I'm going on vacation Friday and passing by Cabelas. Do you think this assortment of panfish poppers is a good buy for gills, crappies, etc.? I won't have time to make any poppers and I have none.
bruce
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I'm going on vacation Friday and passing by Cabelas. Do you think this assortment of panfish poppers is a good buy for gills, crappies, etc.? I won't have time to make any poppers and I have none.
bruce
You should be able to catch plenty of bluegills on the poppers. Probably get a few small bass as well. I've caught crappies on topwaters, but they usually prefer something subsurface, like a woolly bugger or microjig.
don't see the assortment you mentioned. i bought some before i started doing my own and usually got a lot of stuff i didn't really want. a gurgle pop is hard to beat and mighty easy to do:D
Yep, it is worth it. White, yellow, black, and chartreuse!
I have caught many Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass on surface poppers also, sunfish, crappie, blue gil and even Pickerel. I love surface fishing
When ya get the time, tie up some Foam Bugs too!
Attachment 10557Attachment 10558
Would you fish those poppers on 4x?
I would fish even panfish poppers on 3 or 2X...easier turnover. There used to be a brand of some really nice poppers sold in local fly and tackleshops and bait stores in North Central Pa. If I'm not mistaken, the name is Gaines poppers.
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too bad you don't have time. $1 sheet of craft 1/4" foam from Michaels, Zap-a-Gap, some flash or feathers and a hook. 2 min a popper once the foam is cut up.
This one is a bass size one I made with layered foam but its the same idea.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...frogpopper.jpg
Yep. I know of them. I don't know if they make still sell them.Quote:
Originally Posted by appalachian angler
Hi. I have made a few for bass, but I wasn't prepared for panfishing on this trip. I didn't know I'd have the opportunity to fish, period.Quote:
Originally Posted by allen
Bruce
While we tie our own small poppers (i.e. #10/12's) out of flip flops (beach/shower shoes), we learned a long time ago that for panfish while fancy, multicolored poppers are cute, all ya' need are poppers in yellow, black or white. We start with yellow. If that isn't the ticket go to black and then finally to white. If none of these work... go subsurface!
By the way, over the years we've also learned that tails are not very important for these flies. Actually, heavy and or long tails can cause poor hook-ups with small mouthed sunfish, as can small poppers that float too high and are too light weight. Low sitting poppers always out preform high floaters! IMHO.
Oh, and be sure to remove the barbs, as YOU will cause more damage to the fly (and the fish) retrieving that fly from inside the mouth of a small-mouthed bluegill or other sunfish than that fish will do to the fly! This is especially important if you are using hard-bodied poppers and/or you purchase your poppers!
Lastly, use a disgorger! I make or purchase a small, forked fly-retriever out of a plastic embroidery needle needle. Just clip off the rounded tip and smooth the newly made fork ends. I then attach a braided loop to the straight end, which can them be hung off a zinger. These large-eyed plastic embroidery needles normally come in packs of two or more and can be found in craft stores or in the sewing department at Wally World (Mine are blue in color). This little item is worth its weight in gold when out catching bluegills or other sunfish! I also remember reading a post on this forum recommending the use of a broken fly rod tip top as disgorger! Alternatively, ya' can try a commercial disgorger like a "unHOOKuM", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGzNt7ShtCw, or other small commercial disgorger.
I find any of the above disgorgers preferable to using forceps on bluegill or other small mouthed sunfish. Why? Well, personal experience has shown me that too often there just isn't enough room inside the mouth of a sunfish for both the popper AND the forceps, especially inside the mouth of a "small" or juvenal sunfish! In these cases, damage inevitably occurs to BOTH the fly AND the small fish. However, with that being said, the utilization of small forceps is usually still better than not using any disgorger...
Bowfin47
I have never been one to tie long tails but have come to the opinion that the tail on the popper may be more important than the body. I think the fish think the hackle on the fly is a bug and attack that most of the time. But that is just my opinion.Quote:
Originally Posted by bowfin47
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m274/Hazmart/008.jpg
Make these out of foam glued together and turned down with a dremel tool. I make them from size 10 to 2, real easy to do!
It's hard to beat Gaines Poppers. I used to live in Gaines, right near the Co. Great little bugs and carried by Cabelas as well.
I carry them, as well as the Foam Butt Caddis, which is deadly on gills.
Sound blocking ear plugs make great poppers. The larger sizes make a nice solid PLONK!. They come In colors and sizes.
I've often what to do with used ear plugs after they don't work anymore. Now I know.
tie them in a sock and run them through the washing machine, restores them like new. just remember not to dry them.Quote:
Originally Posted by cycler68
Eric