Members denduke Posted February 22, 2009 Members Posted February 22, 2009 I relize no one asked for this but always try to get youngins/adults too into fly fishing, fly tying, fishing, hunting. Lotta this stuff like the cork,feathers, doll eyes, paint, hooks, rubber legs didn't come from a fly shop. Mostly the wifey's chickens running around and Wallyworld....Anyway, hope this helps a least one tyer! I start out with some small corks from the hardware store and cut, shape with emery paper, razor knife. Balance the corks to the size of your hooks. Next I take some bendable worm hooks from Wallyworld and make hump shanks out'em and split the bottom of the corks and line with thread and glue them to the hooks. After a day or so for the glue to dry I paint the bodies a few times with some Testors paint from the model section of WW. You'd be surprised at some of the hot colors they have. After a day or so after the paint coats are hard put'em in your vice and tie in saddle hackles for tails, with flashbaeu, crystal flash, rubber legs, etc. Then tie in a couple of hackles and wind around the hook and whip finish right behind the cork body. After you do the tails take a pair of pliers and some of your rubber legs ( mine came from a jig skirt making kit from BP Shop) and using a large enough needle to get the rubbers in the needle eye push them trough the cork at angle from back to front and each side. The legs I have are matted together so I leave 2 or 3 together for a stouter leg. This is tricky and sometimes it all screws up and you gotta start over. Soon you'll get the hang of doing it. Now you can get some glitter fingernail polish and jazz'em up, glue some doll eyes (also from WallyW), dabb on spots, whatever! I skipped a step that you can do after you get the hang of it. That is before you tie your tails on and hackle tie in couple of strands of 20# mono on the back of the hook bend and when finifhed start your thread on the hook eye and bend the mono just right and tie off at the hook eye. With a little practice you can learn to seperate the 2 with just the right bend to make the popper weedless! Hope this helps someone. Later DL If you wanta sing the blues, you gotta pay your dues....RS Due to the economic cutbacks and down turn the light at the end of the tunnel has been tuirned off...
Danoinark Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 Now that is some creative work. Good job. Dano Glass Has Class "from the laid back lane in the Arkansas Ozarks"
Flysmallie Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 Nice. It's amazing the things you can find in wally world and hobby stores. Those are some nice poppers.
BredMan Posted March 2, 2009 Posted March 2, 2009 That's a great tutorial! Years ago I bought a box of 'leftovers' for $15 from an estate sale. The person who passed on was very experienced in making bamboo fly rods and all types of fly tying. By the time I got to the sale it was virtually over. The son who helped with the sale sold me a box of leftovers for $15. That box had tidbits of fly materials that I had no idea what or how to use. Now 25 years later I have gotten into fly fishing and tying and realize what all that stuff is and how it's used. Unfortunately over the years I kind of tossed a few items out or used them in other ways but being one to keep things forever, I did save most. Popper bodies, popper hooks, fly wings, eyes, etc to mention some of the things. Even three old Ocean City fly reels that I actually cleaned up and used for my first reels. Anyway, the popper bodies, corks, and hooks will get your treatment and I really appreciate the step-by-step picture tutorial. I am a firm believer in "A picture is worth a thousand words". BTW - In this box of stuff was a little metal box with four small drawers. In one of the drawers was four original Rapala floating minnows. Three still in the original boxes. Other drawers had misc fly materials in little packets and small boxes of fly hooks.
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