Hula popper

[Hanansong]

Hey guys. Anyone had any luck on the hula popper. Tried it for the first time and caught my pb. 6 pounder. I want to get more better with it. Any tips?

Hanan

Thanks for all the info

[Smells like fish]

Sounds like you can give us the tips lol 

[BrianMDTX]

I have one in my tackle box that’s at least 40 years old. Never caught a fish with it lol. 

[JediAmoeba]

You had better be trolling me because I have never caught a bass over 4 lbs on a topwater.  

[Fallser]

I've caught both largemouth and smallmouth on them over the years.  Largest around 4 lbs down in NW Tennessee many years ago.  I like to browse the fishing flea markets around here where I can find beat up ones for a buck or two  Take them home, clean them up, new hooks and new skirts.   I give them to my fishing buddies, unless I like the color or size then I'll keep it.  I have a half dozen in my tackle box though they mainly gather dust these days as most of my fishing these days with a fly rod.  When I fished them I used either or pop and pause retrieve or a slow steady retrieve.  

Jedi, my PB came on a top water.

[jimmyjoe]

   My brother's PB came on a black Hula Popper. As for me, I always fished them just at the outside of weedbeds where there were frogs. If there were no frogs evident at that location, I wouldn't use the Hula Popper.

   For action, I'd pop them, and then pause about 30 seconds, maybe a little more (I'm an impatient person.  ? )   For some reason I've always used them just after dawn or just before sunset. That is a habit instilled in me many, many years ago. I don't know, I guess I've just not seen any reason to change.     ?     jj  

[Black Hawk Basser]

I've seen a friend catch a few big fish on Hula Poppers.  Generally I think a pop, pop, long pause works well with them.  They gurgle more than spit.

 

1 hour ago, JediAmoeba said:

You had better be trolling me because I have never caught a bass over 4 lbs on a topwater.  

Sammy fish.

[Captain Phil]

Hula Popper!   How many of those have I owned over the years?  Seriously, top water plugs catch big bass.  The Hula Popper is one of the oldest.  The problem with hard top water plugs is throwing them back into thick weeds where the biggest fish live.  Today's soft plastic frogs are a better option. 

[frogflogger]

We threw the 3/8 hula popper for years - I recently watched Rick Clunn video on how to fish rico - we fished the 3/8 the same way - fairly rapidly.

11 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

You had better be trolling me because I have never caught a bass over 4 lbs on a topwater.  

from the midwest,  the east, and Florida - the majority of bass over 7lbs. that I've caught came on topwaters.

[king fisher]

Hula Poppers have always been one of my favorite surface lures.  When I was a kid I fished a shoreline, that had a rock shelf, that was 2-3 feet deep, and came out from shore about 4 feet, then dropped straight down 30 feet.  The only way to fish the shelf was to cast from the opposite bank across a channel.  The cast across was at the very limit of my cast with the gear I had.  I even left a couple lures on a power line that crossed the channel.  The bass would hit many different lures if  I could cast clear to the far bank.  The Hula Popper was by far the best lure for this spot.  I could work it in the strike zone before the drop off longer than any other lure.  I would cast it to the far bank.  Let sit as long as I could possibly stand, then give it a quick pop giving slack immediately, so it would move forward as little as possible.

If I did it right, the sound was a deep blurp, instead of a splash.  If done correctly I would get bit every time.  After a few pops the Hula would finally be out of the strike zone and I would reel in take a couple steps down the bank and cast across again.  I had a big advantage over my friends that fished the same spot because I had the Hula Popper.  My one fiend had a Dying Flutter, that worked well, but couldn't be cast as far, and didn't stay in the strike zone as long.  His brother had a floating Rapala that he could only cast to the spot if there was a tail wind.  30 years later I was back visiting family and went back to that same spot.  I had a rod that made it easy to cast any number of lures to the far bank, but had to give an old Hula Popper a try.  I managed to snag the bushes, on the first cast, but was lucky enough to pull free.  A couple casts later, on the first big pop I hooked and landed a two pound large mouth.  I don't fish the Hula Popper very often.  I don't have the kind of patience to work it correctly any more.  When I do find a time and a place to fish one, I'm never disappointed in the results.  

[Log Catcher]

I had a couple of them years ago. Never caught one on them. I couldn't even get a fish to look at them. They probably got thrown away.

[jbrew73]

I caught many fish on the hula popper when I was young.  I can’t say that I’ve even had a strike on my $25 whopper plopper.   Sometimes classic baits are classics for a reason.

[Jaderose]

Hula Popper is a fine lure and is part of my every day top water arsenal.  If I need to throw a popping type lure, it's the first one I tie on.  There are more modern ones that cost way more money but why?

[The Bassman]

On 5/23/2020 at 6:48 AM, Captain Phil said:

Hula Popper!   How many of those have I owned over the years?  Seriously, top water plugs catch big bass.  The Hula Popper is one of the oldest.  The problem with hard top water plugs is throwing them back into thick weeds where the biggest fish live.  Today's soft plastic frogs are a better option. 

I remember Arbogast selling a weedless version with plastic treble guards. Can only imagine how low the hookup ratio was with them.

[RoLo]

 

When Fred Arbogast's Hula Popper was a big hit, I was just a kid. 

Of course, it still works today, but they're not on my short list.  Many topwaters today

have better area coverage and better "weedlessness" (e.g. frogs & toads).

 

Roger

[river-rat]

I've used a Hula Popper off and on since I was a kid (I'm 68). My grandfather taught me that it is most effective letting it sit for long periods and then to twitch it lightly. I'm guessing it's not as popular today because most of us don't have the patience to fish it that slow. 

[Hanansong]

4 hours ago, riverat said:

I've used a Hula Popper off and on since I was a kid (I'm 68). My grandfather taught me that it is most effective letting it sit for long periods and then to twitch it lightly. I'm guessing it's not as popular today because most of us don't have the patience to fish it that slow. 

Quick question. What condition do you think is prime for hula popper fishing? Thanks for the tip btw

[Born 2 fish]

On 5/24/2020 at 6:14 AM, jbrew73 said:

I caught many fish on the hula popper when I was young.  I can’t say that I’ve even had a strike on my $25 whopper plopper.   Sometimes classic baits are classics for a reason.

You paid 25 bucks for a whopper plopper?

[jbrew73]

Lol.  Maybe it was 25 for 2.  Could have been $2 and I’d still feel like I wasted my $.

[Born 2 fish]

2 minutes ago, jbrew73 said:

Lol.  Maybe it was 25 for 2.  Could have been $2 and I’d still feel like I wasted my $.

Don’t give up on them I’ve had some great days with a bone color 90. Actually had a giant bass pull the split ring off the bait and I caught probably 50 over 3 pounds that week I was in Florida on that one Bait.

[river-rat]

On 5/25/2020 at 8:29 PM, Hanansong said:

Quick question. What condition do you think is prime for hula popper fishing? Thanks for the tip btw

Usually under calm conditions and in shallow water around vegetation and wood cover.