This is a very easy fly to tie. Deer hair looks intimidating but is a relatively easy skill to learn as I found out. This is a version of a Spun Deer Hair popper I adapted from a Billy Pate pattern for Billfish. Works well in calmer water inshore or offshore for Bass and Blues although I try to keep gators away from deer hair. Fish like a normal popper or like a slider. Pushes a good deal of water. Fly is about 4" in total length but your length will vary with the size of tail hackle used.

Tying Sequence

Step One

Step 1 - Start with a bare hook. Near the hook eye lay a tight base with several wraps to anchor the thread. Use a heavy thread 3/0 or above. You will need to place a good deal of pressure on the hair to cause it to rise. Add a pinch of bucktail and make 1 or two tight wraps of the thread. The tight wrap should fan and spin the deer hair around the hook shank causing an afro. Push forward and repeat with another pinch of bucktail. Its important to use hair from the base of the bucktail. Here the hairs are coarse and hollow. They are best for spinning and are easier to work with. They will also float better than fine hair since they trap air. You were probably going to throw them out anyway.

Step Two

Imagine a line drawn vertically from the hook point to the hook shank. Spin and push forward hair until you fill the hook shank back to this imaginary line. This will give you a decent amount of space to add the tail. At this point you should have a decent ball of afro fuz deer hair. Add a few wraps of the thread behind the hair and dab with some super glue or zap-a-gap.

Step Three

Now get your scizors. Start by trimming off the fuz to get a nice even ball. Now you can be creative and trim the hair to the shape you want. Slider, gurgler, crease, and for this fly, popper. A couple of tips, trim a little at a time, I mean real little. Once a cut is made you are stuck with it. You can;t just add more bucktail afterwards like a deciever or clouser. Rotate the fly in the vise (rotary helps) and keep an eye on the front profile so your trimming does not get lop sided. It's an easy mistake to slip with the scizzors when trying to cut too much material at once. "Sparse trimming" if you will. Fluff the fly as you go to clear excess hair flying all over when you trim. I put down a box to catch all the trimmings.

 

Step Four

Start the thread at the imaginary line again and add a hackle colors of your choice. In this case I added 4 white hackles. They don't have to be your high quality perfectly straight hackles you need in a deciever. Remmeber the idea of this fly is to move water, not look perfect. Once the feathers are on, add some flash and whip finish the tail section. Add another dab of super glue and finish with epoxy or hard as nails. One last chore and you are done. Build up a head at the head of the fly. Nothing huge like a deceiver, but a small head to keep the face of the popper from falling over the hook eye (takes a lot to do this, just a nice touch). Use epoxy or hard as nails on this head as well. This is a brown popper but if you use white bucktail, you can now color with a perm. marker if desired. This is your finished fly, unless you wish to add eyes. I did not, but its a great fly to be creative with. Happy tying!!

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