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Does anyone know how to make popping bugs? My son brought a book home from his school library and there was a little exerpt about making these baits out of cork. Just curious!!! I thought this might be a simple project for he and I. I think they are used with a fly rod by many, but I always fished them with a spinning rig and a clear float placed about two feet above the bait. Any input would be appreciated.
Sam
They are a theadneck with a cork or Styrofoam head. Use to make them many years ago. The head is glued on a s curved hook then painted and feathers tied on the end. Would be a very simple project for a young tier.
A hundred hooks and heads would go a long ways. The memories would be priceless.
Redman
maybe this will get you on the right path...
Make Your Own Popping Bugs
I found a good variety of parts at BPS and Cabela's. I bought some a while back and put the hook and body together and gave them to Big Mack on the board here to finish. I have enough unfinished projects. The heads were preformed foam and the hooks had a kink in them to help them stay connected and keep the hook from rotating inside the body. Even if you made the heads I think that an investment in the right hooks would be a plus. Foam bodies will use a latex paint made for foam and plastics, but cork would let you use any kind of paint. Sounds like a fun project, keep us posted.
I made a good many several years back, but used the formed foam heads. You sill had to paint and put the hook in which I used epoxy for. Some I even put silicone legs through and some not. Her are a few pics for you to look at with several shapes and sizes..
Skip
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1.../DSC00514B.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1.../DSC00531B.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...s/DSC02523.jpg
It will give y'all something to do together. There is a good bit of work that goes into making em look good. I had some last spring because I couldn't find the colors I wanted and they are not cheap to go buy. Y'all will have a good time while painting them as you may change colors as you go. Good luck with them.
Attachment 70526Attachment 70527
Your right Stump Hunter, there is a good bit of work doing them. Some just spin deer hair to make a popper, but that is far from easy too. It all can be a lot of fun.
Skip
Skip, I was looking at some deer hair poppers the other day and their work was amazing. I may try one sometime later but it would never see any water!Thumbs Up
I have a couple that I bought on sale a few years back and the work is really good. What I have a hard time figuring out is some of these things is how they do the eyes and even a circle of different color around them. The ones I have just have stick on type eyes, but man some of the guys that tie that stuff is really awesome.
If I were these guys I would buy some balsa wood dowels and then you could go from really scratch. I was going to do that, but got busy and never bought the dowels.
Will try to post a pic of one tied by a fly tier on another site, I do hope this is okay to do. Just look at the color changes and how they do the circles I don't have a clue. This is not a popper, but same kind of tying and have seen many poppers like this.
Skip
http://www.crappie.com/crappie/attac...d54520f189.jpg
Those are very cool looking!
What is that an imitation of?
They say general baitfish, but I don't know what kind of baitfish would be. I guess in other colors maybe. It's called deer hair diver and the tail is fire tiger rabbit strip. Have seen some close to this called things like... Spawning Chub, Water Snake, Muddler Minnow, etc etc.
So may names for a fly that are pretty close in looks and all kinds of colors. Muddlers are some I see probably more than others.
Skip
Thx. I'll have to ask my fly guy if he does these.
That is a great tied fly. Lot of skill put into that one.
Don't know about y'all, but the shad are thicker than skeeters in these parts right now. I'd think a white/black shad imitation would work real good, although a little chartreuse or pink always seems to attract the white bass and crappie...Quote:
Originally Posted by Micropterus salmoides
Thant is why I use the silver chenille like in the bottom jig I posted where there are several. I also have some like that which is Silver & Black to try and imitate a baby crappie since they eat their young. I am thinking late spring for that should be good.Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteMeat
This lake is always thick with shad and every time I have gone night fishing we end up with a huge school of small shad circling the boat. So many in fact lots of time you will feel them hit your line, especially using braid and also hook some at times just by jerking from when one hits your line. Have not been this year since my oat is stuck hanging in it's slings. Going up to Arkansas next month for a couple days and am fishing just 1/2 day and plan on catching a bunch of nice crappie and with any luck maybe a walleye since I have never fished where they live. I just want one big one to eat afar all I have heard about them.
Skip
Skip if you catch a Walleye have a couple of bites for me. They are really good. A flaky very white meat. Fry them in real butter with a little salt and pepper. now thats a meal. We always saved the cheeks and livers to eat at breakfast on toast.
I haven't eaten any walleye for 6 years since leaving the mid-west. But I sure have eaten the heck out of catfish and white perch.
Redman