[fishy]

Ok, so I purchased a few $6 poppers from the Poulsbo shop. Basically a chrome, foam head, some trailing bucktail and flashabou, and a small trailing hook on mono. Fished my home shoreline last eve downwind with a variety of streamers, only a few dinks and one decent fish....no great concentration. I switched to the popper for grins and fished back up the same "used" water. Fish were blowing up on the popper all the way back, at least a dozen hits or swirls, with only one hookup .

Any advice on variations in popper pattern, retrieve, etc. that would bring more to the net would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Stonefish]

You'll be lucky fishing topwater patterns to ever hit a 40% hook-up rate.
If you hit that percentage, consider it a great day.
The blow-ups are many, the hook-ups not so much.
Some folks enjoy the blow-ups more then the hook-ups.

Fishing the dark side will always bring more fish to the net in my opinion.
Good luck.
SF

 

[Thrasybulus]

So true! I prefer they do their runs and jumps during the fight after I hook them.

Some folks enjoy the blow-ups more then the hook-ups.
SF

 

[ColtonM]

While strictly anecdotal, I've found that the smaller the popper, the greater the hookup percentage. I tell myself it's because the smaller target allows the fish to attack the fly closer to the point of the hook, but I have no idea how true that is and someone else could have a completely opposite opinion.

 

[quilbilly]

Poppers rule.....

Streamers are the 'beads' of SRC fishing.

 

[Stuart_Stringer]

I have had much better hookup ratios with small gurgler type flies.

 

[Roger Stephens]

While strictly anecdotal, I've found that the smaller the popper, the greater the hookup percentage. I tell myself it's because the smaller target allows the fish to attack the fly closer to the point of the hook, but I have no idea how true that is and someone else could have a completely opposite opinion.

I have had much better hookup ratios with small gurgler type flies.

Agree! It seems like it is easier to have a nice v-wake when a pattern is retrieved. IMHO it is probably the most technique to use when you want to have success fishing top water patterns for sea-run cutthroat.

Roger

 

[Roger Stephens]

[QUOTE="fishy, post: 1322453, member: 2164"Any advice on variations in popper pattern, retrieve, etc. that would bring more to the net would be much appreciated.[/QUOTE]

The best advice to have success with top water patterns is to tie Delia's squid pattern as a top water pattern preferably as a tube fly. You will not be disappointed with often great hookup ratios.

Roger

 

[mtskibum16]

The best advice to have success with top water patterns is to tie Delia's squid pattern as a top water pattern preferably as a tube fly. You will not be disappointed with often great hookup ratios.
Roger

My go-to top water pattern based on your advice in the past. I've had reasonable hookup ratios with it, although I don't fish top water very often.

 

[Justin Waters]

I find the most success on topwater to come at a fast pace and on a gurgler style fly. I miss most of my hookups if you have a long trailer, and foul hook A LOT more fish with the trailer hook. That being said as most people have pointed out, the next guy probably does it far different and has success.

 

[dryflylarry]

Yes! It will drive you crazy, but SO......o addicting!! Make sure your hook is positioned right and not drupping or hanging down behind the fly. I'm with ColtonM. Use a smaller fly.

 

[fishy]

Stuck with it and tried a regular paced strip with tip down to keep popper just under surface, more like a waking fly....produced better hookups, and perhaps my best SRC to date last week in the rain. laid him along the rod guides and later measured at just under 20. No pics, my phone has swam too many times and I do not like to handle fish longer than necessary...but it did happen .

 

[jasmillo]

Ok, so I purchased a few $6 poppers from the Poulsbo shop. Basically a chrome, foam head, some trailing bucktail and flashabou, and a small trailing hook on mono. Fished my home shoreline last eve downwind with a variety of streamers, only a few dinks and one decent fish....no great concentration. I switched to the popper for grins and fished back up the same "used" water. Fish were blowing up on the popper all the way back, at least a dozen hits or swirls, with only one hookup .

Any advice on variations in popper pattern, retrieve, etc. that would bring more to the net would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I purchased a few of the small pink poppers they sell at that shop and have had pretty good hook-up ratios with them. Only used them a handful of times so small data set to work with. I've caught SRC and salmon with them.

Don't think they were $6.00 either....

 

[fishy]

Similar deal last night....some nice chases and boils on the popper but no hookups. It's a great pattern to verify fish are there, but not so great for catching. Interestingly, I switched over to a small grey and silver zonker, generally a good catcher, fished over the same water, and not a single grab?