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The daughter is having a sleepover so I escaped the chaos to my fly tying room and experimented:
Some booby eyes: a sliver of black foam rolled in white foam.
http://ca.geocities.com/fishyfranky%...rolledeyes.jpg
A 'spun' foam head using slivers of black and white. For some reason, this look really appeals to me.
http://ca.geocities.com/fishyfranky%...m/spunfoam.jpg
Btw, I happened to have a paper trimmer so cutting up sheets of foam is easy work.
I've tried the second method a couple of times (with mixed results, it looks best on hooks <8). My main concern is for durability. It seems likely that this style of fly will get shredded after one or, at most, two fish.
When ever I cut the foam, I try to cut it into 2mm x 1mm x 1 1/2" strips and then cut each of those in half lengthwise giving a strip 1mm x 1mm x 1 1/2". It is time consuming cutting.
I like how you were able to position the black piece(s) for eyes.
Warmouth
You are a genuis!
I have had trouble finding the foam cylinders used to tie the Texas Bullfrog, which requires that you glue doll eyes to the ends of the foam cylinder. I believe your 'Booby Eyes' technique would be a very good alternative. I am going to try it ASAP!
Thanks a million!
Semper Fi!
It works! It works!
I tied 4 Bullfrogs using your 'Booby Eyes' technique. On the first, I used a sliver of black foam rolled up in green foam. It worked OK, but on the next, I rolled a sliver of black foam into white foam, then rolled both in green foam, and the result was fantastic! Then it was just a matter of cutting the rolls into 3/4" cylinders, poking a hole in the center, threading it on and gluing it to the hook near the eye. All that was left was to tie in two opposing OD neck hackle feathers for legs at the rear and another to wind forward as hackle to form the body. the result is striking! I wish I had a better digital camera so I could post these (mine has no zoom and will not focus close enough to see a fly very good)!
Thanks again.
Semper Fi!
Good tip about the paper cutter too.
For the Texas Bullfrog, and small poppers, I use a brass tube and "drill" out plugs from a lime green Flip-Flop. It woudl graet and I can make a 100 plugs in a couple of minutes.
I'm with millerwb on the plugs. Also I've used backer rod [even simpler] I coat with sparkle nail polish.... I'm not at the location of those flies or I'd post a picture.
One thing I've thought of doing is using the smaller brass tube to bore through the center if the larger plug and insert that small size black plug.
Anyone tried that?
Yup, I use old metal pen bodies and file the edge sharp to make foam cylinders. But the rollup eyes, and the spun foam lets you create colour patterns and non-cylindrical shapes with the foam itself. Its a construction technique I'm gonna explore and add to the foam plug, dremel tool box of tricks.
On the paper trimmer/cutter, you can quickly turn a sheet into spagetti, then fold the strands in half, cut them, and repeat until you have a pile of 1 inch noodles to spin. Wider, linguini style is good for chernobyls, club sandwiches, etc. Its a handy tool to have.
I got my last cutter at Harbor Freight good price...they are a little pricey it seems...
Ya ducksterman, the bed style paper cutter I got for our photography hobby (cut up photo paper to use in a inkjet printer).
Your idea is great! I just made a plug, then a hole with a hot bodkin and then used some mono as a threader to pull through a folded sliver of black foam.
Updated pic of finished booby:
http://ca.geocities.com/fishyfranky%...itterbooby.jpg
I put on some ultrafine glitter and Sally's on the foam.
[This message has been edited by fishyfranky (edited 18 March 2006).]
Or you can go to Hobby Lobby and buy hollow 7mm cylinders of foam, and 7mm doll eyes to glue on them. Flotation is out of this world, and the simplicity can't be beat!