A surface popper is one of those lures that can produce absolutely savage bass takes, particularly in an estuary with a decent tide running. I recently caught a 60 cm bass on one, and they are a lure I have a huge amount of faith in when conditions are right.
The key is not simply casting one out and winding it back. A popper really comes into its own when you use the current to make it drift naturally, punctuating that drift with purposeful pops and long pauses. Done properly, it is a very convincing presentation capable of luring those better-sized fish!!
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What you’ll learn from this post
- Surface poppers imitate distressed baitfish and scattering prey through splash, droplets and pauses.
- Cast uptide at roughly 30 degrees so the lure can drift naturally with the current.
- Use short pops, three to four-second pauses, then a double pop followed by a longer pause.
- Match popper size to water depth, surface chop, tide strength and coastal exposure.
- Table of Contents
- What Is a Surface Popper?
- Why Poppers Can Be So Good for Bigger Bass
- The Best Casting Angle for a Popping Lure
- How to Retrieve a Surface Popper for Bass
- When to Use a Popper Instead of a Surface Slider
- Choosing the Right Popper Size
- Surface Poppers I Like for Bass Fishing
- Make the Tide Work for You
- What Is a Surface Popper?
A surface popper, also called a topwater popper, is a hard lure designed to work right on the surface. Unlike a slider or a walk-the-dog lure, it does not rely on a rounded nose to zigzag across the surface. Instead, a popper has a pronounced, dish-shaped mouth at the front. When you twitch the rod tip, that cupped face grabs the water and spits it forwards, creating a distinct splash and a trail of droplets.
The cupped face is the defining feature of a true surface popper. That action can suggest two very natural feeding opportunities to a European bass:
- A distressed baitfish: something injured, struggling and spluttering helplessly on the surface.
- Scattering bait: the splashes and falling droplets can resemble small fish fleeing across the top.
Both are visual cues that can make a bass investigate. The attraction is not only the noise. It is the overall commotion, followed by the sudden stillness of the lure drifting naturally in the tide.
Why Poppers are effective for the bigger bass…
The real party trick of a popper is its ability to travel downstream at exactly the pace of the current during the pause. That is a very natural look, and it is one reason I believe these lures can hoodwink bigger bass.
Picture an estuary where the current is running from left to right. Cast your popper uptide, to the left, and allow it to come back down towards you with the flow. Bass will often be moving in that same flow. When the lure is resting between pops, it is travelling naturally with the water rather than being dragged unnaturally against it.
You can achieve a similar natural drift with a soft plastic on a jighead or weighted hook, but the weight has to be absolutely spot on. Too heavy and it behaves wrongly. Too light and it does not track as intended. A popper makes that natural, current-led presentation much easier to achieve on the surface.
That matters because a larger bass can be suspicious. If the line is pulling a lure unnaturally across the water, it can look wrong very quickly. A popper that splashes once, then simply drifts along with the tide, is a much more believable proposition.
The best casting angle for a Popping Surface Lure
Cast up-tide at roughly 30 degrees to the shore. This gives the lure room to work back down in the flow while maintaining a practical angle for line control. As soon as the lure lands, take up the initial slack and lift the rod tip high. I mean properly high, almost vertical.
That rod position is essential because it helps you control the line without dragging the popper across the surface.You want enough contact to make a crisp pop when you twitch the rod, but you do not want constant tension pulling the lure ahead of the tide.
How to retrieve a Surface Popper for bass
The retrieve is a simple rhythm of pop, pause and slack management. The difficult bit is having the discipline not to overwork it. Make one short pop. Use a sharp wrist twitch rather than a big sweep of the rod.
Pause for three to four seconds. Let the current carry the lure naturally.
Take in slack with the rod held high. This is not a retrieve. You are only regaining line so you can make the next clean pop. Repeat the single pop and pause. Keep the lure drifting rather than dragging it across the surface.
On the third pop, make a double pop. Then leave the lure for a longer six or seven-second pause.
That double pop followed by a longer pause is often the moment when the take comes. It creates a burst of commotion, then leaves the lure sitting there, drifting naturally and looking very vulnerable. The most important point is this: taking in slack must not move the lure. If you wind so hard that you drag it across the top, you lose the natural presentation that makes the method so effective.
Keep the rod tip high!
Holding the rod high helps keep as much line as possible off the surface. It reduces drag from the current and lets you make sharp, controlled pops with a flick of the wrist. It also helps you stay ready. Surface takes can be spectacular. Sometimes there will be a boil alongside the lure, then a swirl, and then the bass will take it. Other times it simply disappears in a savage hit.
When to use a Popper instead of a Surface Slider
- A slider is a brilliant lure, but there are times when a popper is the much better choice. The main one is strong tidal flow.
- Use a popper when a sliding lure becomes difficult to work naturally because:
- The current is bringing the lure back too quickly, forcing you to retrieve at an unnatural speed.
- You cannot maintain proper contact without dragging the lure.
- The line is being pulled hard across the surface by the tide.
- The lure no longer walks or slides cleanly because the current is controlling it.
In those situations, trying to force a slider to work can make it look artificial. A popper allows you to create a splash, then let the flow do the work. That is precisely when it can be a far more convincing lure.
Choosing the right size
I tend to match the size of the surface popper to the water depth and the state of the surface. There is no need to reach for a big lure every time.
Shallow, calm water
In very shallow and very calm conditions, go small. A 70 mm, 80 mm, or perhaps a lure up to around 90 or 95 mm is usually the right approach. Small poppers create enough disturbance without being overbearing in clear, still water.
Deeper water or a ‘slight chop’
When the water is deeper or there is a little chop on the surface, step up to roughly 95 mm, 100 mm or 110 mm. A slightly larger popper is easier for bass to locate amongst the broken surface.
Open Coast, Deep Estuaries, Waves and Swell
I save the bigger 120/130 mm poppers for open-coast fishing, very deep estuary water with a strong tide, or rough ground with plenty of swell and fizzed-up, back-eddying water around the exposed rocks and pinnacles. In big, lively water with a swell present, a larger popper has the presence to stand out. In a calm, shallow creek, though, it can act to repel the bass..
My Favourites!
There are plenty of good poppers about, but these are the models I particularly like using:
- Fishus Ubuntu in the 70 mm size.
- Tackle House Feed Popper in a 70m size.
- Rapala Chug Bug, particularly the smaller versions.
- Rapala Skitter Pop – again, the smaller sizes depending on the sea conditions.
- Tackle House Feed Popper 100, which is my absolute favourite.
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