This article offers the fisherman tips on fishing with bobbing surface lures, also known as popper fishing.
While the serious bass angler has an arsenal of devices and gadgets, he very often overlooks the most effective lure of all, namely the surface popper. It takes some practice to scoot this lovely lure in the right way, which perfectly mimics the small fish scurrying near the surface, and that often leads to a snap take, with that tail slap as he heads for deeper water.
Lazy Big Boys
Those big bass don’t like to hunt for their food, so they sit under a tree and wait for dinner to swim by (and who wouldn’t?) and this calls for very accurate casting. You have to drop that lure just a little upstream and to one side, then with a couple of deft rod tip flicks, the lure will ‘pop’ across the surface, and bingo!
Experiment
The first cast should be long and mix it up with speed and movement, trying a different approach with each cast. It is known for a morning bass to sit and watch a popper for a few casts, until the movement triggers the predation, so he won’t always take it. Fish, much like us, like a little variation, and exactly what determines a predatory strike is uncertain, but we do know that mixing up the retrieval increases your chances of tight lines. For more tips on how to cast, there are related articles you can find through an online search.
Don’t Give Up
While you’re not going to catch fish at every throw, you should hit a bass if you’re in the right spot in say, 20 casts, and no one wants to be the guy who stops popping just before the big hit. Yes, it can be hard work, but if the reward is a monster fish, then it’s worth it.
Fast Retrieval
If you spotted a big boy under the shade and you run the popper by it a couple of times with no luck; go for very fast retrieval and don’t worry about adding any action. Sometimes the bass is attracted by the speed and you’d be surprised at how quickly this fish can take that popper.
Dip the Rod Tip
Put the tip of the rod about one foot under the water and give the reel a couple of fast turns, which causes the popper to dive, then it pops up on the surface, much like a small fish attracted to an insect. We recall the old guy who cleaned out the bass using this method and the other 20 anglers never caught a single fish!
Keep A Popper Rod Handy
Why not set up a rod with your GT popper and leave it to one side? You can get the best GT poppers at Fish Head. Don’t forget to get some practice in before your next outing. You should be able to throw out your rod and bring it in a different way every so often. If you do this every hour, you might just be in the right place at the right time and if you see a fish, thanks to your polarised shades, you can drop the popper under his nose.
Surface lures can be ultra-effective for tempting big bass and shopping online gets you the best GT popper lures at trade prices.
