Fishing popper
Fishing popper | |
---|---|
Artificial fly | |
Type | Popper |
Imitates | Baitfish |
Typical hooks | Popper |
Body | Foam |
Uses | |
Primary use | Bass |
Other uses | Panfish |
The popper is an effective and proven lure designed to move water using a concave or hollowed nose. Poppers aim to simulate any sort of distressed creature that might be moving or struggling on the surface of the water (baitfish, frogs, and insects are the most typical imitations). Poppers are used with spin fishing and fly fishing.
Origin
Originally this timeless lure was crafted from wood and painted or shaped to match the pattern of baitfish. This quickly evolved into more intricate patterns that mimicked a broader scope of the common prey of predatory fish. Along with different imitations, different materials and technologies have been integrated with this classic platform like rattles, soft bodies, and other synthetic body materials. This iconic pattern has been used to create topwater commotion for many decades, but has been most notable for its presence in bass fishing throughout America. Though this pattern is used for many other species of fish the bass is often tightly connected with topwater poppers. Another species often targeted with poppers is the giant trevally (GT). Catching GT on poppers is becoming more and more popular due to the GT's aggressive surface take. Used by fly and conventional anglers alike, this pattern has not failed fishermen since its creation around a century ago.
Techniques
While the popper has been used to catch fish since its arrival, a universal technique on how to properly fish a popper lure exists. The goal is to get a reaction bite from a member of your target species. Therefore you must present the lure in a way that seems natural to the fish. First, you must pick out a suitable popper for the type of fish you are going to be fishing for. Important characteristics include the type of material the popper is made out of, the color of the popper, the size of the popper and the locations of hooks on the lure. Secondly, you must tie the popper to your line properly using a strong fishing knot so that the lure will not slip off or be pulled off by a fish. Next, seek out a target area where you think the desired species of fish will be. Cast your popper out and once it hits the water, let it sit for a few seconds. The sound of the popper hitting the water alone is enough of a disturbance to draw a fish to the sound and induce it to strike at the lure. That is why it is essential to leave your lure in the spot where you cast it for a few seconds before you start to retrieve your line. As you start to retrieve your line, the best technique is to pull the lure towards you, creating sound and motion in the water, then stop abruptly, letting the popper sit in the water while you retrieve the slack line. You will want to continue this intermittent retrieval until the popper nears the rod. You can then cast the lure back out and repeat the retrieval technique. Once a fish strikes at the popper, you should not immediately yank your rod back to try to set the hook. It is essential to let the fish take the popper underwater prior to setting the hook so that you do not pull the popper out of its mouth. This will ultimately increase your hook-up ratio.[1][2][3]
See also
- Surface lure
- Jalapeño popper
- Fly tying
References
- v
- t
- e
- Bamboo fly rod
- Float tube
- Fly fishing tackle
- Fly line
- Fly rod building
- Furled leader
- Dry fly fishing
- Fly casting
- Fly Casting Analyzer
- Reach cast
- Spey casting
- Manufacturers of fly tying materials and tools
- Tenkara fishing
- Trout bum
- Waders
- Fly waters:
- Adams
- Alexandra
- BWO
- Bonefish flies
- Brown Bi-visible
- Bunyan Bug
- Clouser Deep Minnow
- Copper John
- Crazy Charlie
- Dave's Hopper
- Diawl bach
- Egg sucking leech
- Elk Hair Caddis
- Flesh Fly
- Fully dressed flies
- Grey Ghost Streamer
- Hare's Ear
- Humpy
- Jock Scott
- Klinkhammer
- Lefty's Deceiver
- Mallard and Claret
- Mickey Finn
- Muddler Minnow
- Parks' Salmonfly
- Partridge and Orange
- Pheasant Tail Nymph
- Prince Nymph
- Popper
- Red Tag
- Royal Coachman
- Royal Wulff
- Sakasa Kebari
- Salmon fly patterns
- Stimulator
- Surf Candy
- Terrestrials
- Tube fly
- Woolly Bugger
- Woolly Worm
- Wulff flies
- Bibliography of fly fishing (species related)
- Bibliography of fly fishing
- Bibliography of fly fishing (fly tying, stories, fiction)
- Pseudonyms of notable angling authors
- The American Angler's Book
- Blacker's Art of Fly Making
- Dry-Fly Fishing in Theory and Practice
- Favorite Flies and Their Histories
- Floating Flies and How to Dress Them
- Fly Fishing (Grey book)
- Fly Fishing: Memories of Angling Days
- The Fly-fisher's Entomology
- Minor Tactics of the Chalk Stream
- The Salmon Fly
- The Way of a Trout with the Fly
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