Poppers?!?

[sniperfreak223]

Why can't I ever seem to get a bass on a popper? I've been fly-fishing for bass, largemouth and smallmouth, for six years now, but I've only managed to get two on poppers. I get a lot of follows and misses, but never a real strike!!! But, I did slay 'em on a chartreuse and white floating minnow today...sorry for the rant, just getting a little peeved, as everyone loves poppers for bass, but I can't catch a thing on them.

 

[gfen]

They don't strike it, or you're busy just pulling it out of their mouths?

Like dry flies, let them take it down before you set it hard.

 

[sniperfreak223]

they boil behind them, but never take them in...

 

[BPS]

Go real early in the am when the fog is rolling off and the water looks like glass. I love those mornings and the bass seem to inhale anything on top. Believe me if they take the contraptions I tie, they will take your poppers.

 

[brain]

I have never had much luck with true popper styles. My fish much prefer the slider style of popper.

 

[sniperfreak223]

brain wrote:
I have never had much luck with true popper styles. My fish much prefer the slider style of popper.

Same here, I can get them to hit sliders, gurglers, frogs and floating minnows, but they just won't commit to a popper.

 

[Fishidiot]

Sniperfreak,
That's odd. Poppers have produced very well for me for bass in all sorts of waters and for both LMs and SMBs. Most of the time in the summer, esp in low light conditions, a popper is the first fly I tie on. Poppers have produced many of my biggest SMBs too. I use both "pencil" style poppers as well as the more typical cone type head with concave front. It has been my experience that the topwater bite tends to be best in summer during warm water periods and often when the water is clear. Colder, higher water levels usually convince me to tie on a streamer.
Don't give up on poppers.

 

[afishinado]

Fishidiot wrote:
Sniperfreak,
That's odd. Poppers have produced very well for me for bass in all sorts of waters and for both LMs and SMBs. Most of the time in the summer, esp in low light conditions, a popper is the first fly I tie on. Poppers have produced many of my biggest SMBs too. I use both "pencil" style poppers as well as the more typical cone type head with concave front. It has been my experience that the topwater bite tends to be best in summer during warm water periods and often when the water is clear. Colder, higher water levels usually convince me to tie on a streamer.
Don't give up on poppers.

Ditto above. Many times it's hard to keep bass OFF a popper! Try a little movement with the popper once in a while all the way to aggressive popping and everything in between to find what the fish will respond to that day.

 

[Pittflyguy]

Also... a popper as the sun is setting is a pretty killer time as well. Was just up in Erie a few weeks ago and when the bite turned on, it was pretty prolific on top.

and by the way... there are only two colors of poppers you truly need for bass... Black... and Black!

All the other ones just catch fisherman!

 

[sniperfreak223]

I only carry three colors, Black, White, and chartreuse, and a few red and white ones, since I've seen a few bass hit bobbers.

 

[cricketontherun]

Also... a popper as the sun is setting is a pretty killer time as well. Was just up in Erie a few weeks ago and when the bite turned on, it was pretty prolific on top. and by the way... there are only two colors of poppers you truly need for bass... Black... and Black! All the other ones just catch fisherman!

I on the other hand use almost exclusively white. For myself it's my go to color for SMB everywhere on top, and it's proven it's self time and time again. I only really fish deer hair poppers though, and more of a "slider cut" over a flat face. This seems to impart the best kind of movement in the water. I believe a simple deer hair and zonker strip tail is the jam. If they don't take it on the first pop or two just let it swing and wiggle in the current. I can't count the number of fish I've caught just letting it sit and wiggle directly downstream after a swing.

Another thing about this style fly is that it will usually float high for awhile, but I think it works even better after it gets a little water logged because it will sit with the *** end down in the water with just the very tip of the head above the surface. I think it may look more natural; like a bait fish either crippled of feeding on top.

Lastly; maybe it's more of a matter of presentation. Learning to read the water and having a good idea of where the fish will be holding is key. Hitting the right spot or drifting into the right spots will produce more fish than just blindly casting and popping. Most often if you hit the right seem, ledge, eddie, bolder, whatever; the holding fish will usually slam the popper immediately!

Keep at it and and invest your time learning you local water because once it pays off it pays off BIG!

 

[greenghost]

sniperfreak223 wrote:
I get a lot of follows and misses, but never a real strike!!! .

If they're following and boiling they are interested enough to move and burn precious energy to check them out.

Obviously when they get close there's something causing a lack of a confident commitment... generally a smallie SMASHES a topwater popper.

My first suggestion would be to change up on the retrieve... try fast, then slow, then pause and strip, then twitching without retrieving, etc... until you find the right one.

Try sizing up and down too.

Another tip: Use poppers with marabou tails. They wave and move very enticingly and can make the difference.

 

[dubthethorax]

If you're fishing still water, my advice would be to NOT make any movements with it for at least 45-60 seconds.

A lot of times, bass will come up to examine it and sit there still for almost a minute until they decide to take it. Letting it hit the water and instantly stripping like hell can lower your hook up rate.

If you don't get strikes after a minute, give it a couple of quick twitches and let it sit again. Patience can pay off big time.

Not saying this works every time, but definitely give it a try.

 

[trowpa]

dub is right... I learned this early early on as a child of like 12 during my spin fishing days..had a huge floating rapala on - was busy doing something in the boat Darn rapala sat out there for like 5 minutes until ....WOOOOSH!!! It was swallowed by a very large bass (at least for a 12 year old).

Ever since i've given fish a chance to ambush a still floating bait/fly before retrieving....