Poppers

[MontanaMoose]

Bill, I'm no bass wizard but I learned something valuable while snorkelin' on a great bass pond. I would sit down so my eyes were just under the surface (face plate of course) and I'd cast a plug, yep a plug...and I'd see it land amongst these huge lmb's that I couldn't catch. Lesson #1 was that they scattered. Lesson #2 was that I'd start retrieving the plug right away and the bass just stayed scattered, not paying any attention to it. Ok, the big lesson #3 was that when I left the plug where it landed, not moving it at all, eventually the bass came back and they'd all gather around (20 or more at times) and just look at it. This would sometimes take well over a minute. Ah ha I thought, I'm not waiting long enough before I start retrieving.

Sure enough, the second I gave it a twitch the first time I noticed this, bingo, bass reflexive strike, fish on ! Works with a lot of flies I use, yep..I don't plug anymore but I learned a lot from doing so.

Lesson #4 was valuable too. I tried just watching the bass gathering around the plug...well, just to watch them...after about 3 minutes the first time I tried just watching, one of the bass would always inch closer and closer and finally strike, with no movement on my part. I did notice that the trebles would be wigglin' around from even the slightest breeze...the plug body even less. It got boring catching bass so easily that day but after that I slowed way down and bassin' became very interesting since I'd usually get to see the bass come to the plug (nowadays the fly) and I always get a grin when my first thought now is NOT to move the fly, but to just let it be. Try that !

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

P.S. Go to a Bass shop
and read the text that
comes with a Hula Popper..
Pretty much suggests letting
it rest a while before moving.

[Bill Blake]

8T,

I've been catching them on all kinds of things other than poppers so I don't think it's likely that I'm fishing in a place with no bass. However, I often fish the city park ponds or other small bodies of water (due to my lack of a boat, and yes, I still cast them inches from the opposite shore) and they probably do see a lot of stuff thrown at them, though it's probably not often they see flies other than mine.

[poke flyfisher]

I have the best luck with bass poppers during the dog days of July and August using huge (1/0) dark colored patterns at night near typical bass cover in the shallows. My favorites are Fly Rod Hula Poppers and a homemade popper I purchased on eBay from a guy who puts a rattle inside. They're not much to look at but are sure effective. Don't use bass poppers much otherwise.

[rrhyne56]

Bill,

Have you tried it in the wee hours, just before it starts getting purple out? They are often on the warpath then.

[fish4trout]

Bill, I'm no bass wizard but I learned something valuable while snorkelin' on a great bass pond. I would sit down so my eyes were just under the surface (face plate of course) and I'd cast a plug, yep a plug...and I'd see it land amongst these huge lmb's that I couldn't catch. Lesson #1 was that they scattered. Lesson #2 was that I'd start retrieving the plug right away and the bass just stayed scattered, not paying any attention to it. Ok, the big lesson #3 was that when I left the plug where it landed, not moving it at all, eventually the bass came back and they'd all gather around (20 or more at times) and just look at it. This would sometimes take well over a minute. Ah ha I thought, I'm not waiting long enough before I start retrieving.

Sure enough, the second I gave it a twitch the first time I noticed this, bingo, bass reflexive strike, fish on ! Works with a lot of flies I use, yep..I don't plug anymore but I learned a lot from doing so.

Lesson #4 was valuable too. I tried just watching the bass gathering around the plug...well, just to watch them...after about 3 minutes the first time I tried just watching, one of the bass would always inch closer and closer and finally strike, with no movement on my part. I did notice that the trebles would be wigglin' around from even the slightest breeze...the plug body even less. It got boring catching bass so easily that day but after that I slowed way down and bassin' became very interesting since I'd usually get to see the bass come to the plug (nowadays the fly) and I always get a grin when my first thought now is NOT to move the fly, but to just let it be. Try that !

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

P.S. Go to a Bass shop
and read the text that
comes with a Hula Popper..
Pretty much suggests letting
it rest a while before moving.

Nice Post!

[MontanaMoose]

Thanks Alan !

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[Bear742]

I love lesson 4.

"Lesson #4 was valuable too. I tried just watching the bass gathering around the plug...well, just to watch them...after about 3 minutes the first time I tried just watching, one of the bass would always inch closer and closer and finally strike, with no movement on my part. I did notice that the trebles would be wigglin' around from even the slightest breeze...the plug body even less. It got boring catching bass so easily that day but after that I slowed way down and bassin' became very interesting since I'd usually get to see the bass come to the plug (nowadays the fly) and I always get a grin when my first thought now is NOT to move the fly, but to just let it be. Try that !"

I have seen stories like the following in print for many years. The most memorable described how a fisherman learned the lesson by ignorance. A minnow fisherman, new to plug fishing, just casted the plug out and let it set there the same as if fishing a minnow. Of course it worked.

Why can't I remember that, if a slow retrieve is good, no retrieve is better. This sounnds like classic Thoureau,"That retriever retrieves best which retrieves not at all."

[Robert McMahan]

Another tip when using poppers. Don't set the hook too soon. The English will tell you to say "God Save The Queen" before setting the hook on a top water bite. When the fish takes, I strip line until I can actually feel the fish on before setting the hook and then I set HARD.
Robert

[DaleW]

Ok, here goes. . . why can't I catch any bass on these darn things?

I'm guessing it's those ugly things you said to your Aunt Agatha way back in your mis-spent youth that's coming back to haunt you! Now that we have the Karma factor out of the way, let me say ...

I've probably caught more bass and bream/bluegill on poppers than anything else. For sure, I've caught a lot of them on dry & wet flies, streamers & nymphs, but poppers in this part of the country have always been very successful. The debate as to what color is always endless! In the very same location, one year black & white will be the big hit, the very next season yellow will be the one to have (enough to drive any flyfisherman to drink!).

Size seems to be important, too. I like those midsized poppers I get up there at Wally-Marts right off the shelf ... Accardo, Betts, Peck. The Peck is larger and I try and use that one as it's getting dark, just about starting at sunset. You'll want the noise makers at dark ... the more commotion the better! And the Betts seem to come in two sizes, one small and the other I call mid-size; don't like the small because it sits too low in the water. In the past I've tried to buy the Accardo brand because it was made here in this country (have not checked the label in awhile).

When casting them out, don't be worried about being a distance caster! The vast majority of fish I've caught on a fly rod has been within 35 feet! What I do is cast out maybe twenty feet ... let the popper stay still for awhile ... maybe half a minute; then I give it a couple of very short, quick strips in which that will give the popper a little twitch in the water - let it stay another twenty seconds or so. Strip some additional line out of the reel and re-cast out a little further, in a little different place. Repeat the process. I believe one of the problems with surface fishing is not letting the popper or fly just rest a spell ... give Mr.Bass a little time to make up his mind and get into position to strike. And whatever you do ... keep the slack taken up in the line. Nothing worse than having a good bass hit that popper (or a good sized bluegil for that matter) and having loose line all over the place! Losing the opportunity to catch a nice fish like that is worse than no bites at all! That will drive one to drink for sure!

Good luck.


Dale

[white43]

This might be hard to believe in these times, but when I was a kid one of the published keys to fishing with poppers was to cast the popper into likely spots and light up and smoke a cigaret before starting the retrieve. One reason probably don't hear so much about this technique today has to do with the mortality of the great bass fishers of the day! I love using poppers for bass, especially black ones in the dark of night. Great fun. Not to steal a thread, but deer hair bugs are great too and just as much fun. Wiggle Bugs!!!!!! Take a well tied Wiggle Bug under the surface and hang on. For tyers, you can make your own "Hula Poppers" a'la Jim Hatch's Dremel works and have one for half the weight. Dress with part of a bass skirt. JGW