Fly Tying Inventory
Hollow Fleye
Bob Popovics' Hollow Fleye is built from bucktail that is tied in pointing forward and then pushed back against a small thread dam. Each section flares away from the shank and leaves a hollow core. The result is a big, see-through baitfish profile that is surprisingly light, sheds water on the backcast and keeps its shape in the current. Popovics developed it for striped bass and bluefish on the New Jersey coast, and the same technique is now a mainstay for large pike and musky streamers.
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Materials
White tying thread
White
White bucktail, the longest and softest hair from the tip of the tail
White
Grizzly saddle hackles, one along each side of the tail
Grizzly
Flashabou, a few strands in the tail
White bucktail, for the first two hollow-tied sections
White
Pink bucktail, for the front hollow-tied section
Pink
Super glue, to lock each section
Head cement, to finish the head
How to Tie the Hollow Fleye
- 1
Step 1
Mount the hook and start the thread at the bend.
- 2
Step 2
Tie in a clump of long, soft white bucktail at the bend as the tail, with the tips running well past the hook.
- 3
Step 3
Lay a grizzly saddle hackle along each side of the tail, add a few strands of Flashabou, and lock the wraps with a drop of super glue.
- 4
Step 4
Move the thread a short way forward. Hold a sparse clump of white bucktail on the shank with the tips pointing forward past the eye, catch it with a few firm wraps, and let it spread evenly all around the shank.
- 5
Step 5
Bring the thread in front of the hair, add a few locking wraps, and build a small thread dam there.
- 6
Step 6
Push the bucktail back toward the bend, then walk a few light-tension wraps back over its base. The dam makes the hair stand off the shank at an angle and leaves the centre hollow. Add a drop of super glue.
Sliding a small hollow tube over the eye pushes the hair back evenly. Light thread tension sets the flare angle without crushing the hair.
- 7
Step 7
Repeat the process a little further forward with a second clump of white bucktail, then finish with a third section of pink bucktail at the front.
Keep every clump sparse; the flare creates the bulk, and too much hair spoils both the see-through look and the casting.
- 8
Step 8
Build a small, smooth thread head, whip finish, and coat the head with head cement.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_Knp2EyGog
Credit: LIFliesMike