BuzFly

For what you are doing the Hydro, which is very thin, would be a good choice for small heads and small backs. The thin would be the next one I would suggest. The biggest proble people have with tacky finish is not necessarily the brand you are using but the light you use to cure it. I use two to three tubes of CCG a week and a bottle of hydro every other or third week in my production tying. The phototaic activator that causes the reaction is designed to start the chemical reaction at a very specific narrow wave length. The stronger ie watts, not brighter, the better. You need a light that matches the wavelength of the photo activator. Loon is around 395 where as Tuffely is up around 485. Now, CCG, Bug Bond, Diamond and most of the others are around 395-400. You also must have stronge batteries, expecially when you use lower watt light, typically the ones with multiple LED's. Finally, get the strongest light that matches the specific wavelength of the product you use. Hope this helps. Brad

Welcome to the world of unexpected results of Copic and other materials and glues. I will seal my poppers before I do the tails or any other operation on them once I paint them. I use 30 minute epoxy on the hard poppers and either a very thin coat of 30 on short heads for a few dips in water based polyurethane floor finish.

I cut my crease flies from plastic patterns for a long time. If you make a scaled drawing the people at River Road Creations, http://www.riverroadcreations.com , will make you one for about $40. It is worth the money if you are going to make a lot of them. Brad

Great post from everyone and a lot of information. I approach the "what do I need to start tying saltwater" question. I ask - What three flies do you want to tie that you ARE GOING TO US most often for the area or species you will fish for most? Now I can develop a list of what you need and not what you should have. I typically tell new tiers in the Norteast you need to first learn to tie a Deceiver, Clouser and Banger. Why? These three flies will catch 90% of the fish in our area and all over the world. These three flies use all the basics materials that you can tie a lot of other flies once you master the first three. Finnally, these three flies will teach you most of the fundamental techniques you will need to tie most other saltwater flies. Best of luck and learn to tie three of the same flies at on sitting instead of doing three different ones. If I have to learn a new pattern I will tie 12 of them in a row at one sitting. You will see the progression in the quality and consistency improve with each fly. Brad

Fantastic work on the poppers. You have a lot of great advise in the above posts. Keep at it and have. Brad

Floyd Thanks for the reply. If you keep layers thin it works ok. Thick builds don't work as well. Black is the hardest to cure in thick builds. Put a big drop on plastic and cured it then cut it in half. If I us my 3w light it is not a problem. You don't need a lot of paint to color the CCG. Also, how does Loon Do It? I know if we get into the chemistry of it we could get it t work. Screen printers have been curing paint with light for a long time and so has other industries. The thing I was/am looking for was a very fast(seconds) way to cure paint for eyes on poppers with very little effort or technology. Brad

Encase Them In Epoxy Mono Wrap Tab Eye Tied In Then 3D Eye CA Glued To Tab

That is a great idea with the food coloring. I have been using Acrylic Paint mixed into some of the CCG Thick or CCG Thin. You don't need a lot of Acrylic Paint. i have also used Black and it works for small bodies. I needed a way to do paint on eyes and the shafts of tarpon style flies and not have to wait a few hours to do the next eye dot. Brad

When I weld my loops I use any color I have because I cut the tubing off when I am done. Clear is nice because you can see what is going on when you are shrinking. If you can find it without any adhesive inside that is a plus. I also prefer to use a heat-gun because it does not burn the line as easy. Brad

Keep it simple. I would go with the three standers for me in the NE salt. Clouser Minnow - Size #1 and 2/0 or Size #2 and 1/0. Olive/White, Chartreuse/White, Black/Purple and Pink/Chartreuse Deceiver -Size #1 and 2/0 or Size #2 and 1/0. Olive/White, Chartreuse/White, Black/Purple and Pink/Chartreuse Banger - #1and 2/0 longshank with 3/8" or 1/2" foam cylinder head. These three will do almost anything. You will only need a few of each. Just keep it simple and enjoy the time on the beach or back bay. Brad

3M Spray Mount 77 or Contact Cement will all work well. I find if you lightly coat both sides and let them almost dry completely then assemble the layers you get better adhesion. When I was doing a lot of theses I made a simple jig. Most sheets are about 9x12. I cut a piece of scrap plywood about 11x14 and two pieces of scrap one 11" long and the other 14" long less the thickness of the scrap. Then attach the scraps to the edge of the board forming an "L" This will be used to help guide you when you put the sprayed foam together. Once you assemble the sandwich put a bunch of weight on it over night and you will be good to go. If you have another scrap of plywood, cut one a little bigger than 9x12 and put that on top of the foam before you put the weight on it. It will help distribute the weight better. Yes I know I have to much time on my hands........ Brad PS: In a pinch you can use the Sticky Foam but it won't last that long.

