When the weather’s warm and the bass are keyed in on prey items like frogs, large insects, and minnows, the time’s right to throw a popper. Easily one of the most effective bass lures in summer, poppers are effective all day, from morning to night.
New fishermen shouldn’t underestimate the power of the popper, and with the right knot and technique, they’re simply deadly.
Let’s break down the popper and get you up to speed quickly.
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What is a Popper?
The unusual head shape of a popper makes lots of ruckus, attracting bass.
A popper is an artificial lure that’s shaped more or less like a small fish. On the head, you’ll find a large, open “mouth” designed to catch water and make a disturbance as it’s ripped across the surface.
Typically, poppers wear two sets of sharp treble hooks, and many sport a small skirt to up the ante on action.
Poppers float, even when you give them a hard tug with your rod tip. They’ll drop just under the surface, create a thundering thump (to bass), and pop right back up.
There are two schools of thought about poppers: snug knots and loop knots. And some anglers like to use a clip, but don’t count me among them.
Big bass can’t resist a popper!
Yes, clips allow you to switch lures quickly, but when I’m catching, I’m retying enough that there’s little advantage to that method, and I recommend you follow suit, cutting and retying to keep fresh line connected to your lure.
My favorite snug knot, so named because the knot cinches down on the ring on the lure, is the Uni.
We’ve discussed the spectacular Uni knot before, and if you want to learn to tie it well, check out this article: