Popper Swap

[natedubay 0]

The frog is maybe simpler than you think, provided you have somewhat advanced supergluing skills. I do not, I stick my fingers to the popper every time. It's also a fun one for kids because I paint it with nail polish. I of course don't have the materials right now, but I should do a SBS on that one, I think it's a fly alot of people probably haven't seen. I also think it's the most "froggy" pattern.

 

I'll try to describe it, for those of you that didn't get one in the swap... this is what we're talking about:

 

 

What I'm using for the body is the spider shaped foam bug body from wapsi. Here is a picture of the available shapes. I special order them, maybe your shop has them in stock. You can get them in black or white, I prefer the black just because I feel it takes fewer coats of nail polish to get it to the final look.

 

 

Each frog body uses two of the foam bodies, glued together on the flat sections. The bottom one I usually slit shallowly to settle the hook shank into and glue it on first. I've done the front legs different ways, but what I find works the best is not to tie your legs to the hook shank, just lay the legs on the flat bottom foam section and stick down with a drop of CA. Often times I just flood the whole flat area and sandwich the legs when I lay the top section on. Either way works. Once the top is glued on, you're going to move onto the ant bodies. I prefer the second from left in the picture. I have used other ones and the beetle bodies, but I like the second ant one the best. Take the body and lay the flat on your index finger and thumb. When you pinch, you should be bending it in half. Put the smallest amount of CA glue on at that bend point, and pinch it at a greater angle than you think. You need to do a couple before you get a feel for it. When you let go, the CA should have set almost immediately and you will have a bent leg. After doing both legs, you glue them to the back of the assembled body, trying to keep the base of the feet in line with each other... which can be tricky... I'm sure a couple of you have a cripple frog pattern... At this point glue on the doll eyes and you're ready for paint. I lay down the yellow on the belly first, then the green on the back, and try to blend them while wet. The sparkles (which you can't see that well in the pic, but they are green glitter) I lay down after the first coat is dried. The feet I do last, if you don't recognize them they are golden pheasant neck feathers, on the backside they are white, so I think they make a killer frog web. You can probably use marabou or what ever you want, but the stiffer feathers will pop back better and make more of a kicking motion.

 

I think I covered it all. I'll try to get some bodies and do a pictoral SBS soon, but in the meantime I want to see someone else tie this and post the pic.

[natedubay 0]

I just got the bodies today and did a SBS on the frog.

 

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=73821&do=findComment&comment=553866

[natedubay 0]

I'm in. Glow in the dark Crease Fly

 

Apparently I didn't realize this until I had it out on the desk and turned off my tying light to go to bed, brought a smile to my face...

[essequamvideri 0]

I am planning a couple of trips to a pond that hold some large smallies and even bigger large mouths. I'm planning to try it on that pond after dark. We have had some luck painting a jitterbug with glow paint. So I'm thinking this should work. Have fun with them.

 

Michael