Tie next-generation foam poppers, sliders, and divers.
Design by Martin Bawden.
The Double Barrel is an innovative, modern, soft-foam popper body that makes it easy to tie the most popular popper, slider, and diver flies being used today to target various species from panfish to sailfish!
It has several unique design advantages over other popper bodies and is available in a comprehensive range of sizes and colors, allowing you to tie a full spectrum of flies.
The versatile foam head can be tied on with the cup facing forward to create popper flies, and can be tied on in reverse to create slider, diver, and Sneaky Pete style foam flies.
Combine the Double Barrel with Surface Seducer® Dragon Eyes™ and Surface Seducer® Popper Hooks to tie a wide variety of foam flies.
Recommended hook for Large and Extra-Large: Kona Big Popper Hook
Quantity per pack: Extra-small, Small, Medium (8); Large (6); Extra-large (4).
Extra-small
Length 13 mm x Width 10 mm x Height 8 mm.
Fits #8 hooks and 3 mm eyes.
Small
Length 16 mm x Width 13 mm x Height 10 mm.
Fits #6 hooks and 3 mm eyes.
Medium
Length 21 mm x Width 17 mm x Height 13 mm.
Fits #2 hooks and 4 mm eyes.
Large
Length 27 mm x Width 20 mm x Height 18 mm.
Fits 2/0 - 4/0 hooks, 28 mm shanks, and 6 mm eyes.
Extra-large
Length 33 mm x Width 27 mm x Height 26 mm.
Fits 4/0 - 6/0 hooks, 40 mm shanks, and 8.5 mm eyes.
Length 33 mm x Width 27 mm x Height 26 mm.
Fits 4/0 - 6/0 hooks, 40 mm shanks, and 8.5 mm eyes.
Mounting the Double Barrel on a hook or Articulated Shank
Step 1
Select a bodkin or heated needle of roughly the same diameter as the hook or shank.
Step 2
Insert your bodkin from the tail socket and slowly push it through the foam body until it comes out the cup. Make sure it comes out in the correct position, which is slightly above and just past the bottom lip.
Step 3
Put the hook or Articulated Shank in your fly tying vise and cover the shank with thick, coarse thread wraps in a crisscross fashion. This is important for gripping the foam inside the popper body to prevent twisting.
Step 4
Put a liberal amount of clear-drying Super Glue Gel on the hook shank.
Step 5
Slowly but firmly mount the foam fly body onto the hook. Position as desired and leave for a minute or two to dry. Take out of vise and repeat with your next foam fly body and hook.
Note: Although it is Super Glue, it is suggested to leave your mounted hooks for an hour or two before working further on them. It sometimes takes time inside the foam for the glue to set properly.
Painting & decoration:
The smooth, strong, and shiny outer "popper skin" on the Double Barrel gives you several options for decorating your popper. There are various methods and techniques to customize your poppers and a wide range of materials available, such as paints, air-brush kits, clear coats, and markers. You can make anything you want, from a quick, basic popper to much more complex works of art. It’s up to you!
There are different approaches you can take based on your needs in terms of time and the degree of difficulty:
• Basic: If you wish to keep it quick and simple and go fishing, tie your popper without clear coating or painting the body. The Double Barrel’s smooth outer skin and vibrant colors give your popper a bright, finished look.
• Clear coat: Cover the Double Barrel body in a clear coat to increase the durability of your popper and make the bright, vibrant colors really pop! Various clear coats could be used with the most popular typically being Epoxy (30-minute) water-based urethane adhesives such as Liquid Fusion, Sally Hansen’s Hard-As-Nails, or the newer UV light-curing resins such as Loon Outdoors UV Clear Fly Finish.
• Decorate and clear coat: Add spots, stripes, scales or shades of color to the unpainted popper body with a permanent marker or paintbrush, or create more complex painted patterns with an airbrush system. Then add a clear coat to protect your artwork during fishing.
• Paint, decorate, and clear coat: This is the most time-consuming approach, but the reward for your efforts is a beautiful and durable fly. Mount the Double Barrel on the hook, then paint it with a primer followed by several layers of paint to create a great canvas on which to decorate your body and finally finish it off with a nice clear coat.
Step 1
Select a bodkin or heated needle of roughly the same diameter as the hook or shank.
Step 2
Insert your bodkin from the tail socket and slowly push it through the foam body until it comes out the cup. Make sure it comes out in the correct position, which is slightly above and just past the bottom lip.
Step 3
Put the hook or Articulated Shank in your fly tying vise and cover the shank with thick, coarse thread wraps in a crisscross fashion. This is important for gripping the foam inside the popper body to prevent twisting.
Step 4
Put a liberal amount of clear-drying Super Glue Gel on the hook shank.
Step 5
Slowly but firmly mount the foam fly body onto the hook. Position as desired and leave for a minute or two to dry. Take out of vise and repeat with your next foam fly body and hook.
Note: Although it is Super Glue, it is suggested to leave your mounted hooks for an hour or two before working further on them. It sometimes takes time inside the foam for the glue to set properly.
Painting & decoration:
The smooth, strong, and shiny outer "popper skin" on the Double Barrel gives you several options for decorating your popper. There are various methods and techniques to customize your poppers and a wide range of materials available, such as paints, air-brush kits, clear coats, and markers. You can make anything you want, from a quick, basic popper to much more complex works of art. It’s up to you!
There are different approaches you can take based on your needs in terms of time and the degree of difficulty:
• Basic: If you wish to keep it quick and simple and go fishing, tie your popper without clear coating or painting the body. The Double Barrel’s smooth outer skin and vibrant colors give your popper a bright, finished look.
• Clear coat: Cover the Double Barrel body in a clear coat to increase the durability of your popper and make the bright, vibrant colors really pop! Various clear coats could be used with the most popular typically being Epoxy (30-minute) water-based urethane adhesives such as Liquid Fusion, Sally Hansen’s Hard-As-Nails, or the newer UV light-curing resins such as Loon Outdoors UV Clear Fly Finish.
• Decorate and clear coat: Add spots, stripes, scales or shades of color to the unpainted popper body with a permanent marker or paintbrush, or create more complex painted patterns with an airbrush system. Then add a clear coat to protect your artwork during fishing.
• Paint, decorate, and clear coat: This is the most time-consuming approach, but the reward for your efforts is a beautiful and durable fly. Mount the Double Barrel on the hook, then paint it with a primer followed by several layers of paint to create a great canvas on which to decorate your body and finally finish it off with a nice clear coat.
The Surface Seducer® Popper Hooks are matched as follows:
• Extra-small Double Barrel: #8 hooks.
• Small Double Barrel: #6 hooks.
• Medium Double Barrel: #2 hooks.
• Large Double Barrel: Kona Big Popper Hook, or use a 28 mm Fish-Skull Big Game Shanks with a trailing hook.
• Extra-large Double Barrel: Kona Big Popper Hook or use a 40 mm Fish-Skull Big Game Shanks with a trailing hook.
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Tip: When tying an articulated streamer using a Fish-Skull® Chocklett’s Big Game Shank (or as a Tube fly), both methods allow you to use the hook of your choice. We suggest using a short-shank hook to reduce the leverage a hooked fish can exert and you may wish to use a small split ring to connect the articulated shank to the hook. This allows you to easily change out the hook (and tail of the fly) to adjust to different fishing situations and also extend the life of the popper.
