Popper Help

[Buzzbaiter]

Lately, I’ve been trying to catch fish with poppers but I haven’t had any luck. When do you guys like to use poppers? How do you retrieve them? 

[WRB]

Welcome,

What popper are you using and retrieve technique?

Tom

 

[jbsoonerfan]

I like them on slick calm water. Pop, pop, pause, reel slack and repeat. Any lil bit of wind and I go to a spook, more wind and it's a buzz bait or whopper plopper. 

[Buzzbaiter]

1 minute ago, WRB said:

Welcome,

What popper are you using and retrieve technique?

I’m using a Rebel Pop-R in baby bass, since I can’t afford some of the more high end ones. I’ve tried fishing it with a walking retrieve , pop-pause-pop, pop-pop-long pause, pop-long pause, etc.

[Choporoz]

I've recently caught bluegills, snakeheads and a turtle on poppers....no bass lately however.   It's never been a high confidence bait for me.

[David 7]

Post spawn and definitely when it is raining. Good bait for the dog days of summer. Partial to the Lucky 13 personally. 

[813basstard]

Use them when you hear fish feeding on top water. (Try to) Match the sound and speed of said feeding. 
Using them when only when you ‘should’ use them is overrated. 
Top water is a ‘talk to me’ bait for me. If they’re talking I throw it. If not, back to your regular standard programming. 
 

*light braid will only get wrapped around the hooks on the perfect cast. And if they’re really schoolin then it’ll get stuck in the split ring. If they’re really, really schoolin it’ll get stuck in the carpet on the bottom of the boat*

[WRB]

45 minutes ago, Buzzbaiter said:

I’m using a Rebel Pop-R in baby bass, since I can’t afford some of the more high end ones. I’ve tried fishing it with a walking retrieve , pop-pause-pop, pop-pop-long pause, pop-long pause, etc.

Pop-R isn’t a walking lure, forget trying it. It’s called a popper but it’s a spitter pushing water forward and works best fished faster skittering the lure with fast quick 4”to 6” jerks for about 5’ to 10’ before resting a few seconds. The lure pace or speed changes hourly with bass depending how active feeding they are.

Chug Bug is better for slower retrieve that you are using.

Tom

 

[haggard]

Calm water, no wind, early mornings or dusk, slow it down, way down. Give it a pop, then wait, let everything settle down. Repeat.

 

[Bankbeater]

I use a pop-r all summer long.  The bass don't always want to hit them.  If I cast a popper and I don't get a bite in say a half hour then I put on another top water bait.

[soflabasser]

I like to fish with poppers in calm water but have caught lots of bass in windy conditions. Experiment with the retrieve until you find what the bass want.

[DitchPanda]

I recently had a post here asking when people reach for a popper just to get some idea of what other guys are looking for. I've thrown a popper for years and I've always done it early morning or just before dark usually in the post spawn all the way up until it starts to cool again coming out of the dog days of summer. 

[Bluebasser86]

I like to fish a popper when it's fairly calm and fish are holding tighter to cover since it's a slower bait to fish. I don't ever fish them in open water situations, always around some kind of cover/target.

 

I prefer poppers that I can walk like the River2Sea Bubble Walker 80 or Chug Bug. I'll typically do a pop-pop-pause retrieve. The length of the pause depends on the day but I usually start out with just a 2 or 3 second pause to see if they'll eat it moving a little faster first. 

[Deleted account]

12 hours ago, Buzzbaiter said:

I’m using a Rebel Pop-R in baby bass, since I can’t afford some of the more high end ones. I’ve tried fishing it with a walking retrieve , pop-pause-pop, pop-pop-long pause, pop-long pause, etc.

The standard Pop-R will work just fine. Sure, the hooks can be upgraded, the tail hook dressing changed to hackle, and the lower lip can be shaved or filed, but out of the package it will catch fish. 

Right now in Southern MD (banjo music playing in background while leering at sister) a semi steady blooping or head bopping with a slight pause or change of rhythm has been the ticket, nothing too aggressive, and certainly no popping. 

 

[desmobob]

 

 

I threw a Zell Pop XZ3 for quite a while yesterday with no luck, trying various retrieves.  I switched to a Megabug on a light belly-weighted hook and managed to get a few decent fish.

 

I intend to keep messing around with the poppers (Zell Pop, Pop-R, Pop X, Pop Max) this summer until I develop some confidence in them.  (The last time I decided to do that, a northern pike ate a brand new Pop X on my first cast.)  

[Bankc]

13 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

I like them on slick calm water. Pop, pop, pause, reel slack and repeat. Any lil bit of wind and I go to a spook, more wind and it's a buzz bait or whopper plopper. 

Agreed.  I also will throw a popper out and let it sit for a while before popping it.  I might give it a slight nudge so it wiggles, at most.  Wait for the rings of waves to die off, then start working it back.  My grandfather taught me that.  Let the bass get scared, calm down, and then wonder what that sound was when it hit the water.  Make it looked stunned.  Then pop it back.  It's almost like a finesse lure.  If they're keying in on reaction baits, then I go with something that travels quicker, like that spook.  

[scaleface]

I like large poppers in  good sized waves but not so rough I cant control the boat  . Hot weather around large standing timber is the time .I make as much noise as possible . Hard quick snaps of the wrist, spraying  water 6 foot or more .  

[detroit1]

I agree with  bb86 on the chug bug. It replaced my pop-r  years ago. Last year i got a duckett (whatever) kinda like a chug bug, but with a smaller cupped face. So, mostly a walker, but can finesse pop also. Remember that a smaller bait is not easier for the fish to capture. And don't limit the time of day or year, or any depth <15' for any surface lure. It is always an "edge" the bass can coral to. Throw it, maybe they'll show themselves.

[the reel ess]

I like to use a Tactical Anglers snap with my topwaters. I like to take my topwaters box on the kayak with me and I will change them out if they aren't working. Some snaps won't work with a popper due to its concaved face, but these will. They allow a little more erratic side-to-side action of the lure.