Just a simple question for the popper builders here how far are you put the body away from the eye of your hook I’m messing with foam and balsa body’s does it affect the pop depending on how far the body is from the eye or is it better to center the weight of the hook and tail
With the body
melvinp wrote:
Just a simple question for the popper builders here how far are you put the body away from the eye of your hook I’m messing with foam and balsa body’s does it affect the pop depending on how far the body is from the eye or is it better to center the weight of the hook and tail with the body
This is actually a tricky question and much depends on the size and shape of the popper head you're utilizing.
I generally keep the head close to the front of the shank - almost up against the eye. You want to leave a bit of space as it is hard to tie the fly on if the eye is recessed back inside the popper's concave front. I also like to put a small tungsten bead at the back of the hook shank just where it starts to bend as this helps keep the popper drifting hook downward.
You'll need to experiment with this issue. When you work up a new pattern, make sure to fish it, or at least test it in a wash tub or something, to make sure it works the way you want. Once you've confirmed this, you can tie 'em in batches... but don't deviate much.
Got the water glass out and relies that I have to drop down 2 sizes in hooks instantly to keep my poppers level and that’s with no tail weight I don’t seem to have a hook riding down issue yet I have realized that if you use a longer hook you can move your body back to level your as it sits in the water but not sure yet what pops better a popper that sits level on the surface or one that sits tail down I started out using perfect popper kits a size 4
I used Solarez UV Flex Resin on those. I used the Double Barrel popper bodies, which are really soft, for those and the Flex Resin won't crack if I squeeze them. I use soft foam bodies for the majority of my poppers and the harder UV resins work well for them.
melvinp: Honest question - Why do you want your popper to sit level? I ask because frogs and dying baitfish seem to sit at an angle to the surface. Maybe the shape of your popper face is not conducive to getting good pops when the back of your hook is below the eye. Notice how all the poppers in the above photos have face angles on a slight bias (sticks out more on top. This could help get a pop with the popper body on a 30 degree angle to the surface, right?
