Bob’s Banger
Original Pattern by Bob Popovics
Hook: 1/0 Mustad # 34011 2XH/4XL Streamer
Thread: 140 UTC Ultra Thread / White blends easily with any pearl or cactus chenille used to form rear body of fly.
Body: Wapsi 1/2 inch diameter foam cylinder cut to 3/4 inch. This material is available in several colors. White is easily colored with markers. Hook hole is made with a hot dubbing needle.
Body Wrap & Eyes : Witchcraft Prismatic Decorator Tape & Eyes. This durable adhesive material is available in many colors. Cuts easily with a metal strait edge ruler and X-Acto knife or razor. For added durability seal eyes and taped edge with Sally Hansen’s.
Tail: Buck tail in color of choice. Consider mixing two colors for contrast. A bit of Krystal Flash never hurts.
Rear Body: Pearl or Cactus Chenille to match or contrast either prismatic body or tail. Double wrap for a fuller body if desired.
Additional items needed: Cutting mat, strait edge metal ruler, X-Acto knife or razor blade, lighter or candle , Sally Hansen’s Hard as Nails.
Witchcraft Tape products are available @: www.shopwtp-inc.com
Tim Flagler’s Tying Tutorial @ www.vimeo.com/38726194
The Banger pattern was developed by New Jersey angler Bob Popovics. He is an avid saltwater fly fisherman and also the originator of the Surf Candy fly. Bob’s approach is to fly tying is to keep it simple and make the pattern durable. Fish more and tie less. The bluefish he pursued are aggressive toothy predators that can destroy a fly. The Banger has great popping action that is easy to cast and holds up to repeated vicious attacks. The Banger also features the ability to swap out the prismatic taped foam head and rear buck tail portion of the fly. Color combinations can be fine tuned based on bait fish in the area or the preference of the targeted species. Bob’s Banger is my fly rod version of the classic Pop R that I fished successfully with for years using conventional tackle. The Banger has been effective on our local freshwater bass species–Largemouth, white bass, and stripers. I can’t wait to try it in the salt. It can also be down sized to a pan fish popper by using smaller diameter foam and hooks. To get the most action out of this pattern use a loop knot for your fly to tippet connection and animate the Banger by using a combination of both line stripping and rod tip twitches. The top water strikes can be explosive.
I plan to demonstrate this pattern at the August 4th FWFF meeting. Please stop by the fly bench!
Mark Kolanowski
FWFF Tying Coordinator