fshng84 0 Report post Posted May 30, 2014 Been tinkering with Popper Flies made with Balsa Wood. Tried several with good success. Then, decided to play around with Tube Fishing Flies and figured why not make a Tube Popper Fly. For details on tying one, here is an article with instructions - Fly Tying Tube Popper Flies. Started shaping them by hand, then switched to a Dremel Tool; it worked. But, decided to make a mini lathe using scrap parts in the garage. Here are details for anyone interested.... Mini Balsa Wood Lathe. Works well making the Tube Popper Fly but could have some uses elsewhere. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
agn54 0 Report post Posted May 30, 2014 great SBS, thanks for posting. I recently tied my first tube popper for the salt using foam cylinders to tie up banger style poppers. I haven't had the chance to try them yet, but now I really want to try your balsa ones. I've never worked balsa before so I can only imagine what shape the bodies would turn out. When you did them by hand, did you just cut a rough shape with a blade and then sand them down? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tidewaterfly 0 Report post Posted May 31, 2014 Great first post & SBS! Agn54, did you post your tube poppers? I looked but didn't find them. When I made poppers with balsa, that's how I generally shaped them. Rough them to shape with a razor blade or knife & final shaping with sand paper (actually my wife's emory boards for fingernails)! I've got some large foam popper heads & cylinders I want to experiment with & make them into tube poppers. I got some Rainy's Offshore poppers on Ebay (cheap, I wouldn't buy them otherwise) that are made with tubes & figure it would be an ideal way to use them for multiple species. The poppers are about 7" - 8" long, so they'll work for LM bass or Striped Bass or anything else I might find in my area except Bluegills & other panfish. I figure I can change hooks as needed depending on the waters I'm fishing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fshng84 0 Report post Posted May 31, 2014 Thanks agn54 and tidewaterfly! agn54,when I did them by hand, I did what tidewaterfly described except it was my daughter's emory boards for fingernails. My wife knows better and hid them from me! I am working on another SBS for a Balsa Popper Fly. Will plan to post a link when done. Thanks again for the nice comments! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tidewaterfly 0 Report post Posted May 31, 2014 Here's the Rainy's poppers I have. All are about 7" to 8" long, some with 3/4" heads, some with 1". I want to make up some additional colors with the foam bodies & cylinders. They're actually quite simple, and I think I can toss these with my 10 wt. Not something that can be cast very far, but never found I needed to anyway! Not bad poppers, and at around $2 each, I couldn't pass them up! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fshng84 0 Report post Posted May 31, 2014 Nice! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kirk Dietrich 0 Report post Posted May 31, 2014 Those look like they would be good for pike and muskie. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tidewaterfly 0 Report post Posted May 31, 2014 Kirk, I imagine they would work well for any large predatory fish. Not sure how long they would last with Pike or Muskies, or even Bluefish! My thought when I first got them was Striper fishing, but they're not so large that even LM bass would probably eat them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fshng84 0 Report post Posted June 1, 2014 The Saltwater Tube Popper Flies gave me an idea; how about a freshwater version scaled down for Bass? Made a prototype freshwater version; it's made with Marabou and a Balsa Wood Head that has been colored with a Sharpie. No eyes and a quick coat of nail polish instead of epoxy. Was in a rush to test it out.... Fished a Catch and Release Pond at a high school. Caught a Bass before losing the popper to another Bass that broke the line. Put another Tube Popper Fly on the line (not like the freshwater prototype) and was able to catch a Catfish! Here is a link to the video of the fishing action - Going to make more of the prototype freshwater version Tube Popper Fly. Easy to shape and easy to make, and it catches fish! Cannot beat that...! Thanks for the idea tidewaterfly! Freshwater Prototype Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fisherboy0301 0 Report post Posted June 1, 2014 Fshng84: the video did not work, at least for me, but I'd love to see it, can you try it again? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tidewaterfly 0 Report post Posted June 1, 2014 fshng84, you're welcome, but I can't take credit for anything other than posting a few pics! Trey Combs & others have been using tube poppers for offshore for many years, so it's not a new idea. However, I agree with the potential for making these in all kinds of sizes! Take a look at the Rainy's website too! They make some cool stuff on there. I've gotten some good ideas from there myself! BTW, good looking popper! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fshng84 0 Report post Posted June 1, 2014 Hi Fisherboy0301, not sure why the link is not working. Here is a link to our local fishing club's blog. It has the video embedded in the post. Please give it a try. Else, try a search in YouTube for Tube Popper Fly. The video is titled , "Tube Popper Fly Goes to School." Thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fshng84 0 Report post Posted June 1, 2014 Thanks tidewaterfly! I did check out Rainy's website. Looks like some good stuff. Like the Big-Eye Poppin Heads! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fshng84 0 Report post Posted June 1, 2014 Hi Fisherboy0301, not sure why the link is not working. Here is a link to our local fishing club's blog. It has the video embedded in the post. Please give it a try. Else, try a search in YouTube for Tube Popper Fly. The video is titled , "Tube Popper Fly Goes to School." Thanks! Here is another try.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fisherboy0301 0 Report post Posted June 1, 2014 Nice vid, second catfish I've ever seen eat top water! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites