Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

I love fishing for Bluegill on the surface with a flyrod and tiny poppers, but most of the ones I've bought and used are just not made right.  The hook is usually too small and it is set in the popper body at the wrong angle, so when a fish hits the popper, you end up missing the strike.  Anyone know who sells well-made panfish poppers?  Right now is the time to use them.

Views: 10873

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

http://www.breambugs.com  Been making my own for decades, these are very good, just a bit steep in price for my taste

http://bigbluegill.com/photo/flipfloppers-materials

Here is another option for you Jeff. Not pretty but effective, and if you lose them to a tree or fish a flipflop will make a lot of poppers!!!!!!

You can buy popper kits from bass pro and assemble them real easily. You can change the size of the hook that goes into the slotted popper body. All you need is some 30 minute epoxy and some rubber legs.  A coat of chartruese spray paint and a coat of epoxy and your ready to go.  Its very rewarding to catch fish on homemade poppers.  When I fish for gills I use a very thin wire Gamakatsu  size 10 hook.  My experience has been that many times a bluegill will open its mouth wide enough to try and swallow a popper which makes it really difficult to remove from its mouth. 

Wal-Mart has a 6-pack of Bett's Poppers for $10.96, which is the best deal I have found.

 

Breambugs, linked elsewhere, has a wide and varied selection and I have purchased from them before. A couple of poppers from my long lost youth, Round Dinny's and Miss Prissy's,  were available there.

 

The flip flop poppers may be the way to go. I am going to check into that.

 

I share your love of catching BG's with a flyrod and especially with a popping bug.

They beauty of these is you do not have to paint them!! They float like FLIPFLOPS!!!!!!!

There is a site called streamflies.com that bears a look see, as it has some foam poppers and  chernobyl ants, along with many other flies. All flies are 50 cents each with free shipping and no minimum order.

 

I've ordered from Philip and he is a good guy. He currently has over 24,000 flies instock.

Jeff, Breambug.com has several makes of quality top water Bream poppers. I have purchased several of the Boogle bugs, Pecks poppers, Dinnys and Miss prissys are all well built top water bugs.

But you will pay a little more for the better quality bugs around $2.50 each..good luck

i ty these predators up for bluegills and quit using poppers these are dynamite
Attachments:
Dave , Have you ever fished these preditors on a sinking line??? Skip Morris recomends these on a sinking line if the bite is not on top!!! What size hook do you use and thickness of the foam???? Great looking batch of flies!!!!
Feather-Craft fly fishing catalog is carrying Boogle Bullets now but they are very expensive - I can get them locally for about a dollar less.  By far the best made that I have seen.

I have placed several orders with www.breambugs.com and have been well satisfied. They have a variety of brands as well as small shop independents.  Prices are fair and the shipping cost is the best is the business.   You don't pay more shipping than the cost of the product as is a common bad practice by some mailorder shippers.

 

 

RSS

Latest Activity

John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's group Lure History
2 hours ago
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's group Lure History
"Overview of Bill Norman Crankbaits Bill Norman is a significant figure in the fishing industry,…"
2 hours ago
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's group Lure History
" Late October cranking for suspended and deep Fish "
2 hours ago
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's group Lure History
"top left to right: Manns 20+ Fire Shad Color. Strike King 5XD/Chart/black back,? Bottom left to…"
2 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

2lateoct

"Nice….glad you got out……"
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

lateoct25

"Nice bass on the crank…..nice colors in on New Jersey’s lakes this time of…"
Wednesday
John Sheehan posted photos
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Oct 24
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Oct 24
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

So Much Fun This Morning……10/24/2025

Really enjoyed catching these quality bluegill after being off the water for four weeks, my longest…
Oct 24
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Oct 24
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"After four weeks of near miss Hurricanes, a Noreaster and small craft advisories almost daily….today happened and I got a fishing fix…"
Oct 24
DAVID L EITUTIS commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

octcg

"NICE ONE JOHN........."
Oct 23
John Sheehan posted a photo

octcg

Bluegill from headwater current below the Dam.
Oct 21
John Sheehan posted a photo

cupsawp

Low water crawler/spinner rig Perch
Oct 20
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

15" BASS SMACKS A TROLLED CRANKBAIT

"drifting got one Bass ,Jeff but trolling crankbaits got the rest. "
Oct 16
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

CRANKY GILL

"61-62 water temp and the Bass are suspended. Crankbait trolling time , Jeff"
Oct 16
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

lucky Strike Spoon Pickerel

"Nice….if you freshwater fish near bottom on the Albemarle Estuary…….you will…"
Oct 15
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

CRANKY GILL

"Talking about a hungry bluegill!  Can’t believe it’s October…"
Oct 15
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

15" BASS SMACKS A TROLLED CRANKBAIT

"Glad you guys got out…..it has been such a rough period for fishing weather, hoping to get…"
Oct 15

© 2025   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service