12 to 8.

Well went and bought some bits and pieces. Heads, hooks(severl styles and types) and some block balsa wood as I have a lathe. I also bought a Copic marker spray gun for painting them. I will post some photos of my results. I have a couple new rods for bass fishing on holiday this year. Here one that I built for popper throwing Rodbuiling Forum My Blog

Thanks Kirk. Appreciate it.

Thanks to everyone for all the info. Kirk what hook is that in the photos? I have found a Tiemco 8089. I take it this will be ok? or the Gamakatsu B10S

Thanks The last time I made them I used the kinked hooks. I was just wondering if there is now a method for using a standard hook and ensure the popper head doesnt rotate or come loose. I like some of the wider gaped hooks but dont want to put all that work in and have them loose in 2 fish or 50 casts. As far as heads I have found Rainy's and Wapsi. Any other companies?

Can anyone point me in the right direction for popper hooks. Havnt tied them in a long time. Is it absolutely neccesary to have a kinked hook or are there better hooks out there for this purpose? Also looking for a good selection of popper heads in hard and soft foam in one place. Any info would be appreciated