Fisherboy86
Posts: 1292
Joined: 7/23/2001
From: Cortland, NY/Central PA
Status: offline
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D,
Spirit River offers pre formed foam popper bodies in several sizes and colors. They are easy to use. Simply slid them over a straight shank hook, apply super glue, and DONE! You can reverse them for a slider pattern.
I prefer to make my own out of foam cylinders. I cut the cylinder into the lengths that I need for a particular size. Then, use a double edged razor to cut the bottom 1/5 - 1/4 of the foam cylinder off, forming a flat side that will sit in the water. If you look at it from the front, it will resemble a "D". Next, hold the cylinder in your hands with the flat side down, and use the razor to taper the rear half to a blunt point. You can do this with 3 cuts. First, cut the top, then each side. If you want, you can then cut the little ridges that form from the first 3 cuts, but that is optional as the fish won't see the top. NOTE: Do NOT taper UP from the flat bottom. Only taper down from the top, and in from the sides.
After you reach the shape you want, push a needle through the bottom half of the foam head. This creates the hole for your hook to slide through.
It's easier to buy the heads completed, but cheaper to make them on your own. You pick.
For tying the best topwater popper I use, start by gluing a white foam head onto the hook. Next, wrap a thread base on the remaining hook shank. Once you have a solid base, gather 4 long webby white saddle hackles, and tie the tips off the back of the hook. The tips can be as long as you want, but make sure you split them for added action when stripped. Two on each side. To finish the body, wrap the butt sections of the saddle hackles to the back of the foam body. This will give the popper a full bodied look, with plenty of movement. I don't mind if some of the marabou on the hackle stems is left on the fly as well.
You can fish the fly as is, or add legs. I always add 2 pairs of white rubber legs.
To do this, push a needle through the foam body, creating two holes to pull legs through. To pull the legs through the foam, I use a piece of stainless steel wire, but a bobbin threader will work if the wire is small enough. Push a loop of the wire through the hole in the foam and out the other side of the body, insert two pieces of white rubber leg material and pull back through. Do this the same way as threading a bobbin. To keep the legs in place, I will add a drop of glue to the pieces of rubber, then pull the section with glue inside the body. It will catch fairly quickly, giving you a solid set of legs. Two pairs, or 4 pieces on each side, works well.
This fly works unbelievably well for smallmouth and largemouth. It's nothing special, simple to tie, and has allot of movement with the tails, hackle and legs. White works so well that I don't tie it in any other color. But I would expect that the standard green, yellow, and black do some damage.
Best,
Mike
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