Here is a video that was done this past winter. It helps to expand on the pattern know as the Hopper Juan. I explain it's design, and it's capabilities as well as show it step by step. I hope you enjoy!
FlyTyingLessons.com is going to be a great site for fly tying videos, but as of right now, it is still in the building process. I'll follow up once it is done. Gary T. of Colorado is the creator of this site and he produced this professional video. Watch it in HD if you can.
Showing posts with label Foam cutters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foam cutters. Show all posts
Friday, June 24, 2011
Saturday, August 21, 2010
A couple tips for you.
Since I can't think of any good fishing stories or have any new patterns ready to unveil, I thought I would toss a few things out there for you that might be helpful.
The first tip I want to share with you is the sizes of the foam bodies I use for The Hopper Juan. While many people don't have the foam cutters I use, I recommend them for the ease of making these bodies. If you can't obtain them or would just rather use scissors, here are the sizes that you should aim for.
For size 6 Hopper Juan's, I use the large cutter, which is roughly 7mm in width. For my favorite size, size 8, I use the medium size which is about 6mm. The small is about 5mm, and I use those for size 10 Hoppers. If you want to cut these bodies straight, I recommend using a piece of glass or a self healing mat and a very sharp razor and a metal straight edge such as the one in the picture above. Measure the widths and run the blade down the straight edge and try not to cut yourself. It doesn't take much using a sharp bade. Using these tools, you can make several strips of foam for hopper use.
The other tip I will share with you is the use of Water Shed on your dry flies. I use this on all my dry flies and I do believe that it does help. If you want proof, just put a drop of it on an untreated fly. It soaks it up like a sponge. The same thing happens when you put your untreated fly on the water for the first time. I even go so far as to treat my hoppers with this stuff. Elk hair and synthetics soak up water and if you can help prevent that, then you are a step ahead of most people. Your flies will still eventually soak up water and may need to be changed, but I usually don't mind if it's the fish that are causing that problem. Water Shed is distributed through Hareline Dubbin Inc.
The first tip I want to share with you is the sizes of the foam bodies I use for The Hopper Juan. While many people don't have the foam cutters I use, I recommend them for the ease of making these bodies. If you can't obtain them or would just rather use scissors, here are the sizes that you should aim for.
For size 6 Hopper Juan's, I use the large cutter, which is roughly 7mm in width. For my favorite size, size 8, I use the medium size which is about 6mm. The small is about 5mm, and I use those for size 10 Hoppers. If you want to cut these bodies straight, I recommend using a piece of glass or a self healing mat and a very sharp razor and a metal straight edge such as the one in the picture above. Measure the widths and run the blade down the straight edge and try not to cut yourself. It doesn't take much using a sharp bade. Using these tools, you can make several strips of foam for hopper use.
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