poppers and sinking heads

two different subjects, diametrically opposed, but then, hey, thats me anyways 

ok, i dont tie my own flies.. never learned, and never had the inclination to learn.

but, i love the large bodied poppers we use for bass , pike and other freshwater predatory fish.. right now, i have about a dozen synthetic "corks" from various vintages that i'd love to turn into poppers and possibly gurglers .

anyone up for it?

have been looking for sinking tips to add to my 5 & 6 wt lines, to get a little deeper when using larger patterns like deceivers and such, and finally found some in one of the mega box outdoor retailers in Lacey yesterday after work.. trouble is, the shortest one there is 15 feet, and i'm thinking i need shorter, like 8-10 feet, since tossing bugs off a yak involves a lot of shorter casts without so much line out as normal stand up and wade fishing does..

anyone know of a retailer that might carry such a thing, or if there is a way to roll your own custom ones?? i've  pretty much used up my online DIY resources, but kno there is usually someone in our group who has a way of making things others need...
 
Rich

Yep. Northwest fly fishers have been making their own heads and custom lines for quite a while. You can go to washingtonflyfishing.com and do a search on the forum there for a wealth of info.

Basically, for a 5 or 6 wt line, you need to get some Cortland T-8, which is a tungsten sinking line. It comes in 30' sections in a package with some woven mono loops. (There is also T-16, which is better for heavier weight steelhead /salmon/rockfish lines).  You cut the T-8 to various lengths, and then lash the loops on to the ends with a couple of small nail knots. (first you slide the loops on, inchworm style). Nail knots go up on the very end of the woven loop tag that you slid the tip of the T-8 into. Tie them right next to each other. The main section of the hollow woven mono covering the end of the T-8 needs to be able to slide. Coat only the nail knots, with thinned AquaSeal.  This works like "chinese fingercuffs" so that when the loop is pulled on, they tighten up their grip on the line.

Then you attach these custom sinktips to your main fly line with a loop-to-loop connection, which means you must also have a loop on the end of your main line. You can either put another woven mono loop on the business end of the T-8, or just tie a short butt section of 20 or 25 lb test on to the end, using a nailknot, with a perfection loop on the end that, to which you loop your tapered leader. (whew! Lost yet?)

Oh yeh, I don't need the corks, but thanks. (You had me worried there for a moment...I thought, "Good Gawd!!!! He's fishing poppers off a sinktip! )

 I am using bits of neoprene cut out of an old wetsuit to tie up Carpenter Ant patterns, though. And the velcro attachment end (leash-to-board) of an old surf leash for a paddle leash attachment. And the lower half of a large saltwater spinning rod can be converted to a wading staff/staking pole by epoxying a stainless lag bolt into the ferrule end for a solid, blunt tip.

ok, i thot it might come to that.. well, when you want the best tool for the job, you take the tried and true and adapt it to your immediate needs...
have tried the inch worm loop installation on 4- and 5 wt lines, and i wasnt too happy with the results... inch worm it on then supposed to have a tiny piece of heat shrink tubing surround and hold it in place?...sure, right, stayed on less time than it took to cut the tubing and inch the darn things on. went back to the good old nail knot that has worked for everyone for like forever. just wish the darn things werent designed as a left handed knot!

goddess no, even i know better than to toss bugs like that on sinking tips, ...deer hair mice is another story tho..i want them to sink!

well, the offer and request is still open.. i'd like someone to make up some large bodied poppers for me.. i'll pay you fairly and there wont be time limits or pressure to hurry the job..

Some of the things I do or use-

My wading staffs are old ski poles. I take the baskets off (if they are still there) and add a loop of webbing to the wrist loop that I can put over my head and shoulder, while I'm casting.

I've been using the Rio sinktips when I need extra depth. How long a section of sinking line I use is not dependent upon kayak/boat use, or amount of line I'm casting, but on depth that I want to present a fly at. If I need to get really deep to catch fish, I'll use an all sinking line, with a high sink rate. If I want a shallow subsurface presentation, I use either a slow sink rate or a short sinktip.

I rarely tie flies anymore, so I don't think I'd be of much help. You could buy some pre-tied (streamer) flies and add the the "cork" to the heads, for a cheap and easy DIY.

For loops I just double over the end of the line and wrap with mono, then use UV cement for a glue/wrap cement. Cheap, easy and fewer hangups in the guides.

BTW, I have heard of people using floating flies and sinking lines. Using a leader long enough to allow the fly to remain on the surface (shallow water), the technique involves allowing the line to sink, then stripping the fly in. During the retrieve, the fly dives, but a pause allows the fly to slowly float back to the surface. Supposed to drive LMB nuts.

Floating flies and sinking lines...your description sounds like a shallower water version of using a full sinking line with a foam bodied (floating) dragonfly nymph or waterbug. Skip Morris's "Predator" is a good one to use for trout in lakes this way. This fly is basically some brown or olive foam creatively lashed to the hook along with some rubber legs.  The line kicks up some cloudiness when stripped along the bottom, attracting interest from the fish...they cruise over and see this bug diving back toward the bottom....lookout!

Those dragon nymphs live on and near the bottom and dive back toward it, as do those giant water bugs.