Pop-R

[tritz18]

I have heard lots of people talking about pop-r's and I have one and used it on a locale bass pond, I had no succes except for one strike. I don't know if i'm using the pop-r wrong so can you guys tell me how you use them. and how to get that pop that attracts the bass.

[BassBlood]

Pop-rs are a great topwater lure. I find that they work best in the morning or a few hours before the sun goes down and in calm water conditions. On Cloudy days I have caught fish all day long with them.  Try to match your lure with bait in the area you are fishing.  Sometimes they like a slow pop across the water and some times you can just about skip it across the top of the water. For making the wanted pop just play around and see what they want on that given day. Jerking with your rod tip up and to the side is what I usually use.

[jdw174]

I've been using Pop-R's ever since the craze hit some years ago.  They had been dropped from Rebel's line until a couple of the pros won some tx's with them and Rebel brought them back.  If you have a rod with the right action, you can "walk the dog" with them.  If you're "target" fishing, i.e. bushes, stickups, etc., I've had great success by casting past the target, then BURNING it with a series of quick, hard pops, right up to the target and then just killing it right there and letting it set for a second or two.  Some people replace the rear treble with one dressed with chicken feathers for more attraction.

[Sam]

I have caught them on Pop-Rs and lost them on Pop-Rs.

Now I use the RICOs in tournaments and the Pop-Rs for fun fishing.

Great lure.

You can fish it many ways, as stated above.

The "pop" is to resemble the sound a shad makes when poping the water. Different lure manufacturers have different "pops" to simulate the shad sounds.

I have had the bass hit the Pop-Rs and RICOs as they sit in the water; moving slow; moving fast; and walking the dog (back and forth motion).

Some guys use a Fast-Lock Snap to get better action. I tie the line direct to the lure (Palamor Knot).

And please be very careful when removing those treble hooks. I have already been to the doctor's office to have the treble hook surgically removed from my finger. This also applies to crankbaits, Rat-L-Traps and pointers.  Anything with a treble hook.

After setting the hook, keep a very tight line and the pole tip up in the air.  If you do not want the bass to jump then put the pole tip into the water.  But keep that line very, very tight or they will throw the lure.

Good luck.

[burleytog]

Work it tip down for a chugging action, tip up for a spitting action.  Stop and go, consistant chug or spit.

Buy a P60 or 65 in Ol' Bass and go to town.

[Nick]

Most topwater success regardless of the lure used is simply getting it in the right place at the right time. Notorious good times for topwater are the 1st and last hours of the daylight. A slight ripple helps but don't rely on them in whitecapping situations.  If you can cast very accurately, that's a plus, and the last ingredient needed is confidence. Give me a shad colored pop R and I could catch you some fish nearly any day provided the water was over 60 degrees, but give me a bubble gum colored one and I would have no confidence in it, and probably wouldn't get a bite, even though the bass may not care what color I use.  The really great anglers do have chicken feather tricks, and walking eh dog tricks, and thea are able to adjust the style of retiieve according to the basses desires, but one doen't have to be that good with the bait to get bit.  Just execute some decent casts, give the lure a few small pops to bring out a ring of water around the lure in places  the bass are looking to eat, and you'll get you some strikes.

[RoLo]

Interesting Thread.

In my opinion, the Pop-R is the "best" and the "worst" topwater lure.

It's the best because it's the loudest, but that's also why it's the worst.

Differently put, "timing" is very critical with the Pop-R. In my experience,

if there's no noticeable topwater bite, bass can be very aloof toward the Pop-R :-/

Roger