How to fly fish like a bassmaster all summer long

Advertisement

Popper

Weedless popper = Topwater frog

This classic summer bass fly is fatally attractive to both smallies and largemouth when fished along weedlines or around rock piles at dusk. But weedless poppers also produce all day long on largies in cover. I repeat: you are allowed fish poppers from dawn to, well, the next dawn. They are almost as weedless as the latest hollow-body topwater frogs, and allow for better hooksets. To fish a popper, strip line sharply for a “pop” or softly for a gentle gurgle. Pause between strips for as long as you can bear, and then some.

Advertisement

Bass seem to care little about popper colour, so pick something that’s either easy to see or aesthetically pleasing. However, the best poppers do have soft legs and tails that shimmy even when the fly is motionless. That’s when most fish hit—and the strikes are explosive.