Surf Candy
Bob Popovics' Surf Candy is the benchmark saltwater baitfish imitation for sand eels, silversides, and other slim forage species. Its epoxy or UV resin body creates a clear, glass-like shell over bucktail and flash, producing an ultra-realistic translucent minnow profile. Deadly for striped bass, bluefish, and bonito in the surf. Strip it at medium speed to mimic a fleeing baitfish — the flash and clear body create the illusion of a live fish.
- Type
- streamer (Saltwater)
- Hook sizes
- #4–2/0
- Target species
- saltwater
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall
Materials
- hook: Saltwater streamer hook #4–2/0
- thread: White 6/0
- belly: White bucktail, sparse
- flash: Pearl Flashabou or Krystal Flash
- wing: Olive, gray, or blue-green bucktail
- eyes: Stick-on prismatic eyes
Tying steps
- Mount a size 4–2/0 saltwater hook; start white thread at the bend.
- Tie in a sparse bunch of white bucktail at the bend, extending one hook-shank past the bend.
- Tie in 4–6 strands of pearl Flashabou over the bucktail.
- Tie in a small bunch of olive, gray, or blue-green bucktail over the flash as the back.
- Add stick-on eyes on each side of the hook shank behind the eye.
- Apply epoxy or UV resin over the head and the first 1/3 of the body, covering the eyes.
- Cure the UV resin; repeat for a second coat if needed for a thick glass-like finish.
- Trim any stray hairs; cement the thread head.