FLEYE FOILS are coming!

A guest blog by Bob Popovics

I'm sure you all can imagine how happy I was when Bob Popovics agreed to guest blog at Flies of Fancy!  He needs no introduction, but I'll give him one anyway.  Bob has been fly tying for decades and has brought to the fly fishing world many innovative flies, like the Surf Candy, that have since become standards in everyone's fly boxes.  He continues to develop new products that shape the fly fishing world, and today he's blogging about his latest creation -- FLEYE FOILS.  

Welcome, Bob!

It's been a long road to get this little project started. 

Back in January, I met Ibbi Mesinovic at the Marlboro Fly Fishing Show.  He showed me something I might be interested in.  A foil!  Neat little item.  Very shiny, shape was cool, and had little tying tabs in the front to easily attach to the hook.  One foil to each side of the fleye was also right!  This looked very similar to a wish I had many years ago, but because the cost to get it started was too much, I scrapped the idea. 

But Ibbi's idea was a better one.  The tying tab was cool, but already done with Tab-Eyes; the shape was fine but needed to be re-shaped, but because it was one side at a time, I was impressed.  My idea so long ago was all-in-one to wrap around a hook.  That was the epoxy era.  NOW, we are deep into the light-cured acrylics and a wraparound foil would not be so good since it would likely shield the light from certain spots and not allow for proper curing of the gel.  With epoxy this would not have mattered.  

I asked Ibbi if he would make these to my specs, and he agreed.  I drew up a few ideas over the next month and finally the FLEYE FOILS are ready to be sold.  Three baits are featured, the Bay Anchovy, the Silverside, and the Sand Eel.  Three to four sizes in each.  Easy and quite fun to tie! The fly is a simple basic, pre-epoxy frame but with Fleye Foils on the sides.  Using the acrylics was easy because I could slide the gel between the foils from the top and bottom, cure it, and put a finish coat on top of all of it and DONE!  The belly sac was there, the stripe was there, and the eye was there!!!  Even a mouth and gill lines were there.  The Surf Candy was looking very smart all dressed up, and so easily tied! 

I hope everyone has a good time using the FLEYE FOILS and maybe they'll even bring out the fun in making something so easily that looks so good.  I sure had fun getting all this together and I am excited that people will enjoy it, too.  Bob Popovics

FLEYE FOILS can be purchased at TUFFLEYE

May Minnow Madness!

Baitfish, minnows, little fish, whatever you want to call them, bigger fish eat 'em.  That's the food chain.   Baitfish imitations are a standard in your arsenal, regardless of whether you bait fish, gear fish, or fly fish.

I've been working on a series of baitfish imitations that improve upon the standard baitfish fly.  In my opinion, a fly of this nature:  1) should be durable; 2) shouldn't foul easily (or at least not often) and 3) should have as many triggers as possible to entice fish to strike.

After much time spent at the vise and on the water, I have come up with a series of flies that should cover most of your baitfish situations.  I call it the Hard Head series.  They're tied on a #2 Daiichi saltwater hook.  The head has an epoxy finish.  There are five minnows in the series; these will cover nearly all your baitfish imitation needs worldwide.  And before you ask... although you may not have seen them, the elusive chartreuse minnow is bountiful in your home waters.  ;-)

All month long you can take advantage of this months special on our Hard Head Minnows! Visit our website Flies of Fancy to Order!

Hard Head Chartreuse 

Hard Head Gizzard Shad

Hard Head Minnow

Hard Head Mackerel

 Hard Head Silverside

The Gurgler

It's springtime! The water temperatures are rising. The bass are beginning to move; it's time for their spawn. Active, hungry, aggressive smallmouth bass:  Can we say fun, fun, fun!

Jack Gartside's Gurgler is a great top water pattern, especially for locating active bass. I tie this pattern in white, chartreuse and black, and I typically tie on an overwing of natural grizzly hackle. The black works well at night and early in the morning, and depending on where you are fishing it may even entice a walleye for some top water action.

I dress my Gurgler a bit differently than the original as I opt for cactus chenille for the body; Jack palmered a hackle feather for the body. I have also tied huge bulky versions on wide gap stinger hooks to imitate frogs with great results!

Heavy thread wraps may cut through the closed-cell foam so be mindful of this when working with this material! Measure a piece of foam that is twice the length of the hook shank and tie it on the length of the shank. Once you complete the body, fold the foam over and secure it directly behind the eye of the hook. I add a few drops of head cement to the foam crease for added durability.  The portion of foam that extends above the hook shank is the part that will cause the commotion in the water. If you want a slider action in the water then simply whip finish after tying down the foam at the head. If you would like the fly to have more popping action, then make wraps in front of the foam. These thread wraps will cause the foam to be angled.  Whip finish once you are satisfied with the angle of the foam.

When fishing this pattern I retrieve it in three different ways:

1. Jerk the rod tip while doing a figure of eight or slow stripping retrieve of the line.  This causes the fly to skip and spit water.
2. Jerk the rod tip and strip one to two feet of fly line simultaneously. This action will make the most noise and disturbance.
3. Cast out and simply lift the rod tip slowly, causing the fly to skim across the surface of the water, making a wake.

I vary the retrieves until the fish let me know how they want it!

It is worth mentioning that this pattern is a multi-species fly; it will catch many different fish that are willing to hit a top water fly. Tie it in the appropriate size for the species that you are targeting and have fun!

Seriously…. what is more exciting than watching a fish explode on a top water fly?

Hooking and landing it I suppose!   ;-)

The Gurgler

Hook: Standard fresh or saltwater hook

Thread: White

Tail: White Bucktail, twice the length of the hook shank. Pearl angel hair on each side with one cock grizzly hackle feather on each side of the tail.

Popper: Closed-cell foam

Body: Pearl cactus chenille