To me, realism in an attractor is a bit of an oxymoron. I use them to either provoke a strike (for whatever reason a fish feels provoked), or to suggest food in general as opposed to a specific bug. My choice for the application you're talking about, if not a hopper, would be a foam-backed convertible:
Floats like a cork and has been good to me when I'm trying to pound them up.
Regards,
Scott