Peterjay: That is a good idea but it is not needed. Bob developed this system so that it was simple and the tier did not need a lot of stuff. He does heat the bodkin up with a lighter to make the hole and the heat makes the hole a little bigger and seals the foam. If you wanted to put two holes in the cylinder and two tubes, I don't know how it would work. No reason NOT to try it out. The eztaz also can be extended a little further towards the eye of the hook to give the head a tighter fit. Brad.....

Bobs Banger is an all time classic. Here is how it was explained to me by Bob and Dick No Glue: The banger head is part of the system. It is ment to be interchangeable. Also if a fish gets hold of it, it will twist and not break the head. You can have a bunch of heads and put them in front of almost anything. You can swap colors or make a non popping fly into popper. Good way to use up crappy flies when the Blue Fish show up. Hole Placement: Center of cylinder. Most common. Gives biggest pop. Bottom Third of Cylinder. Less popo but gives a great V-Wake. Easy to pick up off water with less commotion. Cupping of the face is not necessary. Hook Length: Mustad 34011 or any long shank hook with ample gap. The original Mustad (9something something) is no longer made. Cylinder Diameter: Must have ample gape clearance. To me, more than 1/2 the gape open. Cylinder Length: Varies. I try for about 1/3 the hook shank or a little more. Tail: Typically eztas and Bucktail no flash. The Bucktail is typically posted upwards to prevent fowling and I think it makes it last longer. Head Dressing: Typically Mylar adhesive tape wrapped 1 1/2 or more times around cylinder and trimmed flush to the front of the head. Oversized contrasting eye. I like to make one of them cover the seam of the tape to help it from unwrapping. Glue on tape or eyes typically not necessary unless your tape has crappy adhesive on it. Also, the Bobs Banger is also designed to be a simple fly to tie. Bobs Banger was an offshoot of the Ca-Boom-Boom popper that used a cut cork perch float Brad

Kirk: I use wire bent in to a J or I use old hooks. It lets me handle the foam easly when I paint, dip or store them. I will hang them from bead chain or on the sided of plastic tubs. For the soft foam bodies I have been using my Dremel tool to pre-drill the body for where I slide in the hook. It is better to drill them first before you paint. I was never that great at the slit cutting even with a jig. I never can get the seam to close completely or evenly. Also, If I am going to use the center hole I will poke a hook through it before I paint so you don't get the little white foam piece that comes out of the hole when you push the hook through it. All of the ones with material on them have been mounted after they were painted and before I coated them. I like that you don't see the thread and they look cleaner. Brad

Kirk: The dipping works great but takes time to dry. It also gives you the option to mount the popper after it is painted. If I don't seal it and push the painted body onto a hook with superglue/cactus chenille the glue that comes out the back will turn the paint colors. Brad

Kirk. Great post. I too have been going round and round trying to find a simple and durable coat for soft foam poppers. Most of my poppers are air brushed with the Copice alcohol based pens. I have been going with a very thin coat of Devcon 30 or water based polyurethane.When I put Devcon on, I keep it thin enough so you can still feel the rough surface. Keeping it thin I get less chipping, pealing or cracking but they are less durable. I feel if I put on a heavy coat on, I am now making a hard body popper and the epoxy forms a shell like an egg that will crack. I have to find the proper balance. I prefer the epoxy.When I use waterbased polyurethane I will dip the head after I spray them and let it spin dry. Once dry I will do any painted eyes, dots or line drawing. I find the pen and markers don't bleed or run and I don't ding up the paint work. When done I will dip them one or two more times depending on how big the head it. I would like to know what Umpqua uses on their crease flies. They are soft coated. Brad

Now to put my two cents in the mix. I do a lot of dying every year, especially deer tails. If you are doing only a few things then knock your self out on the Kool Aid. In the long run you are over paying by at least 10 fold for Kool Aid as opposed to a commercial acid dye. Ritte is ok and is a step up from Kool Aid but it is a union dye and has other things in it that you don't necessarily need. Dram Trading or Pro Chemicals are a great source of dye and dye stuff. I would rather pay $6-$15 for pure dye with no additives then something with sugar or salt or other types of dye you don't need. Koop Aid is basically a flavoring and other additives with a very little bit of food grade acid dye. Pro Chemicals Avicado is a great dark olive. Pro Chemical also has a few Flourecent Dies that you can use to make and mix to make some great colors. Also, don't be afraid of trying to over dye a color. Like bright yellow over dyed with black or bright blue. Dying can be almost as addictive as tying for fly fishing. Citric Acid is good as well as othe acids to controll the leveling of the color and the depth of color. Last one. If you are doing a low volume of dying then two deep dish aluminum pans, yes I did say aluminum not stainless, nested inside one another with about 20 cups of water on the stove with one burner on low until you hit 140 works like a charm. You can toss the pans after a bunch of baths, if one springs a leak you have backup, much sturdier to move the bath to the sink. It will take a long time for the "chemical reaction" to make you see any truly noticeable reactions with the aluminum. Best of luck and take notes of the amount of dye, type of acid, type of salt, amount of synthprol, amout of water, dry weight of material and tempeture. It's not rocket science but we can make it as complicated as we want.

