Popper style baits has long been a favorite of many bass fisherman when you’re fishing around cover. Walking style baits and others like that are really effective out on open water, but they don’t work as well under cover. The slow presentation of poppers compared to walking style baits makes them perfect in dense brush and weeds.
Why Fish a Popper For Bass
The best thing about a Popper is the fact that you’re going to use to actions with one lure. Poppers pair the walk the dog action that the bait is built around plus the sputtering action poppers are known for. What’s great about a Popper is that the high nosed tie really makes the cup of the mouth drag deep into the water and spit it out in front of it. That combined with the heavy tail weight makes it set really steep in the water. The proper weight is really crucial in getting the correct action. The weight does a lot of things, holds the bait in place, helps build the action and drives the action into the water.
You’ll notice the cheaper poppers don’t have the right type of anchor to get a smooth action. Instead of a smooth popping motion the cheaper baits tend to sway. I’ve long been a fan of the classic rebel Popper that’s been around for years. They’re available in a few different colors and produce explosive surface strikes.
How To Fish Cover With Topwater Poppers
If you’ve already mastered these popper fishing tips, you’ll want to start working cover. The best way to fish Poppers is to make a cast towards your target. Just let the bait set for a second or two and then give us sharp snap of the rod tip. That’s going to make your bait walk back and forth without moving a large distance. Want to try and stay up under cover without moving your bait too far towards you.
You’re going to want to read the fish and make adjustments to your popping speed. Adjust your pause to the overall aggressiveness of the fish. Sometimes you wanna pause and let the bait completely set and pop it again. Most of the time you’re going to want to have a slow and steady twitch between pops. Try and make one twitch every second allowing the bait to work back and forth beneath the brush. You should really try and exaggerate the action without getting too aggressive. Try not to move a great distance and simply aggravate the bass into biting.
How To Cast and Work a Popper Fishing Lure
It really isn’t all that hard to cast a Popper fishing lure. The tail weight really helps with casting accuracy into heavy cover. The tail weight will allow the bait to fly directly into the cover without getting tangled. It shouldn’t tumble much during the cast and flies straight. That’s very important because of where you’re going to fish this bait.
You’re probably going to make a lot of casts that you really can’t work very far. You’ll most likely have to pull up to work across the stick or fallen log. You’re making the cast with the hope that within the first three or four twitches you’ll get a bite. Usually the bait will land and if the bass is there it will strike fast. Nine times out of 10 they’re probably going to bite fast.
Popper Fishing is Very Visual
Fishing with a popping lure is all about visual fishing. You’re always going to want to wear a good pair of polarized sunglasses to keep the glare off the water. Seeing the best ease up under your lure and suck the bait in will teach you more than I ever can. Most likely the bass will come up and inspect your Popper. After the first or second twitch it should be game over with a fish on the line.
Works With Large and Smallmouth Bass
not only do poppers work great with largemouth bass you can also work them through smallmouth bed. It’s not just a largemouth bass technique, it will catch smallmouth Bass, spotted bass and just about everything else. You better hold on tight if you plan on working this across a smallmouth bed, because they’re gonna blast it.