A week or so later as I was preparing for a trip to Harkers in search of False Albacore, I stopped back in the shop and asked Dave if he would part with some of his still secret powder. I had been tying a pattern that looked like a jiggy but with no cone, just epoxy over the wraps that I would flatten and shape into a very thin head in that moment just before the epoxy cured firm. The idea was to replicate the eradic movement of the upperman jig I has used bucktailing for albies many times in the past. While tacky, I would apply transfer foil, mylar eyes, then add a finish coat of epoxy thinned with denatured alcohol. I had to try it with the tungsten powder. After the first fly I thought – WOW this stuff is like “Jiggy in the bottle”.

The real name Dave chose is Deep Powder and it can be mixed with epoxy to add weight at specific points of a fly. I only caught one albie at Harker’s this year but it was caught with this fly.

I had to talk to Bob Popovics about this one. His first reaction was no! it’s not a jiggy(no jiggy head). A few names bantered about, then he suggested two ideas. First it had to use the word deep. Later, he added that it kind of had a profile like a knife blade.

This article provides step by step tying instructions for the Deep Blade. Fish this pattern just as you would a jiggy. It will dart erratically on a quick strip due to the larger, flatter head but will still jig when stopped. The larger surface on the head will provide a lot of reflection as viewed from the side just like the reflection seen from the head and gill plates of most bait fish.

The Deep Blade may be crafted in a variety of head profiles, just remember to keep it thin. It’s easy to tie on any jig hook or 4x long standard with both providing more than enough gap. I’ve tied them from two inches up to 12 inches. If you are not interested in the thin profile or just want a super quick way to create fly with a jigging action, just let the epoxy/tungsten mix cure in a round shape on a fast rotating epoxy drier. The natural color is a very dark grey and may be fished without further alteration.