How To Fish A Popper (General)

[RMcDuffee726]

I'm trying to throw more top water poppers now, and I want to make them create that chugging sound on the retrieve, but can't figure it out! Please help!  Thank you and tight lines.

[Raul]

It's going to be hard for you to make a popper chug because it's a popper, for a chug you need a chugger. Don't think I'm trying to be an azz, it's true ! Poppers pop and chuggers chug, the shape, size and depth of the mouth is what makes them different. May look similar but they aren't.

[Bluebasser86]

Baits with bigger and deeper mouths are going to be better chuggers, the old Hula Popper chugs pretty well. 

 

A straight downwards snap of the rod is the best way to get a bait to chug. The longer snap you do, the deeper the chug will usually be. The discontinued Mann's Chug-N-Spit was probably the best chugging bait I've ever fished but they're long gone. 

[Slade House]

here's a tip someone just taught me.  with the hand you hold your rod with take your index finger and tap the rod to move the popper a smaller distance as needed.  If you are trying to move something a small distance  , the index finger tap seems to do the trick for me.  also the Megabass Pop X is one of the best poppers.  After holding and examining all Megabass's Pop X line at iCast , i can say that yeah its worth the $17.99.  The paint, and the design of the gills that allow water to flow through them is amazing. 

[Jar11591]

Here's what I have discovered with poppers:

If you want a "chug", hold your rod tip at 9 o'clock and do a longer slower jerk to the side. For a "pop", hold your rod tip at 11 o'clock and give a short snap straight in front of you, moving your rod tip to 12 o'clock. I can make all my poppers do both. My favorite is a Chugbug, but I also use Skitterpops, Pop Maxes and Pop-Rs. This technique works on all of them.

[flyingmonkie]

Bassmaster routinely suggests drilling a couple holes in the mouth of your popper to give it more of a chugging action.  Haven't tried this personally, but have considered.

[FrogFreak]

I popper/chug fish a ton and it really depends on the lure. As someone else noted, the deeper the cup the more it will chug. I wouldn't get too caught up in that one way to work any popper/chugger though. Try many different cadences and actions. Just let the bass tell you what they want. Tthe vast majority of my bites this summer have happened when I let the lure sit on the surface for 6-10 seconds and then twitch it once.Often they don't even let it twitch before they hit it. Yes, a chug works but so do many other subtle ways of working the lure.

 

Just last week they wanted it to be popped very aggressively. Nothing else worked that morning.

[Crankinstein]

Some great tips in here and I completely agree with the Megabass Pop X being an excellent popper. White python is my go to color with it. As far as chugs vs pops these tips are dead on. Pops are easiest with a higher rod angle and short flicks of the rod where chugs are better with either a side or slightly downward sweeping of the rod at a moderate or slower movement. And don't forget the most classic move of all with the popper which is the old fashioned just let it sit neutral move. I have so many strikes on my popper after popping it once and letting it sit or just letting it sit right on a target area.