Divers

[Richard]

Here's a diver that I'm in the final stages of finishing (just a few razor cuts to make it even and I'm done). It's a closeup of the body, you can just see the hackle, which (although you can't see it) in this one is pretty long. It's a combination of deer hair and elk hair.

[mikenewman]

Mike
I'm not really a Taps man but here's a Tap's style popper I tyed last year. Believe me, it's packed tighter than Pamela Anderson's bra -



Now here's the same bug dropped into a glass that normally holds an amber coloured liquid -



My point is that you can see a substantial proportion of the bug is submerged and indeed it doesn't tend to skip when stripped. Also, David says he's bringing Leo G poppers on the 22nd. Aren't they solid balsa jobs? Surely no amount of tightly packed deer hair could be as dense as that?
Anyway, can't wait to pursue this face to face

Richard: Nice Diver (And very tight )

Mike

[Hairstacker]

Mike, tie that same fly with a much broader face and triangular shape, rather than a thin, long rectangular shape, and I bet you find it skips all over the place. Also, I bet if I trimmed my Tap's Bug down as far as your bug, it's probably tied just as tightly. When I refer to "very tightly packed," I'm speaking of a deerhair fly surface that almost looks solid even when the hairs are left as long as they are on my Tap's Bug.

You have a point about the balsa wood poppers. On the other hand, they are a different material entirely, so maybe they have other attributes that balance out the solid design.

No less an authority than Charles F. Waterman also prefers a less dense, more raggedly trimmed Tap's Bug.

Touche.

[bolden]

Those flies look awesome, and i am sure they will work great. If you want some cool tricks to tying diver's, here is a
great site that shows step by step. You can also check out the other tutorials of many different flies.

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/fly...fm?parentID=38

[David Lee]

Let's all play nice now ......

For the record - I am bringing (and fishing ...) Balsa , Cork , soft foam , hard foam , Deerhair , and silicone-coated wool (yeah .... that kind of 'floats') . There really is NO right or wrong way to tye .... I simply stated how I like my bugs .

Leo G.s poppers are the last examples of a truely American craft - will they out-fish everything out there ?? Likely , NO ..... but I still look upon them with awe because I know what went into them and I have a MASSIVE amount of respect for that sort of craftsmanship .

Also , I'll bring the Bushmills .... so we can sort-out that cup problem of yours , Mr. Newman :P

I can't think of a BETTER GROUP of guys to .... uh , DEBATE .... these important issues with .......

David(loose-packin' SAVAGE)Lee

[Chris V]

Hey Richard,

Nice looking diver.

It looks like you also used deer or elk hair (green in your photo) to make up part of the tail along with the hackle- correct

Bolden- thanks for the link- that's a great trick with the plastic bag

[Hairstacker]

David, yep, I agree, it all comes down to personal preferences in how you like the bug to look and behave. Also, confidence in the fly is critically important, as several fellas suggested.

For me, this has been a very interesting discussion/debate. Never intended to imply a serious tone and thus, if I came across that way, sorry(!) and hope I haven't rubbed anyone the wrong way. Actually, I would love to hear more opinions on the subject, even if they ALL say I'm all wet, ha. Maybe I am.

As far as the Leo G.'s balsa bugs that I own (David Lee gave 'em to me! ), well, I'm hoarding those as works of art for display and imitation ONLY. I don't care if bass knock on the front door for 'em, they're not gettin' 'em!

[Adam Grace]

That plastic bag trick is nice, I used to use paper to do the same thing, but I like the use of plastic more. Thanks for the tip.

[jbird]

Guys! after viewing Boldens link, I dont know if I have the kind of patience to tie a fly that requires 40-something steps. Whew!!

Jay

[mikenewman]

OK you slackers I'm nearly done. Actually Mike, I suspect you are right and that we are indeed probably barking up the same tree. However, since you brought in your pal Mr Waterman to deal me a killer blow, I have no alternative but to counter with William G Tapply: noted author of "Bass Bug Fishing" and son of H G "Tap' Tapply:
"The secret...is to pack each bunch of deer hair tightly back against the previous one. Pinch and twist it back against the base made by your left thumb and finger. Don't be gentle with it. The purpose is to pack it as tightly as you can"
So touch you too
Now I'm going to get out of your (miserably loose) hair as I'm returning to the UK for 3 weeks tomorrow. There I can virtually guarantee that my views on fishing for Delta Largemouth will go unchallenged
All the best
Mike