Foam Popper Tying Instruction
Tying Foam Blockhead
Style Bass Poppers
By Brad Miller |
FlyBass.com
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)
There are now commercially
pre-shaped blockhead
bodies available. 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
foam popper 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.
Learn the complete hole techniques HERE.
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 rotational
vise 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 Material
When 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.
Shaped channel bodies are available now online at
FlyBass.biz.
Watch videos on tying foam poppers
HERE.
Much of the information here is derived from the
eBook:
Top Ten Smallmouth
Flies – How to Tie and Fish Them.
 Get
ready to hammer the fish with explosive surface
strikes that’ll make your blood boil!
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