Bob Popovics - Saltwater Fly Tying's OG
Wikipedia says, "Bob Popovics is an American fly tier from New Jersey." That's like saying, "Bruce Springsteen is an American musician from New Jersey" Bob Pop and the Boss share modest Garden State beginnings and a passion and vision for their craft.
Bob Popovics pioneered using epoxy to create durability in saltwater flies as a solution to the regular shredding by bluefish of conventional flies. Bob also recognized that epoxy had the added side-effects of providing translucency and profile, facilitating the imitation of a wide variety of baitfish. In 1992 the Surf Candy series took the stale saltwater fly fishing market by storm. It was Bob Popovics "Born To Run"
Many more innovations have followed since, including the Semper Fleye, Pop Lips, Bucktail Deceiver, Bulkhead, and Hollow Fleye, to name a few.
Bob is happy to recognize the mentors who helped him along the way and is just as committed to passing the baton to the next generation as saltwater fly tying continues to get more creative.