A good topwater smash is one of the greatest experiences in fishing. Dozens of surface lures on the market can make them happen, but few are more popular or user-friendly than a popper. They come in all different colors and sizes, but the designs don’t vary too much. A scooped, concave mouth grabs the water when we twitch, spitting it forward and out to the sides. This surface commotion fires up all manner of predatory gamefish.
The thing is, anglers lean too heavily into a pop-and-pause cadence; make a little noise, give it a little rest. It’s deadly, no doubt, but there are other ways to cash in with these simple topwaters. Here are four tricks on how to fish a popper and help you get more out of this classic bait.
The Speed Reel
By and large, anglers classify poppers as finesse lures. They offer the opportunity to control the cadence, but rarely does anyone lean on speed with a popper, especially in freshwater. In offshore saltwater fishing, tuna anglers routinely rip massive poppers across the surface, but many folks don’t realize this works in freshwater as well. In fact, legendary bass angler Rick Clunn won a lot of money in the early 80s reeling a Rebel Pop-R across the surface at warp speed.
The mistake anglers make is thinking a popper needs time to call fish in from a distance, so we pop a bit and stop. In the wild, however, a panicked baitfish swimming for its life is a massive trigger for predators, even when they’re not particularly hungry. Take, for example, flying fish in a saltwater environment. They zip across the surface creating a V wake, and the faster they move the more it amps up species like mahi-mahi and tuna.
If you cast out a popper and reel it back quickly (without popping), its scooped mouth will still grab water and throw it out to sides. It might not feel right to fish a popper this way, but it will feel really good when a bass hammers it. When that happens, it will be violent and out of nowhere.
The Bug Shake
The “bug shake” is a highly lethal and overlooked method of popper fishing, but to pull it off, you need a popper with a dressed tail. Many lures have one straight from the factory, often leaning on a pinch of white synthetic fiber or white feathers to give the rear treble hook a bit of extra pizzaz. If you don’t have a dressed popper, however, you can easily dress one yourself with a little super glue, thread, and some feathers from the craft store.
When a popper is sitting still, its treble hooks hang down just mere inches below the surface. A dressed tail hook looks exactly like a drowned aquatic insect in this scenario, and if there’s a bug hatch happening, this can work wonders. We like to think of poppers as lures that get slammed when a fish commits, but even big bass will come up and daintily nip that dressed hook thinking it’s a bug. Likewise, even smaller species like trout and bluegills that don’t have mouths big enough to take down the whole popper will hit that dressed tail. In a way, the method is the dirty cousin of fly fishing, but it works if you can train yourself to barely move that popper.
When fish are tuned into bugs, too aggressive of a chug can scare them faster than attract them, especially in clear water. You want to nudge your popper ever so gently, just enough to make that dressed hook quiver. Watch for the popper to disappear like a bobber or keep an eye out for subtle boils around the lure.
Read Next: Best Topwater Lures
The Up-And-Down
If you’ve ever fished in southern saltwater for sea trout or redfish, there’s a strong chance you’ve used a popping cork. These heavy bobbers feature a concave head that looks identical to a popper. You hang natural bait or a lure under the cork via a leader, cast out, and chug it back. The noise created by the cork draws the fish in, but the lure or bait trailing behind it makes the play. It’s highly effective, and easily replicated with a popper for freshwater fishing.
Start by removing the rear hook on your popper. Tie a short length of leader — no more than 12 inches — to the empty rear ring. Now you can add a trailing lure to the leader, but the trick is making sure it’s not too heavy. A small, soft-plastic finesse style bait or grub works well. By keeping the leader short, you reduce the odds of it tangling on the popper’s belly hook during the cast. This technique presents the illusion of two struggling baitfish simultaneously — one on the surface and the other just below. It’s especially effective for schooling fish like white bass and striped bass.
Fish the Edges
When targeting predatory fish like bass with a popper, presenting it naturally is an important part of the game. Remember, bass are ambush predators that like to feed in locations that offer them a place to hide while also being close to areas where they can explode out and eat unsuspecting baitfish or bugs. Areas like docks or sea walls can be a great place to start.
By casting parallel to a dock or sea wall, each chug of your popper will keep it in the strike zone, giving any bass in the area a chance to eat it throughout the entirety of your cast. Pay close attention when fishing near docks though, as bass will likely try to eat the popper and return to shade quickly, and dock poles aren’t typically very forgiving.
Final Thoughts on How to Fish a Popper
A popper is one of the most versatile topwater lures out there. You can chug it slowly, speedily move it to create commotion, or simply letting it sit and wiggle will still produce bites. There are poppers in every color and size you can imagine with different cups to move more or less water as needed. In the end, the key is finding a popper that works for your fishing style and gets bites in your area. Sometimes it could be a small three inch popper, while other times it might take a much larger version. Be willing to experiment on the water to dial in the bite.
While your experimenting, be mindful of how you’re working your popper and what action seems to be enticing bites. Once you’ve figured out exactly how the fish want the popper to move on any given day, simply replicate that movement and you’ll be in for a banner day of catching. A popper is a must-have topwater lure for any serious angler looking to get in on the topwater action this spring and summer.
Read the full article here
