fly of the day

Tying Foam Blockhead Style Bass Poppers

The light weight foam blockhead popper is now a standard "go to" popper for many surface loving bass devotees. The unique blockhead shape provides stability to avoid "listing" or rolling to one side. They are easy and fast to tie and don’t require a lot of extra finishing work.

These poppers work better than any other common type of popper, such as hair-bugs, wood or plastic bodies. They work equally well in saltwater for snook, baby tarpon, redfish, and others. They are superior because they don't soak up water and are still soft to the touch, compared to wood or hard plastic. In addition the light weight makes them a dream to throw.

Finding the Foam
The key is shaping the poly foam to the correct dimensions. While there are plenty of sources for foam material, blockhead shaped bodies have not been available commercially until recently. Many folks buy sheets of foam and cut bodies with a band saw, using homemade cutting jigs.

Experiment until you get the size and proportion that rides correctly in the water. Remember the key here is getting the front angled at a slight 5 –10 degree slant; and the top profile to slope down to one half to two thirds of the front face height.

Blockhead Shaped Channeled Popper Bodies (shown above - right)
 These bodies are correctly proportioned in all dimensions to float correctly. We will cover how to prepare either type of body.

Hooks: Kinked shank Mustad 33903 sizes #6 - #2. Size #4 is the best all-around size. The kink shank provides a more solid construct. For saltwater applications, the Tiemco 8089NP works OK - in a size 6, though larger, heavier and lacking the kink of the Mustad. The key is to ensure the hook shank is long enough to extend well beyond the butt end of the body.
Body: Foam Polyethylene Block-shaped and tapered in three planes (front, top and sides).
Tail: Choose from: Marabou, Bucktail, Squirrel Tail, or Saddle Hackle, Synthetics, or Flashabou. I prefer a stiffer material that will not foul around the hook shank when wet.
Hackle: Colored saddle hackle, Estaz, or anything you want.
Eyes: Any commercially available stick-on or glue-on type eyes.

Prepare a slot bed or channel hole for the hook shank. You can use either technique you prefer.

Slot Cutting: It is critical to get a precise center cut on the bottom, about ¼" deep into the bottom or ventral aspect of the body. Use a razor blade, Ezacto knife, mat knife or other extremely sharp instrument and simply eyeball the cut. You want the hook shaft to be near the bottom, and inset about an 1/8 inch.

Channel punching or drilling through the bodies: Punch or drill a center hole through the body as an alternative to a longitudinal slot. This technique provides a cleaner, neater assemblage. The glue is largely inside the body of the popper, reducing the likelyhood of bond fracture and fly failure.

Step One: Apply a bead of quick drying super glue along the thread wrap.
Step Two: Spread the sliced area and mount the popper body on the shaft. This is best done on a rotating vise. I start the fly upside down (180 degrees) and roll it upright allowing the glue to better coat the inner slot. You only have a few seconds to orient it properly, so make sure you check for the proper depth - both fore and aft on the shaft. a vice makes it easy to view different planes of the assemblage to ensure proper placement.

Step Three: For the Cut or Slot Body, squeeze the foam together applying pressure to close the gap under the hook as best you can. Flip the popper upside down or rotate on your vise and apply more Zap-A-Gap to the outside seam. This is optional and not used by all tiers. This helps solidify the fly to the hook and takes out any irregularities in the bottom contour. Use thin quick dry glue and run your finger over the seam, after applying the glue, to keep the surface flat.

Gluing Tip: Take a tip from orthopedic surgeons who know - pressure applied to any glue or cementing process is critical to eliminating air bubbles and dramatically increasing the bonding process and durability of the junction. Always apply pressure when possible as suggested in the steps below. This applies mainly to the slot cut technique.

Step Four: For the Pre-shaped Channel popper body, slide the popper onto the hook shank and rotate 360 degrees twice, as you push it back toward the rear of the shank. This will allow the glue to coat all sides of the hook on to the tread interface. Position the body so only the eye of the hook emerges from the front face.

I also tip the body "butt-up" and apply a bead of super glue to the shank. It will run down into the rear hole of the channeled body and provide added durability for the fly. Hang them in this position and allow to dry thoroughly.

Step Five: Next apply the eyes by rotating the body on its side and applying the eye with a drop of glue (two-part epoxy works better than traditional super glues; and the gel super glue works better for eyes). Use a tweezers or hemostat for precise eye placement. If you use your fingers for eye placement, they will get glue on them and the whole process becomes quite messy.

Step Six: Apply tail material which can be just about anything. I really like squirrel tail because it’s stiffer than marabou and doesn’t twist around the hook. I like marabou because of the sexy action, but it will foul around the shaft. The length of the tail should extend the length of the shaft, beyond the rear of the hook. Experiment with other materials.

Tip: Road Kill Popper Fly MaterialWhen was the last time you saw a dead squirrel on the road? Yesterday, right? I carry a wire cutter in my car for road kill squirrels. Snip the tail at the base and nail it to the wall inside your garage for several months until dry. You can buy tails at fly shops or online, as well.

Step Seven: Apply hackle or other material palmering (wrapping one turn in front of the previous) forward. Stroke back the fibers before the each wrap. This will keep the hackle fibers angled backward and - out of the way. You can throw a couple of half hitches or whip finish to end - just behind the body. A drop of head cement will only help to solidify any fly construction. When using heavier hooks, apply more hackle to aid in proper flotation.

That’s it! They are so fast to tie. You can knock out 20 or more in a few hours. Prepare these flies in stages to save time. One night, wrap the hook shanks with thread, the next night mount all the bodies, etc.

Yellow, White, Green (Lime or Chartreuse), and Black are always the mainstay colors with yellow being an all time favorite.