Hope everyone is have a great start on their new year 
Any-who … I was reading some info here about using popper hooks to tie up deep clouser minnows, working on restocking my clouser minnow supplies, which I though was a great idea, keeps the eyes in the same place.
Was wonder how many of you use this technique and does it seem to improve the fly in some way other then the tying of the fly?
Mike
Mike,
Go to www.flyfishohio.com, I think Joe Cornwall has a video on tying something, may not be a Clouser, but you’ll get some good ideas, on a popper hook.
Actually, you’d probably get the same effect by tying the eyes at the 1/2 point on the hook-shank as opposed to the traditional 1/3 point.
Jim
thanks Jim. that’s looks like an interesting fly to tie
Mike
Similar to Fox Statler’s Anatomically Correct Minnows:
http://www.onlineflytyer.com/article_fox1.asp
Neat idea, haven’t tried it yet.
Regards,
Scott
yea I seen that Alewife pattern posted here too.
Mike
Mike,
The nice thing about using the popper hook is that it helps hold the dumbbell eyes in position.
The ‘bad’ thing about them is, for my uses, is that you are stuck with ‘one’ place for the eyes…
One of the great things about the Clouser is that by alternating the eye position you can alter the fly’s action.
Up to you.
Buddy
I’ve heard that putting the eyes farther back on the shank causes a more pronounced wobble affect in the fly. Is that how it works?? I haven’t experimented with different positions yet, but it sounds interest to try.
Mike
There is a nice FOTW Clouser Minnow here that illustrates things well. It is a great way to get consistency and the hook gap and so forth is a real plus.
Mike,
If you play with both the position and the weight used on a ‘traditional’ Clouser tie, you can get some interesting differences.
Place the weight closer to the eye, and the fly will ‘nose dive’ when you pause it. Increasing the weigth intensifies this effect. A very light weight placed far forward, and the fly will ‘rock’ as it’s stripped.
Place the weight farther back on the shank, and the fly will fall horizontally. A heavier weight here will cause the fly to ‘wobble’ as it falls. A lighter weight than ‘normal’ in this position will make the fly seem to suspend when you stop it (it won’t really reach a neutral bouyancy, but the opposing forces of the line lifting and fly dropping will almost cancel each other out). A fly tied like this will ‘glide’ well.
I use a clouser with the weight forward to imitate a texas rigged plastic worm. The same fly with a light weight farther back and it will imitate the action of a slpit shot rig, etc.
Good Luck!
Buddy
I have tied both ways and really still like the regular hook over the popper hook. It’s not as easy without that dip, but I am not so happy with popper hooks as much as the regular way.
This fly tying is really to each his or her own anyway pretty much.
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