More Popper Questions

[Havtafish 0]

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.

 

 

 

[tidewaterfly 0]

Those hooks look like they should work just fine to me! As a general rule, as long as the point is not under the popper body, it should be good. Both of those look like you'll get plenty of bite from them. If you need larger hooks, and can get straight shank bass worm hooks, they work very well for poppers, and most of them have a couple of barbs on the shank, which aids in getting a good solid mount, just like a kink shank popper hook might. Gamakatsu makes some as small as a # 2, but most are only made in 1/0 or larger.

 

I don't know if you intend to mount those bodies the way they're shown in the pictures or not, but I've found that I get far better hookups if I mount the body so that the hook shank is at the lowest point in the body & still be covered by it. This will place the hook eye at the bottom of the popper face, and you'll get the most open space under the body that the hook will allow. It also gives me some room in the body, in case I want to add rattles, which I often do on larger poppers.

 

I epoxy my hooks in place, and give them a good wrapping of thread before applying the epoxy, which gives the epoxy something to bond to. Bare hooks don't always bond well, even with epoxy. I usually open up the slot in the popper body too, so that the hook with the thread base fits just snug. This gives a bit of room for the epoxy, and I make sure the entire opening is full of epoxy. I've never had a popper body come off a hook by using this method, even after repeated catches from Bluefish in saltwater or Pickerel in fresh. They chew up the body, but it stays on the hook.

[Stippled Popper 0]

I'd say that tidewaterfly has covered the subject.

[perchjerker 0]

What can I say? Tidewaterfly has said it all!

 

Good luck and enjoy the 'bugs'.

[Havtafish 0]

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.

[Flytyer14 0]

I like to go WAY out of proportion on some of my poppers, and on others i'll stay in. so whatever you feel like doing really.

[tidewaterfly 0]

You can place the hook in the body any way you like, however, as I said above, I prefer to place it at the bottom of the body, even when the body is flat on the bottom. This does a couple of things. As the popper size gets larger, it gets harder to lift it from the water, so with the hook placed low it's easier to pick up for casting, and usually doesn't have an adverse affect on the noise it will make. Also, the higher in the body the hooks is, the more the body blocks the gape of the hook, making it harder to set the hook. You want the hook gape to be as clear as possible. It also places the hook point higher, and often fish will strike at a popper, or just hit it, but not take it in their mouth. I've hooked quite a few bass on the outside of the mouth with poppers, which I likely would not had the hook been mounted higher. Small details sometimes make a difference.

 

This is all generally speaking of course, as with most fly tying, there are no hard & fast rules that say you can't mount the hook in the center. Since you're just starting with poppers, you may have to experiment some to get what works best for you.

 

With some body shapes & sizes, there will be some difference in the noise you get from a cupped face, compared to a flat face. How much will depend on the body. The more slanted the face is will also make a difference. A deeply cupped face can also make lifting the popper from the water for casting difficult sometimes, again depending on the size.

 

I dress many bass poppers with strung rooster neck hackle tails, and I usually go about 1 1/2 the hook length past the bend with the tail. Although, I vary the length sometimes when using other materials. I think the stiffer the tail material you use is, the longer it can be. If you make it too long, it will usually foul around the hook when casting. When I make pencil type poppers for saltwater use, I often dress them with bucktail, and will vary the tail length depending on the stiffness of the bucktail. Usually, anything over 2 times the hook length, starts to create fouling problems.

 

 

[Havtafish 0]

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

 

[gpd4 0]

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

 

Go easy on you?!?!? I couldn't BUY one that looks that good around here. Great popper!

 

 

[Curtis Fry 0]

Hey, now that's a nice looking bug. Another reason (I'm finding by experience) to put the hook lower in the body of the popper, is that you'll get a better popping action. I see you're using Rainy's bodies, which is what I use most of the time, and I've found that to be the case on those bodies too.

[Havtafish 0]

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.

[Flytyer14 0]

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

 

Go easy on you?!?!? I couldn't BUY one that looks that good around here. Great popper!

 

I have to agree!!Is that your first??

 

[Havtafish 0]

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.