Need advice on keeping eyes on deer hair poppers and divers. I’m a new tier and live in warm water country. The deer hair bugs I’ve tied have lost their eyes after very little use. I’ve used flexament and zap-a-gap. What process or epoxy is recommended?
Good luck 
. After a number of fish have done their business on the fly, I am surprised if the eyes are still there.
Seriously, have you considered using plastic bead-chain or burnt mono eyes instead of doll’s eyes, or some similar light weight eyes linked with a center post that can be lashed down to the hook shank? Since they are lashed to the hook shank rather than glued, these should stay on the fly. You can spin or stack the hair tightly packed against the tied in eye post so that you can get the same results as with doll’s eyes. Best of luck.
Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL
“Flip a fly”
There is a tying tip which suggests using epoxy over them, and other using a cris-cross of tying thread over them as well.
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
A glue that I have had really good success with
is BOND 527 multi purpose cement.I have used it on plastic eyes I glue to Puglisi’s and deer hair flies.It is not advertised as water proof but rather water resistant.I have had better luck with this stuff than either super glue or epoxy–at least the 5 min variety.I use to get this glue at Wal-Mart back in the craft section
near where they have the hot melt glues.
I have been using a waterproof adhesive from Loctite called “Stik’n Seal”. It works better than anything else that I have tried.
Steve
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went”-Will Rogers
Hi Jeff,
I use the plastic doll eyes with the little plastic stem on the back. They come in multiple colors but I seem to like the yellow with black pupils the best. After trimming my deer hair bugs, I use my little elctric cautery tool and burn an indentation where I want the eyes. I then trim about 2/3 of the stem off the back of the eyes. Place a generous spot of Zap-a-goo or some similar adhesive in the indentation. Firmly press the eyes in place. I think you will be pleased with the results.
Regards,
Keith
“Time’s fun when you’re having flies.” Kermit the Frog
It’s time consuming, so I only do it when I have way too much time on my hands, but…
You could try creating the mass of the eyes with small dollups of krazy glue, drawing the eyes in with black and white or silver sharpies, and then glazing over them with regular head cement. I’ve never had these kind of eyes fall off except for when my foam poppers have totally had it and big hunks of foam are coming off anyway. Although I’ve never tried it on deer hair poppers, it worked almost as well on a few muddler minnows I tied last winter.
I use a squirt of fabric paint followed by a dot of black nail polish.
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I have found that Marine Goop works best for me in keeping eyes on my patterns. I make a small indention in the deerhair where the eye will go and fill it with a dab of Marine Goop. I use a tothpick or the bodkin to work the Goop in to the deerhair and then push the eye in place. I have very good luck with this method and have had some patterns last for 50+ fish without loosing their eyes.
Jim Smith
I’m with James on this one…Marine Goop has worked the best for me. I usually use plastic real eyes on all my deer hair bugs. I clip off the plastic post the eye is formed on and glue the eye into an indent cut into the head of the bug. I find that it not only looks more realistic, but also helps to secure the eye in place for longer use. Other glues and methods have left me with one eyed flies.
I second the GOOP and eyes-on-posts.
RRhyne56
[url=http://www.robinscustomleadersandflies.com:56418]http://www.robinscustomleadersandflies.com[/url:56418]
IM = robinrhyne@hotmail.com
Hi Jeff,
I am offering a different suggestion on the eyes that you might like to give a try.
First use a cautery tool and burn a small holes in the hair on either side of the fly head. Next use two glass beads on mono with the ends burned. that will give you another version of the mono eyes that are dumbell shape but with a little depth or sparkle. After you figure eight them in place use some head cement, sally hansen or epoxy to cover the beads and mono and hold them in place. If you elect to use your doll eyes, try the method of burning the hole in the hair and then add the eyes with epoxy. Hope this helps.
Thanks to all who posted a reply to my problem. Now I’ve got options to try. I don’t post often, but when I need help, I know where to turn. Whether it’s a tying problem, help finding a fishing hole while traveling, or help explaining “fishy” behavior, I get good information here. By the way in another thread, big fish on a small fly, mine is a 8 lb. channel cat on a size 10 or 12 nymph with a 4 weight. He took 15 minutes of my life and blue gil fishing time.
Goop and Shoe-Goo have always worked best for me, but I never bother with putting on two eyes anymore. I just put on one, since I noticed that the bugs take more fish after one eye gets knocked off. The fish notice that the critter is blind on one side, and they take advantage of that weakness.
Jeff - Take a look at [url=http://www.warmwaterflytyer.com.:0cc65]www.warmwaterflytyer.com.[/url:0cc65] Ward has a number of great warmwater patterns and tying tips. He uses the cautery tool, a little Dave’s Fleximent in the socket and then Goop to hold the eyes in place. I’ve never lost an eye using his method.
One more approach that works great for me. I use soft-tex with a drop of zap-a-gap. This combination is the best I’ve found to keep those doll eyes on longer. It’s simple and it works for all of the different eyes I use for bass bugs and streamers.