GT banger popper - the making of

So I was hoping to catch big fish a while ago at the Vernon Islands but no fish showed up - let alone big ones

Since then I have been going to make some Bob's Bangers type flies for this use of attracting big fish with a big surface fly

I ended up making a jointed popper fly (a bastardized version of Bob's Banger) - basically a 6/0 seaducer off the back and foam head with plenty of bling up front (details and images below)

Its a bit rough (very rough!) but here's what I did and the fish don't seem to mind the rougher edges of this fly compared to a beautiful symmetrical carved popper (see video of its use at end of this blog entry)

First I shaped up some foam off a foam kick board - so much cheaper then buying foam sheeting
I couldn't find a metal cylinder the right size to sharpen to punch out a few nicely formed cylinders of foam - so shaped them with a razor blade out of a craft knife

Wrapped the foam in gold tinsel
Colour the face with a red permanent marker

I punched a hole through the middle and placed them on a skewer for the next step








Covered all this with epoxy and added an stick on prism eye

I would have liked bigger eyes and eyes more contrasting to the tinsel wrapped around the head - but you work with what you have sometimes
Add a light coating of epoxy over the eyes

While all that dries on the rotary drying device.........
.........I then focus on dressing the rear hook section

Working from the hook bend to the hook eye - add........

 




Craft fur, feathers flaring outwards (so they pulse when you strip and stop the fly through the water), and then extra long ice chenille,  and you are done with rear hook

Attach the rear hook to the Waddington shank
I wrap this shank with thread to ensure it doesn't come apart in a fight












I cover the thread on waddington shank with epoxy and slide on the prepared foam cylinder
and your done (after it dries of course)

When in the water the popper part is in surface and the hook part is hanging down  as it swings on the rear Waddington eyelet (found it gives a better hook up rate)  - the materials of the rear hook are very subtle in their movement and flash helps too

Get it wet next time your are fly fishing - enjoy a big bloop and an awesome surface strike

The Stig