flip flop popper

[fshng2 0]

You're welcome. It's still the only kind of popper in my box.

 

Stopped and got some flip flops yesterday.

Used a rotating blade cutter until I got the right size flat stock and tied a cricket.

Glad I finally got some stock, as you can see the flip flop was disappearing fast.

Eventually Will try making some homemade dies for round stock.

Mike I might just be approaching your frugal-ness as the rear legs were the stretch string used to tie the manufacturers logo to the flip flops.

 

 

A black marker first applied to a swab then rubbed on for the finishing touch.

 

[mikechell 0]

Looks like a bream killer, fshng. Nice cricket.

[fshng2 0]

Thanks Mike. What does a Bream look like? Looked it up on Google and two type fish came up. One looked like a Carp and one a Bluegill.

[mikechell 0]

North American, generic term for all of the Sunfish family.

[Gene L 0]

I cut the flip-flop (a.k.a. shower shoes) with a single-edge razor blade. I may or may not use rubber legs and get what looks vaguely like a hopper, or something. I'm not spending money on a punch set. I split the bottom for the hook, use super glue on the thread to grip the hook shank.

 

I've got some popper hooks, but don't know where they are.

 

A while back, I bought some soft red foam popper bodies that had the hole already drilled through them. But the hole was too high up and I had a problem getting a hook up. I think the popper floated too high. So I bought a $1 pair of flip flops from the dollar store and haven't run out since.

 

My advice on flip poppers would be to mount the hook no further up than about 1/3 of the height of the popper. Just enough to disguise the hook shank will be fine.

[heavynets 0]

I've been tying them for a few years. Not all flip-flops are alike. Get the softest foam you can find, it's lighter and floats better. I use to slit the foam for the hook, but piercing with a bodkin is much easier and faster. I start at the center of one end, but exit near the edge of the opposite end. Insert the hook's eye in the hole near the edge so it exits in the center of the other end. This increased the hook exposure and angles the front surface down, similar to a Krebbs Popper. I use a Harbor Freight hole punch in a drill press. It just takes a few minutes to make hundreds of bodies. This is my Royal Flip-Flop Popper and a hatch of Royal Poppers.

[fshng2 0]

Thanks for the helpful info Gene L, and heavynets. Does it seem the cheaper 99 cent FF's float better?

heavynets nice Royal Poppers.

I bet they really catch em with those chartreuse marabou tails.

[Gene L 0]

I don't have a varied experience since I'm still on my first set of flip flops, but they seem to float just fine (cheap ones.)

[heavynets 0]

I have only used the really cheap flip-flops. They are all different. You just have to compare a few so you know when you have a soft one.

[mikechell 0]

Walmart has some really good colored Flip flops on sale right now ... 97 cents.

Chartreuse, pink, light and dark blue, purple, green, red and black are what I remember.

[fshng2 0]

Thanks again Gene L, heavynets and mikechell for sharing.

Do you guys mind posting more pictures of your work?

 

Wow..mikechell your Walmart tip is an unlimited resource for a variety of frugal popper material.

[fshng2 0]

Another flip flop popper.

 

[fshng2 0]

Flip Flop Popper

 

Concave Belly allows room for hook point.

Eliminates the need for cutting bottom flat just a matter of alignment when punching.

Hoping this feature gives action and pop to the fly.

[mikechell 0]

When I make my poppers, I don't put the hook through the middle. I put it as "low" as possible without tearing out.

 

[mikechell 0]

Same type of popper, but I found a new twist that the Sunfish, and a few bass, couldn't resist.

Inexpensive materials: size 6 hook with long shank, feather boa from Dollar Tree, flip flop, leg material and synthetic hair. You'll need some type of adhesive, a sewing needle & threader and a thick shank skewer needle.

 

 

Trim the foam heads to size ... about 1/2 to 2/3 of hook shank, depending on hook style.

 

 

I "skewer" the heads, then thread the legs material through. To cut the legs evenly, pull them together above or below the head and cut.

 

 

Three heads ready to go on the hook.

 

 

Start the thread where the head will be. Tie in a small batch of "Congo hair" or similar synthetic. This is to keep the boa marabou from collapsing to a thin line, and to add a little color.

 

 

Trim off the barbs from the end of the feather and tie in.

 

 

Wrap forward (Palmer) the feather to the thread and tie off.

 

 

Wrap thread to the hook eye and whip finish or half hitch. Since this will all be covered in adhesive, the thread finish doesn't matter.

 

 

Rotate the head as you slide in onto the hook, to help get the adhesive into the head and to better glue it on.

 

 

It looks like too much marabou, but in the water it all flows down onto the synthetic hair and looks great, even when the fly is sitting still.