Bluegill Pattern Popper

This is a simple Bluegill pattern popper that I make that has proven to be very effective for me. It presents a nice broad profile and the hackle feather tail gives the appearance of a larger pattern so it seems to draw strikes from larger fish. I like to tie in the tail materials which consist of four yellow hackle feathers, covered by two dark olive hackle feathers. I added a dyed Silver Pheasant feather to each side to help develop the broad profile. Once I have the tail materials tied in, I measure a piece of 1/2" x 1/2" square balsa wood dowel to the proper length and start carving. I like to leave the popper body attached to the dowel as it makes it MUCH easier to safely carve the basic shape. After a few minutes of carving and sanding with 240 grit Abranet cloth, a quick zap with the Dremel with a dome-shaped bit to carve out the popper mouth, it's ready to cut away from the dowel. I use markers to color the pattern, including inside the hook slot. I also color the thread base on the hook so the belly coloration is consistent. I position the hook in the slot and add a couple of drops of water-thin CA. This locks the body in place so I can give it a coat of sparkly nail polish. Once that's dry. I add the eyes, give it a coat of two-part epoxy, and set it on the drying wheel. It's a very simple pattern to make, but it is one of my most effective poppers to consistently draw strikes.https://gifyu.com/image/SRVm9

Nice looking popper.
Rick

Nice job Jim. i like the colors you chose. Dennis

Thanks, Dennis. I find that carving poppers/sliders is a fun way to expand what I do at the tying desk.Jim Smith

Looks great, Jim! Big bass love poppers....and I love that big bass love poppers. :)

There is something special about topwater fly fishing for bass, especially if you tie/make you make your own flies. The strike can be as subtle as a big brown trout sipping in a Mayfly or as heart-stopping as an explosive smash that looks like someone dropped a boulder into the water from ten feet high.

LOVE that top-water pestering! And I love the tools you make for that approach James. ....lee s.

Lee S, Thanks for the kind words. I just started carving poppers from Balsa wood a couple of months ago and find that it is very easy and fun to do. I use 1/2 x 1/2" square Balsa sticks that are 36" long. I start by marking off how long the popper will be with my Xacto knife. Then, I make a few cuts to get the general shape and the rest is done with 240-grit Abranet which is an open-screen sanding product used in autobody work. It usually takes me about 15 minutes to get the popper or frog pattern sanded to size and shape and ready to cut it away from the stick. The rest is just coloring with markers and finishing it with nail polish and epoxy. These poppers are pretty much bomb-proof and last for many, many fish. Even Gar don't seem to damage them with their needle-sharp teeth. If you enjoy fishing topwater, these are a fun way to add to your fishing arsenal.