Fast, big, and aggressive. All attributes you want in a game fish. Barracuda check all these boxes. The perfect ambush predator, the Barracuda is super fun, to fly fish for. We really like fly fishing for Barracuda at Andros South Lodge.
Barracuda are hunters. Deceiver flies that imitate baitfish and poppers are prime choices when targeting Barracuda. The Barracuda Needle Fish Popper offers the best of both. Lightly dressed as a good deceiver should be and yet will create wakes that will turn the attention of always on the hunt Barracuda.
If you’re headed to Andros South Lodge or any other tropical temperate waters that hold ‘cuda, add the Barracuda Needle Fish Popper to your saltwater fly box.
Tie, photos, and instruction by Mike Brown of Mossy’s Fly Shop.
Material List:
- Popper Head: Surface Seducer Double Barrel Popper Head Large
- Front Hook: Fire Hole 802P Sz 2/0 Barbless
- Trailer Hook: Fire Hole 802P 1/0 Barbless
- Trailer Wire: Rio Bite Wire 30lb
- Tubing: Joann Fab lab Craft mesh Tubing
- Flash: Krystal Flash
- Wing: Angel Hair Hot Greenlande
- Thread: Veevus GSP 100 White
Step 1. Place your hook in the vise and attach your bite with a looped connection. You want the tail to be about the length of a pencil.
Step 2. Slide your tubing over the hook, poke the hook through the tubing, give yourself a 1-2” tail past the hook.
Step 3. Start your thread and tie down the tubing. Make several turns, then apply some UV resin and cure. Apply a few more wraps and whip finish. This will be easier if you can whip finish with your hands, I use my mouth to grab the tube and wire to maneuver out of the way with each whip. UV resin for a finish.
Step 4. Put your front hook in the vice and attach the wire. Adjust the tail length to be appx a pencil length. Tie the wire down to the hook eye, then bring the wire through the hook eye and tie back to where you started. Apply super glue gel to strengthen the wire and thread.
Step 5/6/7. Measure the length of the popper head and mark the shank with a sharpie where the back of the head will be. Pull your trailer hook and wire tight and fix to the back of your vice. Slide your tubing over the point of the hook and work the hook through the tubing till you can pull the tube tight and tie down at your mark. Tie down tight and UV resin. Trim off excess tubing in the front.
Step 8. Using a lighter, heat up a bodkin and poke through the popper’s head. Apply some super glue to the shank and slide the popper head on over the hook eye. Push into place.
Step 9. Using 10-15 strands of Krystal flash, attach at the back of the head and tie down. Trim flash to be inside the point of the trailer hook.
Step 10. Using a small clump of Angel Hair, tie in on top of Krystal flash. Trim to length of krystal flash.
Step 11. Using a small amount of ice dub, cover the ends of flash and angel hair. Whip finish and glue
Step 12. Using Super Glue Gel, attach your eyes.
Finished Fly:
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