I never tied or fished a spun hair popper. Seems like a lot more work to tie one. Are they worth the effort? They sure look nice but I haven't had a bass tell me they prefer the hair:)
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I never tied or fished a spun hair popper. Seems like a lot more work to tie one. Are they worth the effort? They sure look nice but I haven't had a bass tell me they prefer the hair:)
I find that poppers made from spun deer hair fish very differently than those made from foam or balsa wood. The deer hair absorbs water so it sits lower in the water and tends to push water rather than pop or gurgle when retreived. I find deer hair poppers/sliders to be more effective when the bass are a bit shy and want to slide up under the bait and sip it in rather like a large trout.
I make and use both and while spinning deer hair takes a bit longer to do, there are times when they are much more effective than poppers or sliders made from other materials. Once you get the hang of spinning deer hair it's not difficult and in fact rather fun to do. I would recommend that you carry both types when you go out fishing and try them side by side and let the fish tell you which they prefer.
Just one man's opinion.
Jim Smith
There's only two reason to tie your own flies. Because you are using (read: losing) enough to make it less expensive than buying lures ... or because you like tying flies.
If you are tying to reduce the cost of your fishing addiction, then tie and fish what you want. If you want to try hair poppers, buy a couple from somebody and try them before buying all the materials.
If you are tying because you like to tie, then who cares which catches more? It's fun material to work with when you get the hang of it, and I am only just starting to get the hang of it. Tie a few up and see how creative you can get.
... for me there are a number of additional reasons to tie my own flies.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishingfiend
I don't lose very many flies, but I do use a lot of them up actually catching fishies.
The flies I tie myself are much more durable than just about anything I can buy, even the premium flies tied locally, which do cost a lot more than what it costs me to tie my own. If I bought flies, I'd end up using up ( not losing ) even more flies than I do.
Beyond my own personal consumption of flies I tie, consider the following:
When a fellow BB member asks for help on a Reel Recovery or Healing Waters program, I can just reach into my inventory and send off a hundred flies without running down to the local shop and dropping a couple hundred bucks.
When a newcomer to my home water is getting nothing on the fly he is fishing, I can give him a few of the flies that have been working for me the past few days. He doesn't have to drive a hundred miles or more to go find and buy some.
When an acquaintance just isn't getting fishies on the fancy flies touted by local shops for current conditions, I can give him a few specimens of my original patterns which he can't buy anywhere. Even though I don't much like this guy, it is cool when he tells me he caught the biggest two fish he's ever caught ( a couple mid 20" plus steelhead ), and the only bull trout he has caught on a dry fly on one of my original patterns.
When a fellow BB member is having trouble tying one of my original patterns and asks to buy a sample to help him tie his own, it can go in the mail the next day as a freebee. Knowing that someone might likely enjoy an outing fishing one my patterns, I don't mind picking up the cost of an envelope and the cost of the postage.
But the best reason of all for me is that I can fish my own original patterns, which can't be bought anywhere. There are likely other patterns that would catch more fish on any given day, or maybe even every day, than my originals when fished on the same water by a reasonably competent fly angler. But no way would I have as much fun fishing those patterns as I do my own.
I suspect that other fly tyers / anglers have additional reasons beyond your two, Fishingfiend, and the several that I have listed.
John
P.S. I really do not enjoy tying flies. But the many reasons I have to do it outweigh the fact I don't like doing it.
Once again, no matter what I say, you slam it. Okay, you're right. I quit.
Great answers John. And I I love your PS. That's me to a T. Love going to sleep with all this knowledge. This site rocks.
John,Now that's the best reasons I have heard.Makes sense to me
If you dressed your own fly fishing flies, you can dress fly fishing patterns from a hundred years ago.
One of my favorite from long ago is the "Golden Ribbed Hares Ear (dry fly)" from the 1890's, that was banned from the Chalk Streams of Great Britain.
Back then the dry fly hook was a "Eye Up", and when you attached the fly pattern to to the tippet, you would run the tippet through the eye of the hook, and wrap the tippet under the hook shank and back out of the hooks eye!
~Parnelli
I guess I am confused, again. I thought Allen was just asking which is better, foam or deer-hair.
Both are great, and I think it just depends on which one you like working with the best. I like deer-hair poppers, but I think foam is more versatile. There is no reason why you can't use both.
As far as catching fish, I haven't noticed much of a difference, with the exception of the Chernobyl Ant, and it's progeny. It out-fishes any other top-water I have ever used, no matter where I've fished it.