What's a popper?

A popper is a type of lure that creates a loud sound at the surface of the water that mimicks an injured fish. This grabs the attention of big predatory fish and is very effective catching them. There are 3 main types of poppers, The traditional cup faced popper, stick poppers, and chug poppers.

The cup-faced popper.

Cup-faced poppers have a deep concave face that grabs water and makes a loud “pop” when jerked. These are the most classic topwater poppers. They create noise and splash, which helps attract fish from far away. Use them with short, sharp rod twitches and pauses. They work best in choppy water, low light, or when fish are aggressive.

Stick poppers

Pencil poppers are long and slim with a small or flat face. Instead of loud pops, they create a side-to-side “walk-the-dog” action and subtle splashes. They’re more natural and less aggressive than cup-faced poppers. Use a steady twitch-twitch retrieve. These are great for calm water, spooky fish, or when fish are feeding on small bait.

Chug poppers

Chugger poppers have a wide, shallow mouth that pushes lots of water but doesn’t make as sharp a pop as cup-faced lures. They produce a “blooop” or chugging sound with a bigger surface disturbance. Retrieve them with slower pulls and pauses. They work well when you want maximum surface disturbance, like over weed beds, around structure, or to call fish up from deeper water.