Created by Gary Krebs

Background

Many people like making popper flies to fish for bass, pike, bluegill, snook, and even tarpon.  In the past they were made of cork or balsa wood and it was a long process to shape, attach, paint, and finish a popper.  With the advent of modern closed cell foam cylinders in no time you can cut a popper head.  The only problem is that for most people getting consistently cut foam popper heads is much easier said than done.

Gary Krebs ran into this problem a few years back and decided it was time for a tool to solve this problem.  Working on his own for about a year he started to come up with something that was working.  He eventually started to work with the good folks at River Road Creations not only as someone to help develop the tool but eventually as someone to make them for the retail market. Another year or so went by and they settled upon the current Popper head Jig set(s).  One of the particular issues they had to overcome was the fact that each maker of foam cylinders actually used different foam and often the diameters were very inconsistent.  This meant that one makers 3/8 inch foam might fit in the cutters but another makers 3/8 inch foam would not.  So they had lots of hours determining the best foam for making poppers and that would work in the jigs that would give the tier the most versatility.

Thanks to Gary's long efforts there is now a tool for quickly making foam popper heads that will consistently be the same as all the other you cut. Fortunately, it is also easy to use.  You do not need an engineering degree to use these jigs.  In no time you will have dozens of these popper (and even more of your own style) filling your fly boxes.

Materials

Instructions

1) For this fly you will need the large set of popper head cutting jigs.  Specifically, you will need the 7/16 inch jig.
2) Insert the 7/16 inch foam cylinder so that the end of the foam just barely extends into the vertical cutting slot.
3) Take the needle (or your bodkin) and insert it into the hole on the side of the jig until it goes through the foam and out the opposite side.  This will help anchor the foam while you cut it.
4) Take the razor blade provided and first slice along the rear angled portion of the jig.  You will need to support the waste piece of foam as the razor exits the foam. Otherwise, the razor will push the waste foam over and instead of a nice clean cut at the base of the rear slope you will have a small ridge. Note: Always use a sharp razor.  Do not "saw" back and forth while cutting. If the razor can not simply be pushed through the foam to cut it then get a new razor blade.
5) Now turn the jig over and run the razor down the angled face to make the face of the popper head.  Again, support the foam waste as the razor is about to exit the foam for a nice smooth cut.
6) With your head cut pull out the needle (or bodkin) and remove the foam head from the jig.
7)  You now need to cut a slot for the hook to go into when mounting the head on the hook.  If needed take a sharpie or pen and mark on the front and the back of the foam head where the cut should be.
8)  The cut needs to be straight from the front to the back and straight from the bottom to the top.  The slot only needs to be about 1/8th inch deep.  If it is deeper it can be fixed later when the head is glued to the hook.
9) Your popper head is now complete. Mount the hook in the vise. Temporarily place the popper head on the hook, making certain to leave a small space for the weed guard if you are adding one, and attach your thread at the rear of the popper head. Once your thread is attached you can take off the foam head.
10) Now you will attach the tail of the fly. First attach a clump of White Fox Furr. Second, attach a few strands of pearl Polar Flash. Last, attach a clump of bright red (or orange) Fox Furr.  Make certain to not tie any materials forward of where you attached the thread.  When tied in you should have about 1/8th of an inch open space behind where the head will be for the hackle.
11) Take your Schlappen feather and hold it by the tip.  Gently stroke back the hackle fibers so you have just a small portion of the tip of the feather for attaching to the hook.  Tie this in where you tied in the tail material and start palmering the hackle forward.  You will need to stroke back the hackle fibers out of the way each time you wrap the hackle around the hook so that no fibers are trapped under a wrap.  Palmer until the hackle reaches the spot just behind the foam head (where you attached your thread) or until the feather is all used. Bind the feather in and clip the waste.
12) If you are going to attach a weed guard you will do it now.  Advance your thread to behind the eye of the hook. Take your hard mason and fold a two inch piece in half.  Slide the hard mason over the hook so that it is over both sides of the hook and right behind the eye of the hook. Figure eight your thread across the mono and the hook to bind in the weed guard. Whip finish in front of the weed guard and remove thread. Note: you should put two to three layers of thread along the hook shank to glue the popper head to before tying in the weed guard.
13)  Turn the fly over and trim the weed guards so they are about 1/8th of an inch past the point of the hook.
14)  You are now ready to glue the foam head onto the hook.  Place a small line of Zap-A-Gap gel along both sides of the hook. Note: if you did not add a weed guard, first place two or three layers of thread along the hook shank for gluing on the foam popper head.  Whip finish behind the eye of the hook and remove thread.
15)  With the hook turned upside down, pinch the foam head in your hand to open up the slot on the bottom.  Coming up from underneath the fly place the foam head on the hook.  The front of the head should be just behind the weed guard or the hook eye.  Make certain the head is on vertically straight. The bottom of the foam head should just come up to the bottom of the hook shank.
16)  The Zap-A-Gap gel will give you a few more seconds of working time while you position the foam head.  Once in place press both sides of the foam head to the hook shank and hold for about 5 seconds.  This will help spread the gel all around the hook and in any gaps in the foam head and make certain the head is attached firmly.
17)  After a few seconds you can let go of the foam head.  You will probably have some remaining Zap-A-Gap gel on the bottom of the hook.  Run the needle or your bodkin along the bottom of the hook shank to remove the excess gel.
18)  This is what the foam popper head should look like when mounted properly on the hook.  You are now ready for rubber legs (if you want them) and any markings you want on the head.  If you would rather, the fly can be considered complete at this stage and it will fish very well.
19)  If adding rubber legs you will want to take a four inch piece of round rubber leg material and thread it through the eye of the needle.  Then push the needle through the hole made while the foam was mounted in the cutting jig.  Pull the needle all the way through the foam until the rubber leg material comes out the other side.  Pull the legs out far enough so that when you cut the needle off you will still have enough of the legs sticking out the side so the legs are the length you need. Trim legs on both sides to desired length.
20)  You can now use your permanent markers to color in eyes, add lines, gills, spots or just about anything you want to dress up you fly.  You can fold back the ends of the weed guards about 1/8 inch from the ends so that the tips of the weed guards point towards the back of the fly.

Keep in mind that different sizes of foam heads require different sized hooks. You can also use different tailing materials. Marabou, grizzly saddle hackles, rubber legs, flashabou, and streamer hair all make good tailing materials. There are other things you can do with the Krebs Jig cutters to make even more interesting poppers and flies but they will be in another post.

Gary Krebs Popper Jigs and Krebs Popper Fly from Ian Anderson on Vimeo.

Questions about tying this fly do not hesitate to contact us at the shop.

Keep those irons dressed!