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Popping in Maine
Post 31 Aug 2021, 22:53 • #1 
New Member
Joined: 06/07/21
Posts: 3
Got out in Southern Maine, where I live this evening. On the Moonlit 7wt: 2 bass including this PB, a handful each of bluegill and crappie.




All on this one popper. What's everyone's favorite brand of popper that doesn't come apart after an evening?



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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 31 Aug 2021, 23:06 • #2 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/02/16
Posts: 515
Location: Georgia
Nice bass! Check out the Flymen Double Barrel or Howitzer foam poppers. They seem to survive more abuse than the Boogle Bug style poppers.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 01 Sep 2021, 01:20 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
Great to give a seven-weight some work--ideal for that fishing. Would enjoy more description of the rod.

Muddler minnow, greased. Casts more decisively, will work as well or better than a conventional popper, and is likely to last better simply because it doesn't get flopped around so much in casting. An old standard for smallmouth throughout Maine. Easily varied in colors from the original, which works just fine, by the wing, tinsel and so on. White deerhair, silver tinsel, mottled wing with a touch of red--very hard to keep away from a landlocked salmon as well.

Nice evening's fishing, so that popper doesn't owe you anything if it did fall apart.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 01 Sep 2021, 05:10 • #4 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/06/17
Posts: 2498
Location: South of Joplin
Tap's Bug and Gartside's Gurgler are the only popper like lures I use. Both are simple ties and cast fairly well. I think the Tap's Bug is the toughest fly I own.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 01 Sep 2021, 07:19 • #5 
Sport
Joined: 02/20/20
Posts: 53
Location: CA-ON
x1 for the double barrel poppers


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 01 Sep 2021, 08:41 • #6 
New Member
Joined: 06/07/21
Posts: 3
These recs are great to hear! Another friend recommended gurglers as well - next up on the tying bench.

I've definitely put this particular popper through the ringer at a couple other locations, so it's served me well.

The rod - 7 wt s-glass, 8'6", new as of this summer. Super fun and pleasant to cast. I've got it paired with a real cheap crystal river reel which has worked fine, but I'm waiting on a Lamson Liquid and some spare spools for ease of switching lines. It's my 2nd glass rod, I started out on an Eagle Claw Featherlight 6wt 7'6" (I think) that my dad has now. Also a very fun rod but a little too willowy, just not very forgiving for some of the heavier flies.

thanks for reading - nice to hear from you all.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 01 Sep 2021, 08:44 • #7 
Guide
Joined: 03/12/15
Posts: 269
Location: US-CT
Congrats to you for having enough action to wear out a popper.
I find that the foam poppers tend to last through many hits- such as a gurgler.
congrats again- nice fish.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 01 Sep 2021, 09:56 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
Nice fish. I'm a big gurgler fan as well. Google and youtube are your friends. Fun to experiment with different color foam, legs, tail, etc. Bailes' mini mouse is another pattern I like.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 01 Sep 2021, 19:23 • #9 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/19/12
Posts: 1007
Location: Beantown
Nice!

Yea, as a Bostonian for the last 30 years, I'm only allowed to use Gartside's Gurgler for topwater. It's like the law here.

(And they work great and are easy to tie!)


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 03 Sep 2021, 19:57 • #10 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
that's a very nice bass, particularly for Maine where it's cold and the growing season is short.. well done !

I don't catch enough bass to wear out any of my poppers ;-)
have a Gurgler that's up to about 35 fish, 30 of them taken on one remarkable evening of smallmouth lake fishing..
or as whrlpool says, I also like a deer hair head with rubber legs etc, dress it with floatant to keep it dry, those are tough.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 05 Sep 2021, 15:03 • #11 
Sport
Joined: 05/18/20
Posts: 47
I've caught more fish on a Sneaky Pete than any other popper I've ever tried.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 06 Sep 2021, 19:05 • #12 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/11/06
Posts: 2516
Location: Nature Coast Florida
Fly Rod Hula Popper


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 13 Jun 2022, 08:48 • #13 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
Another deer hair popper that is pretty tough is an Umpqua fruit cocktail, the bass here in Florida love that silly looking thing … GNG: yiu reminded me I need to try that hula popper you sent me! Might be just what I need for that monster I was telling you about …


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 13 Jun 2022, 09:48 • #14 
Master Guide
Joined: 08/10/15
Posts: 385
Location: US-NJ
Very nice! Good to see some poppers getting wet!

See you on the water


Last edited by whrlpool on 13 Jun 2022, 09:52, edited 2 times in total.
faulty, unneeded links deleted


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 13 Jun 2022, 19:45 • #15 
Master Guide
Joined: 03/20/07
Posts: 849
Location: US-TX
Not very unique but I’ve been very happy with these. These can take a real beating and keep catching fish day after day.



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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 13 Jun 2022, 21:00 • #16 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/07/18
Posts: 428
Location: US-MA
Nice bass! Must have been fun on the topwater action.

I used to tie the gurgles and still have a number of them in yellow and white. I also did a number of poppers years ago using cork bodies that I epoxied on the hooks that have a little wave in them to help secure the popper bodies after you tie on some thread. Much cheaper to tie your own IMO and there is the satisfaction of using a fly that you tied.

I like the suggestion of the muddler minnow. Will definitely be giving those a try for bass. I still have a number of old Orvis bass flies - had a guy I new in school that worked for them for a bit in Manchester and he gave us a bunch of them 25 years ago - the deer hair ones that looked like bumble bees have worked well - and the deer hair is pretty resilient.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 14 Jun 2022, 06:27 • #17 
Guide
Joined: 03/12/15
Posts: 269
Location: US-CT
i bought a sneaky pete from a company called Feather Craft. It is made of foam and has been
bulletproof so far after many smallies chomping it. Retails for $4.50 plus shipping.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 14 Jun 2022, 06:48 • #18 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/26/21
Posts: 383
Location: North West Georgia
I really like a "stealth bomber". They have caught more than half of my warm water fish and its pretty much the only top water bass fly I keep around.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 14 Jun 2022, 11:32 • #19 
Guide
Joined: 06/15/20
Posts: 260
Location: Toledo, Ohio, USA.
I also like the double barrel as mentioned above. And I'll also be trying the muddler suggestion. That really has me intrigued.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 14 Jun 2022, 11:49 • #20 
Guide
Joined: 04/17/12
Posts: 204
Location: Blacksburg, VA
I have a fondness for topwater bugs and have dozens in my fly boxes. I agree with Trev that Tap's bugs are great and a favorite. As I live in Virginia we're blessed with talented bug fabricators - some favorites are Walt's poppers, anything by Chuck Kraft - his tend to get snatched up faster than he can make them, and Murray's Shenandoah series. I have a few Messinger frogs as well which are lot's of fun to fish but I've never tried tying any.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 14 Jun 2022, 12:09 • #21 
Guide
Joined: 02/27/12
Posts: 233
Location: US-AR
Nice bass Sepeda! I love fishing top water bass. I have used a number of popping bugs, but due to the price of a number of these bugs I have started to tie my own. I like Whirlpool’s recommendation of a greased up Mudler. I fish a variation of that called the Turks Tarrantula tied on a size 4 hook. I also cut up pieces of old flip flops into popper bodies and tie with those. I reclaim a lot of flip flops found along the banks of many creeks. Or course you have to clean them up and often times give them a light coating of paint.


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Re: Popping in Maine
Post 15 Jun 2022, 03:54 • #22 
Guide
Joined: 03/12/15
Posts: 269
Location: US-CT
I too, bought the stealth bomber as a (wth, try it) purchase. I have fished it a couple of mornings and it is the bomb- smallies, big gills and largies eat it. It is a great alternative to a gurgler.


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