flies to start

[saltfly]

poppers NEED to be in the mix.gartside gurglers[google them] are easy to put together and will produce on finiky fish.poppers made out of lobster bouys found on the beach[broken ones are fine.].get a piece of thin walled brass[not copper water pipe,too thick] tubing from a hobby store/hardware too.1/4"[ the smallest] to 5/8" [don't need to go bigger] about 12" long.Now get a torch[propane or mapp gas] and heat just the tip end of the tube.You'll have to experiment on how hot[not real hot,it will deform the foam].This needs to be DONE OUTSIDE!!!!!! The fumes from the foam are BAD.Now put your thumb over the opposite end of the heated tube and push it "through" the bouy quickly.The pressure built up from your thumb on the opposite end will pop the foam plug out of the tube.You should have a nicely formed plug that can be cut with a razor to the popper size you want.If the plug that popped out is deformed then the heated tube is too hot.I found different color foam bouys.Blue,red yellow,green,cream,blak,and of course white.Also they can have different densitys.The more dense the better they hold up to fish beating them and you handling them.
putting a hole for the hook is simple.A thin nail will work.If you want you can put the head of the nail into the end of a dowell with epoxy for a handle then you have more control over the nail going through the foam.It depends on the hook you want to use.I use Mustad 34011 in 2/0-3/0 but thats your preference.Wrap some feathers and flash at the bend of the hook then extend some material up towards the eye add some glue to that material and push the eye in the hole in the foam to where you want the foam to stay.I like 5 min epoxy for this because it's strong and you have some working time to adjust the foam before it sets. You can add stick-on or fancy eyes by matching the eye with the head of a nail and heat the head of the nail.push slightly on the faom to make an indentation for the eye.glue in the eye.
that should get you going.