Theres more to poppers than you might think! Certainly casting a popper and working it back in the much described 'erratic fashion' does work, but do you find yourself wondering why some days are better than others?
Traditional technique - simpy cast you popper and let it land. Tighten down to your lure by winding a little line and when you see your lure moving a little then simply move your rod tip in a sharp pull - provided you are using braid and a reasonably stiffish rod you lure will generate a 'bow wave'. This bow wave is related to the type of movement you make with your rod arm and the size and shape of the concave face of your lure. Shorter snappier movements make different waves than longer strokes. Experiment with movements and lure shapes. Often an exaggerated or uncontrolled motion will see you lure turning end over end and fouling upon the mainline, with braid minimal movements create the most effective fishing.
Stop and go - Combining these movements above with periods of stopping the lure give the fish the opportunity to locate the source of all this disturbance. Constant popping with constant retriving whilst on occassion does produce fish will also cause you to miss many opportunities. Adding a stop creates a longer retrieve time and hence your lure is fishing for a longer period - time for fish to find it! Add stops for as long as twenty seconds if you can stand the suspense!
Bubble stream generation - Creating a bubble stream can often produce results where popping wont. A buuble stream is simply a long pull of the lure through the water causing a 'whoooshh' followed by a stop often just subsuface. Bass locate the lures through their well tuned senses and this technique creates both longer and different sounds coupled to a visual stream of bubbles.
Can you 'walk' a popper? - If you own the new generation of poppers then not only can you perform all of the above but you can also combine it with the 'walk the dog' technique. Some poppers are more difficult to walk than others, some are downright impossible but when you can achieve the combination of walk and pop its often unbeatable.
Not all poppers are created equal - The concave face of your popper is unique to the particular model. The angle that this face is presented at is also different across ranges of lures. Owning one popper doesnt mean 'you have a popper and dont need any more'. Sounds, shapes, splash types, even static presentations all make differences to your fishing on the day.
