From: sandy@cs.montana.edu (Colin "Sandy" Pittendrigh)
Subject: Re: Rod Building
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, MSU, Bozeman Mt 59717
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 01:32:54 GMT

In article <530010@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> maf@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Mark Forsyth) writes:
>In rec.outdoors.fishing, maf@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Mark Forsyth) writes:
>
>> 
>> I just finished building my first fly rod and am very happy with the results.
>
	Are fly tying recipes fair game on rec.outdoors.
fishing? I've enjoyed the current How-To-Do-It rod making
stuff that's appeared recently. But I'd like to see more
fly tying AND LUREMAKING stuff too. So as a trial balloon,
I'm posting the following tying instructions for a
can't-sink-it grasshopper fly that works better
than any hopper you can buy in a store. It also works as a 
dynamite strike indicator (bobber) that catches fish. Just hang 
a nymph off the rear end of the hopper, and set the hook when 
the hopper twitches.  
     If this kind of thing is too specialized or too narrow
in focus, please let me know. Otherwise I'll try to post
something like this once every month or two--just to try
and get something going. These instructions are long! So flame 
away if you think this is a bad idea.
 
          FOAM-BODIED BOBBER HOPPER
Hook......Mustad 94840 #6-10
Body......1/4" thick, yellow CLOSED_CELL foam.             
Legs......Olive rubberlegs
Wing......Deer hair or elk hair.
Glue......Thin and Medium CA glue (super glue) and "fabric cement."
 
BUILDING A MODULAR FOAM HOPPER BODY
     Cut a 1/4" x 1/4" x 2" length of yellow closed-cell foam 
(like boat-seat or back-packer's foam). Trim one end to a point. 
Then place an ultra-thin beading needle horizontally in the fly 
tying vise, with the sharp end of the needle pointing to the right. 
     Lay the foam body horizontally on the needle. Wrap three or
four turns of thread around the rear end of the body, about
1/4" back from the pointed end of the foam.  Then wind the thread 
back toward the vise jaws, spiralling and dimpling the foam as you go. 
Use just enough tension to dimple the foam slightly. Then, at 
approximately 5/8" for a #6 hook, make three or four whip finish loops 
around the front end of the foam body, leaving a inch or so of square, 
un-dimpled foam for the thorax of the hopper on the other side of the 
whip-knot.
     Slide the foam body off the needle. Put a tiny drop of Thin CA 
glue at both ends of the thread wraps to keep the thread from unravelling.   
 
MAKING "RUBBERLEG NEEDLE" SEWER
     Heat the eye of large sewing needle with a cigarette lighter
until it glows red. Then quickly push the hot, malleable needle-
eye down onto the point of another needle to form an extra-wide-
eyed needle. 
 
FINISHING THE HOPPER
     Wrap some thread onto a hook. Leave the thread dangling from
the rear end of the hook. Hold the foam body over the hook, with
the dimpled front end of the abdomen positioned over the dangling
thread. Use 3 or 4 moderately loose loops of thread to lash down the 
rear end of the body. Loop forward to the eye, and lash down the front
end with 3 or 4 tight loops, leaving a pea-sized blob of foam
protruding forward, past the eye.
     Stack the tips of a long clump of deer or elk hair, and
then fasten it down, on top of the body, at the foam dimple
behind the eye. Loop the thread back loosely to the next foam
dimple, at the joint between front end of the abdomen and the
rear end of the thorax. Pull the hair fibers back with one hand,
and then wind several loose wraps of thread around the wing at
rear end of the thorax.  Then whip-finish in place with several
loose wraps of thread. Clip off the excess thread, and then wet
the top of the thorax with 1 or 2 drops of Medium CA glue to
keep the whole thing from unravelling. Then use the Rubberleg
Needle to "sew" three sets of legs through the sides of the
thorax. Fasten these legs in place with a small quantity of
flexible "fabric cement," available at sewing stores. Then set
the fly aside to dry. It's a real firecracker!
/*=======================================================================*/
/*                Sandy Pittendrigh  <Sandy@cs.montana.edu>              */
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Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.fishing