I’ve finally gotten around to trying to learn how to tie a deer hair bass popper. Most of them aren’t that bad, at least I think the bass will bite
them, but I did have one come out looking halfway decent. The other half still needs work.
them, but I did have one come out looking halfway decent. The other half still needs work.
I think that’ll get eaten. I’ve seen worse, usually clamped in my own vise 
You’ve got it! Now you just need to practice. If you find that the bug has too little clearance for the hook in the rear you can try a couple turns of webby saddle hackle in front of the bend before you start the deer hair.
I think the packing of the deer hair and trimming are fabulous. The part I see is a fish catcher for sure. What I can’t see is whether the bottom of the bug is trimmed flat, and if it is trimmed as close to the hook as possible. This would help its floating position, and also hook-ups. You may want to use a hook with a wider gap designed for bass bugs.
Nice job. These deer hair bass bugs can be a lot of fun to tie, they can also drive ya crazy if you let them become a work of art. I have gotten really lazy in my older years and thus don’t pack mine as much as I use to. My results have shown that they don’t float as long, but they still work fine. When tying the diver types of flies, including the muddler minnows, I think tying them softer (not so hard packed) work even better. I think the fish take to them better because they are soft, more realistic and there for, don’t spit them out. Just my thoughts…
Nice bug, I really like the colors. Bet that’s the only spot in your tying room not covered in deer hair trimmings.
Regards,
Scott
Greg,
The bottom of the bug is trimmed round, not flat, and is just about as close to the hook shank as I dare. I trimmed another bug closer and ended up cutting into the thread. Maybe with this one I could try to seperate the hair a bit to see just where the thread is. The off side of the bug isn’t packed as tightly and that is my main problem. I need to work on packing the whole thing nice and tight and uniform.
That is impressive - now I have a goal - to get close to yours!
Mike
Great first Bug Cycler!! I had trouble with cutting the thread when I first started tying poppers. I would suggest a good Thread so you can really put tension on your deer hair to get it to flare. This also gets the thread closer to the hook shank and out of the way when you start to shape your bass bug. I use GSP or Roman Moser power silk you can really put a lot of tension on it and the thread is less likely to break. As far as getting the hair on the opposite side to pack tight like the near side, it’s just practice. The more you stack and spin the better you’ll get. Again great first bug and I hope to see more of your tying in the future
That looks really good!
I’m still working on getting better at spinning deer hair too. I pack them as tight as I can, but I still can’t quite get them as tight as I’d like. I can tied a sort of “medium-sized” head on it, but if I want bigger, they just look too loose. I know if can be done, I just don’t quite “have it” yet. More practice for me…
A good effort.
A couple of comments. Nice coloration on top, is the bottom all white? A little variation there is always good.
I would use a Mustad 37187 hook. http://www.terminaltackleco.com/prod_detail_list/66 This may be a discontinued hook so not all sellers carry them. Hook & Hackle lists them but doesn’t carry them. Neither does JStockard. You can also try http://www.tackle-craft.com/product/ST-1734/37187/.
Hook clearance is really important as is having most of your hair on top of the fly. Without rubber legs, bass bugs can often lay over on their side.
My preference is to put more tail materials.