Fly Tying: Bob Popovics’ Surf Candy

Fly Tying:

Bob Popovics’ Surf Candy

Bob Popovics introduced the Surf Candy in the 1980s. Originally, the fly was tied with polar bear or bucktail. Soon, however, it switched to synthetic materials like, for instance, Ultrahair. Popovics pioneered the use of epoxy to create durability and translucency in saltwater flies. The durability was important to Bob as his local bluefish would demolish flies that weren’t built for abuse.

By JONATAN TERNALD

Surf Candy is a great fly for a lot of different saltwater species. I personally use it for seatrout (sea-run brown trout) and have found it a very effective fly when sandeels (one of the preferred baitfish of the seatrout) hit the coast.

I tie my Surf Candy flies with all sorts of synthetic materials. But I still like it best with bucktail, it gives the fly some extra life. In combination with a couple of saddle feathers, the movement of the fly becomes even more alive.

When fishing for seatrout, epoxy glues isn’t pivotal. The UV (Ultraviolet) resins from Loon Outdoors will do the trick for you – and at the same time you’ll avoid the toxic fumes from the epoxy. With the new UV-colored Fly Finish you can easily add a trigger point or a colored head if you’d like to crank up the flamboyancy of the fly a little bit.

When it comes to shaping the head, my best tip to get it nice and even is to do it in at least two steps. First, you have to soak all of the materials for maximum transparency, durability,

and for locking the materials firmly in place. If you get a decent shaped head in this initial step, you’re all set for the finishing layer. If not, you add resin in the “thin” or caving parts of the head, fill out holes or whatever needs to be filled and adjusted to get an even shape. At this point, there’s no need for it to be super-smooth.

Now, for the finishing layer, add the thick UV Loon resin. You need a thicker finishing layer, otherwise you will not get an even spread when rotating your vise. And do not skimp on the glue; too little glue will result in an uneven surface.

I fish the Surf Candy at all depths. Using a floating line, intermediate and sinking lines. Fishing the fly at high speeds often results in brutal strikes without hesitation. Thanks for that, Bob!

Start by securing your thread and make an even base layer for securing all the materials.

Tie in the two saddle feathers aligning them carefully with the hook point. The length of the feathers should be approximately four times the length of the hook.

Take two flash strands and tie them down at the middle. Then fold them back so you get four of them pointing backwards.

Turn the vise and secure the white tan bucktail (a bit shorter than the saddle feathers) about 5mm from the hook eye. Then trim off the excess

Flip the vise back and tie in the mix of chartreuse and olive bucktail about the same length as the white bucktail.

Attach the eyes with a drop of Loon Outdoors Thick UV Resin. Again, about 5mm from the hook eye.

Hold the materials together to get a slim profile and apply UV resin on the back. Make sure all the materials are soaked and then zap it with your UV torch.

Apply some Loon Outdoors UV Fly Finish - Hot Orange between the eyes to create an eye-catching trigger point.

Now, it’s time to make the basic shape of the head. It only has to be appropriately even - but do make sure that the UV resin soaks the whole head.

You need to use a fair amount of UV resin for this step. Cover the whole head with a thick layer. Spread it out evenly and turn your vise. When you’re happy with the shape cure the glue.