miyawaki beach poppers

[zach7788]

i was wondering how to tie the miyawaki beach popper but cant find a site that mentions any of the things you would use to tie it or diretions on how to tie it.

[Steven Green]

I found this in another thread :

Are you refering to the Leland Miyawaki 'Popper'?

I found this post from Leland Miyawaki on another forum describing the tie:





"THE MIYAWAKI BEACH POPPER

The popper head, which technically, is a slider, is called a Dink Component and is made by Edgewater Fishing Products in Clearfield, Utah. The other materials are grizzly hackle, Holographic Flash, Krystal Flash and polar bear.

The fly is a two-hook setup. The front hook is only there to be held in the vise and hold the materials. I use Mustad 3407 or 34007 hooks. I use as small a hook as possible, preferably #6, in front to keep the weight down. The hook point above the bend will be cut off when we are finished. The trailing hook, or stinger, is a #4 and I use a #4 Dink Component up front


TYING THE POPPER

1. Take a #6 Mustad 3407 (or 34007) and secure it in the vise. Don’t sweat pinching down the barb, it won’t matter.

2. Attach your tying thread. It’s OK to use a fat thread like 3/0 or G. The color doesn’t matter as it’s going to get covered anyway. Don’t worry about keeping the wraps thin and pretty – it all helps hold the popper on later. And don’t come to close to the bend (see step #14).

3. Take a #4 hook and pinch down the barb, bend the eye up and push two ends of a 5" length of 25 pound Maxima through it and pull the hook through the loop. This is the business end or stinger.

4. Leave the hook to trail about 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Keep the hook point up. Tie all the way down and back up the shank.

5. Now, here’s the important part: Double the two tag-ends back over on itself and wrap it all the way back to the bend and back up. This will keep the stinger tight to the hook and won’t pull out when the big boys hit.

6. Trim off the excess mono.

7. Tie in two grizzly hackles (back to back). They should be a tad longer than the stinger.

8. Tie in some Holographic Flash. Vary the length. Keep it scraggly.

9. Tie in a few strands of Krystal Flash. Mixed Colors will do. They should be a touch longer than both the hackle and Holographic Flash. I think they imitate bubbles.

10. Tie in a small clump of white polar bear. Keep the materials sparse. We’re not tying a herring imitation here.

11. Whip finish.

12. Smear head cement all over and around the tied down materials on the shank.

13. Jam a Dink Component over the shank with the pointy end forward.

14. Take the fly out of the vise and trim away the hook point all the way up past the bend. Don’t cut into the materials, or you’ll be tying this little puppy over again.


FISHING THE POPPER

I fish the popper on a dryline with a 12' leader tapered to 2x. I retrieve it with a two-handed retrieve giving it short little jerks. Vary your speed with slow, medium and fast strips. Try them all. I prefer a two-handed retrieve because I can do all the different speeds while pulling steadily and I am able to use a strong strip set to bury the hook in the hard salmon jaws.

Keep an eye on your fly because this type of fishing is totally visual. Look for following fish. If you aren’t watching, you’ll miss all the fun of fishing on top.

If you get a follow, first, try not to swallow your heart, then strip faster, or slow down, pop it, or change the direction with your rod tip. If the fish hits but doesn’t stick, play dead then give the fly a twitch or two, or retrieve twice as fast with short fast strokes, or change directions – anything to provoke the fish into taking the fly. This is what makes surface popper fishing for salmon or searun cutthroat so much fun. They are are predatory and aggressive and will always come to the fly. Your job is to make them want to eat the popper by manipulating your rod and line. Make your fly act like a wounded fish that is trying to escape becoming a main course.

Always retrieve your fly all the way in. Just before you pick it up, stop and make a quick change of direction with your rod tip. Sometimes, fish follow the fly without showing themselves. If a fish boils, drag the fly across the water parallel to the water with the rod tip. That should do the trick."


Here is a picture for you:

http://www.dharmaworks.net/Tim/FlyFish/PugetSound/Popper.JPG

[Norseman1]

Zach.

You have the instructions, now you need some pictures to go along with it. I have a folder on my computer with step by steps. If you e-mail me I will send the folder to you as an attachment.....it would take too long to load on this forum.

Or Leland may chime in.

Send me a PM with your E-Mail and I will send the whole photo series to you

Paul

[Les Johnson]

Leland has a tying handout for the Beach Popper at Orvis in Bellevue; also the materials. Leland's Beach Popper is featured in both "Fly Fishing Coatstal Cutthroat Trout and "Fly Fishing for Pacific Salmon JJ". The Beach Popper is also sold at Orvis and Patrick's Fly Shop and probably others.
Les Johnson

[Norseman1]

I have had so many requests from people on this board for pictures of Leland's step by steps I am going to try and post them all there.....I hope I have enough server space.

Just click on the images to enlarge them, then follow the step by step instructions posted above for the pattern

Thanks Leland.....I got these from you many years ago

Paul

[zach7788]

thanks for the help

one more question though, are there other affective colors to tie it in or is this the best one?

[miyawaki]

thanks for the help

one more question though, are there other affective colors to tie it in or is this the best one?

For coho, substitute pink hackle for the grizzly, leave out the olive icelandic sheep but keep the peacock herl. Use the larger heads, either Edgewater dink #2, or Rainy's Mini-Me. Use a #2 Gammy Octopus for the trailer.

Leland.

[Philster]

The beauty of Leland's popper is how it cuts through the wind. I've used plenty of sliders in my day, but the whole arrangement of materials just flies so well, and with much less twisting than any number of surface patterns. If he was the kind of guy who was into self-promotion that fly would be all over the East Coast in the hands of striper fisherman.

[Les Johnson]

One thing that Leland emphasizes in retrieiving his popper is to "not give it too much action". The Miyawaki Popper is at its best when simply stripped through the water leaving a very gentle, even wake. You don't have to worry about a cutthroat or salmon not seeing it. I've had coho pick it off in some pretty choppy water at the Tacoma Narrows.
Les

[Matt Burke]

Birds too.

[Mathew]

lol