A special treat for my bluegill friends

[jeffnles1]

I just sent these in an email to guru flybinder and thought I'd share them here too.

The local ponds are starting to warm up with the nice spring weather. In anticipation of summer bluegills, I prepared a special treat for my little buddies.

I hope they find these to their liking.

Jeff

click on the thumbnails to see full size.

[coonriverdog]

nice looking poppers and sliders Jeff. what size hook are you using??

[alra195]

WOW Jeff! Those are really nicely done. I've not tried tying poppers yet but your's certainly look good and will help motivate me. Now for you next trick will you post some picture of those slab bluegills you catch on these bad boys? Can't wait to see what you do next!

[dannyboy]

Great looking poppers.
I am tring to get a handle on the size - what is the length?

thanks
Dan

[jeffnles1]

The larger ones are #6 Popper hooks (Mustad CK 52S), and the smaller ones are the same hook in size #8.

Thanks for the compliment. These are the first poppers I've tried to tie. I tried some different tail materials to see what is going to work the best.

Jeff

[jeffnles1]

Great looking poppers.
I am tring to get a handle on the size - what is the length?

thanks
Dan

Dan,
I'm heading out to my son's soccer game and then to dinner. I'll measure them tonight and post the results for you.

Jeff

[joerogrz]

What material did you use for the body? I would like to try making poppers and have been considering wood. Maybe a golf tee...

[flybinder]

Joe; Actually, once, a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time ago, I tried a golf tee, for a popper, because like I think YOU'RE thinking....... "the cupped top is a great looking popper shape"!?
Well, the SINK LIKE A ROCK, tied to a WEIGHT! haha!! (IF, that is, you're talking WOODEN golf tees!?
Good, high density foam, makes great popper bodies. Go to a garage sale, (or the closet of a small child, relative) and get a pair of foam "flip flops", the thicker ones, (two to thee laminated layers of foam work best), all the better and make your popper bodies out of them. At a garage sale, (usually) a used pair of kid's foam sandals are about 25 to 50 cents tops and have enough material in ONE to make 24 or more, good poppers!
Take a length of galvanized pipe, or, copper tubing, the size of the popper you wish to make and file or grind down the outer edge to make yourself a "popper punch". Merely, pound it through the foam sandal.
Make to shape, with sandpaper, a Dremel tool, or a razor blade.

[jeffnles1]

What material did you use for the body? I would like to try making poppers and have been considering wood. Maybe a golf tee...

Those are foam like Flybinder mentioned. I was really lazy and didn't punch my own out. The shapped ones came from a good friend. The cylendars I bought at a fly shop they are about 3-4" long and you just cut to length and put on the hook.

I cut a slit in the foam, opened it up a little, slid the hook in and a couple drops of super glue to hold the foam together.

Next time I'm at Home Depot or some other hardware store, I'm getting some pipe to punch out foam flip flops.

Remember I'm lazy, I think rather than pounding the pipe through the flip flops, I'm going to try to chuck a piece in my drill press and see if I can "drill" them out. It's worth a try...

Jeff

[Rick Z]

If you are going to do alot of bodies look at getting a "Hollow Punch Set".
The ends can be milled down to fit in a drill at a machine shop.
Use a spray adhesive and glue sheets of foam together.
You can then cut bodies from 1/8 inch to 3/4 inch in size and the color or colors you want.
Cut about four bodies and the changed the punch. The punches get hot and and the sides of the bodiy are not as smooth. In multi colored boies the colors will bleeed across the edges some. Changing punches often seems to keep this from happening.
Lewt me know if you would llike to see a icture of a few of my punches.


Rick