EMULATOR BAITFISH FLY BY BRAD W. BUZZI www.BuzFly.com Materials: Thread: Clear Mono Hook: Gamakatsu SC15 2/0 (Vary Hook Size to Bait Size) Glue: Zap-A-Gap Pink Bottle Body: Mega Baitfish Emulator Pearl Bottom Color: Baitfish Emulator Gray Ghost Top Color: Baitfish Emulator Olive Gill/Hot Spot: Senyo's Laser Dub - Fl. Fuchsia Eyes: 1/4" - 3/8" 3D Super Pearl Eyes (Adjust Eye to Bait Size) Head Finish: Thick Clear Cure Goo over-coated with Hydro Mount SC15 2/0 in vise and attach a thread base of Mono thread and leave you thread hanging at the hook point. Coat threads with Zap-A-Gap. Attach a 1" section of Mega Baitfish Emulator to the hook shank with 60% of it hanging off the back and secure it around the hook shank. Advance thread to about 1/8" behind the hook eye. Do not tie any material forward of this point. Pull a few very small clumps of Seny's Laser Dub from the pack and align the ends of the fibers. You only need a very little of the Laser Dub. Flip the hook over and tie in the Laser Dub at its mid point. Take a pen cap and push all the Baitfish Emulator and Laser Dub back over the body of the fly. Try to distribute the Baitfish Emulator evenly around the hook. Make sure the Laser Dub stays on the bottom of the fly. It should be surrounded by the Baitfish Emulator. Take 5-8 wraps of thread to form the base of the head. Do not tie on the bare hook shank. This will start to form the head that will be used to mount the eyes. Attach about 1/8" length of Gray Ghost Baitfish Emulator to the bottom and trim the tag end. Attach about 1/8" length of Olive Baitfish Emulator to the top and trim the tag end. Vary the top and bottom colors to match you baitfish. Put a drop of Zap-A-Gap on each side of the head and mount the 3D Eyes so they are just proud of the bottom of the head and let dry a few minutes. Fill the gap between the eyes on the top and bottom of the fly with Thick Clear Cure Goo. You do not have to coat the outside of the eyes, but try to get a little CCG to flow over the edges of the eyes to help lock them in. You can also apply a little CCG to the bare hook shank to form a tapered head. Cure the CCG with your light and then apply CCG Hydro and set it with your light. Trim the fly to shape and you are ready to fish.

In the mail today.

Phish It looks like a great light but if you read the side of the package it says it is for 254/356 wave length. The 356 should cure Loon but that is about it. You have to match the light wavelength to the resin you are curing. The key to all the LCA's is getting the right light, at the right wave length with enough power to cure it. Good luck with the light quest. Brad

I like the Renzetti or Griffin's or Dr. Slicks with the inserts. I use them everyday and no problems tying larger saltwater flies. Most of the ones with ceramic insets will do you well. Just get one that fits in your hand and the length you like. I am impartial to any of the high-end ones because I don't think for the cost you see major gains. Tension control is simple - take a wrap around the leg or bend the feet. Unscrew something to change spools or refill a special spool to use it, I don't care for it. To much time. I would rather get three or four bobbins for the price of one so I can have more things spooled up and ready to go. Brad

Kirk. I found a plastic ribbon that had holes punched in it. I purposely do my poppers with the copic. I am trying to show people you can get great results with a very low tec approach. I have an air brush and compressor also. I with the copic had a little more control. I also use plastic masks. I wish I could find a soft finish for soft popper heads that won't run the ink. I have been using Liquid Fusion that has been thinned about 50%. For eyes I have been doing three toned painting eyes.

As Kirk said the Copic system is great but it does not have good control for fine work. It is good for larger things like poppers or baring materials. If you mask them it will work. Would love to see how you make out. You won't know until you try. Go for it. Brad

I'm in. I will be doing a coyote shrimp that I use on the NE coast. Brad