{{+1}}Popper – poly head{{-1}}
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If I could only carry one surface fly when fishing for Bass, Yellow belly and other native species my black Poll-Head-Popper would be it.
When Bass or Yellow belly are feeding on big insects like Cicadas and Hoppers that crash onto the water they also become susceptible to poppers cast around their structure.
At other times they just have a whack at them because there intruding into their domain. In either case the strikes and hook ups can be spectacular. They are a big fly to cast but they do account for many a big bass and goldens.
I like poppers tied on size #2 hooks and with cast poly heads as they land with a definite "boof" and If let sit after casting into structure the impact noise as the fly hits the water and the circles just fanning out around the fly are often enough to induce a hit. If nothing happens after a few seconds then just a gentle wiggle of the fly with the rod tip is a good second step.
For slightly lighter popper have a look at bass foam head popper
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Materials
Hook | Thread | Head | Tail | Legs | Body | Eyes |
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Jig 1 to 4 or stainless | 3/0 or stronger to suit dressing | Poly foam popper heads painted | Fur, feather and sparkle | Rubber or silicon legs | Estaz chenille or equivalent | Stick on dolls eyes |
Notes on poppers:
- Whilst you can make your own popper heads out of cork or foam I prefer to buy pre-formed popper heads. Because they are injection moulded they are always symmetrical, have a hard and smooth easily paintable surface and have the cut for the hook moulded into their shape.
- It is also worth noting that whilst I use jig hooks for poppers reserved for fresh water, I use stainless hooks for my bigger poppers just in case I use them in salt or brackish water. Regardless of the hook chosen I always wash and dry my poppers after use to ensure they last a long time. In the salt they are a great option for many estuary, pelagic and tropical species.
- I think eyes on flies are important and prefer dolls eyes for my poppers. As an alternative you can of course use holographic eyes or simply paint eyes on.
- The tail is an important element of the fly as it is responsible for helping the popper swim properly and with the legs adds movement to the fly.
- My favourite tail for a popper is a wolly bugger tail as long as the hook shank.
- It's not always possible to get marabou long enough to achieve a tail as long as a hook shank but there are plenty of alternative tails that work well.
- I like the tails on my poppers to be the same colour as the body of the fly or black.
- In this photo I have tied in a Dahlberg diver type tail.
- Tying a dahlberg diver tail.
- Deceiver type tails work well.
- Tying a deceiver type tail.
Process
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