Topwater Poppers: How to fish them effectively

Every kid that grew up bass fishing knows what a Hula Popper is. We all fished them and agree that they were deadly on those old pond bass. So why now, as we grow older, do we turn our backs on poppers?

Far too often the popper falls by the wayside in favor of newer, louder, and flashier topwater offerings. Its great to be well versed with a variety of baits so you can adapt to changing conditions but don't fall into the trap and forget your first love all together.

When conditions get tough, especially those cool early summer mornings, the popper is a deadly way to catch GIANT bass that are unwilling to run down a faster moving bait. The quick tips outlined in this week's video should help you get your mind in the game to slow back down, pull out your favorite popper, and lure one of the dormant giants to the surface!

While poppers can be thrown on very light tackle, Matt prefers (to the surprise of no one) to step up his tackle when targeting big fish with these finesse baits. He prefers to use the following:

View fullsize

For the Yellow Magic, Rico, and other small poppers he uses a 7' light to medium light baitcaster spooled with 15-20 lb braided line.

For the larger poppers like the Bubble Walker he will step up to a 7'-7'2" Medium baitcaster but still prefers a moderate action, and spools it with 30 lb braided line.

Matt insists that braid is key with these baits as you can get maximum responsiveness from the bait with minimal rod movement.

Swim Jig Modifications

As a follow up to our recent post Swim Jig Season, we decided to revisit how to modify a swim jig. While many jigs are effective right out of the package there are some simple changes you can make to the skirt and weedguard that will immediately increase your success rate.

View fullsize

Some swim jig/swimbait combinations (The California Swim Jig coupled with a Roboworm EZ Shad for example) have excellent action out of the package but other need the skirt to be thinned or shortened to gain the proper action. Follow the simple steps outlined in this video to get increased action out of any swim jig, especially when combining it with a swimbait trailer that has either wide action or low vibration.

The post spawn is the perfect time to lure bass out of the grass beds with the swim jig so put these tips to work right away and catch some of your biggest bass of the year!

Sight Fishing: Beyond the Basics

This week Tim breaks down some of the keys behind being a consistent sight fisherman. This isn't what color jig to throw, or how to make a fish mad. Its the fine details of boat positioning, fish behavior, clothing, even which lenses see deeper in which water colors (These Eye Surrenders are what we wear and it will save you some $$$, you don't need overpriced optics).

This is a video you need to watch and understand if you do any sight fishing throughout the year. Sight fishing, especially for spawning bass, is an art form. Many anglers, both tournament and trophy, complain about guys who sight fish but most of this comes from their own insecurities or lack of understanding (Yes, there are a few purists in the mix but they're the rare ones). You don't have to have the best eye sight or the most time on the water to be the best sight fisherman. Sure it helps, but understanding bass behavior is much more important.

If you can learn how the bass moves both on and off the bed, what sort of predators its dealing with, and most importantly, when its really interested and when its just darting around, you'll be so much more successful! Again, sight fishing is an art. If you want to be great at it, its going to take some practice. There is a short window during the year to hone your skills so don't waste time. Learn the skills and apply them right away. Good luck out there!