Why make flies and lures? Sandy asked, then answered his own question
eloquently.
I make them because my ego makes me think I can make higher quality and make
more effective flies and lures than I can buy. Although I have proved to my
satisfaction that I can make better popping bugs than are commercially
available, I have a small cigar box with four popping bugs that are very
humbling. They look just like they were a 10 year old boy's first attempts.
They were. Mine.

By watching my Dad "doctor" Shannon Twin Spinner buzzbaits, I saw how he
could triple or quadruple the bass strikes per cast he made compared to
off-the-shelf casting lures and I wanted to improve my popping bugs. Using
the commercially tied stuff as the bogie to beat has always been a fun
fly-fishing challenge for me.

As Stan, Frank and some of you know in recent years I've become enamored
with using new synthetic materials to improve upon the old timey popping bug
patterns. Some foam has lots of attractive characteristics compared to
traditional cork. I've found cylindrical foam that may make freshwater big
bass bangers sliding in front of huge dragon fly, damsel fly or woolly
bugger nymphs. As you cast the banger the nymph is right up against the
foam. In first tests the bangers suspend the nymphs and then the nymphs
separate and gradually sink down in a teasing manner that could be a bass
killer. As you twitch the rod, the nymph runs back up to the banger and
then slowly settles again. My son and I will be testing them Sunday.

About this time last year Frank put me onto Richard Kramer's Texas Bullfrogs
also made out of foam cylinders. Richard made his legless only out of olive
colors. I tried black, olive, leaf green and white in Southwestern
Washington, with and without legs with two teenagers. Olive and leaf green
worked about 5 times better than white or black and legs worked about twice
as effective as without legs. But what really got me was that those boys
used the green legged bullfrogs to catch LM bass, SM bass, trout, bluegill
AND catfish! It was really fun to watch those boys have fun and with
something that I haven't seen for sale in stores or on TV g.

Maybe Sandy fly tiers have unique, the same or variations of reasons why we
tie our own flies. It is a good question. My son is the master of, "Dad
I'm about out of______, will you tie some up so WE can go fishing?" g

Good luck!
John