poppers are good for Gill's?

[Angelo C Mastrando Jr.]

My cousin got these's from Wal-Mart for me. Had this since December and thinking about using them soon. Do this guy's work good for Gill's? I know there cheap but do they produce?

[Tim Roberts]

In my experience the poppers that have the deeply concaved face seem to work the best.  Maybe because they make a little more noise.  I catch more gills on a slow sinking little grub than I do with the poppers.

[Leo Nguyen]

I have quite a few of those Betty's bugs poppers as well. They produce plenty of all around. Got plenty of panfish, bass, and lurking carp in the nearly morning hours during heavy overcast at the surface. Once the sun comes out, all bets off. However, add bit a few split shots, for the slow sink like Tim indicated, it's golden.

[Angelo C Mastrando Jr.]

Well I must try this guy's so the weather get's warmer again. But for now it will stay in my fly box.

[wag]

 

     Use them a lot ---- but the colors I have the most success with are yellow or white

or any combination of the two. Fly fishing with top water poppers is thrill ---- wait till 

 water temp gets in the 70s. ---- that's when the goggle eye (warmouth) start hitting 

  poppers at lease in south Louisiana. 

            

[Mark Stine]

I love poppers! I have days here where they're best early or late in the day but some days the gills smash em all day long. All of those would catch fish here, but I would start with the glo popper then the yellow, green, red last.

[Tony Livingston]

Poppers can be killer for Bluegills. I like to add a beemoth (waxworm) on the hook, it increases casting distance while giving the fish a taste.

My favorite popper is apparently no longer in production.... A "Miss Prissy", in size 8, chartreuse and black. Made by the Accardo bait company.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Keep in mind Angelo, the fish don't know how much you paid for a lure! Ive seen fish caught on  a strip of material torn from an old flannel shirt... and they hit it as hard as a high-dollar lure!

What you have there are pretty standard poppers and, yes, bluegill will hit them when they are feeding in the shallows. When it warms, you will often hear them popping and slurping at the surface for insects - in the morning, or late in the evening, usually. That is the traditional 'best' time for one of those poppers. A benefit of these larger poppers is they sort of "preselect" the bigger fish for you.

The smaller fish will often take a swing at them, but larger fish will hit such lures the hardest. They are also the ones with mouths big enough to do some good!

Something else to try is to attach a nymph type, sinking fly to the bend of the hook on such poppers, using a tightly drawn Improved Clinch knot. Use an 18" leader of 2lb mono or fluoro to do this. You might also try a maggot, meal worm or small earthworm on a #12 hook instead of the fly. The popper will attract the fish with its bubbling commotion, and the bigger fish may indeed hit it. But the trailing nymph/bait draw it's own "following" from the curious fish and may bring strikes of its own - with the popper then acting as a strike indicator!

It's a two for one deal.

Be careful not to make the leader too long, though, or it will tangle around the rig and mess up the presentation. In my humble experience, 24" is about the practical maximum.

[Daniel Bullock]

Yes, those are good. One thing I found is that as you use them the paint may chip off exposing the bare wood. If you continue to use them the wood will absorb water and cause problems. If this occurs take the bug off and let it thoroughly dry and then take some "hard as nails" clear nail polish and apply a good coat over the exposed wood and let dry. It will be like new again. Just something I learned along the way.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

You may just want to do that BEFORE you take them out, too!

Good reminder, Daniel.