Catching a fish on a popper is great fun and everyone should try it once.

But before you can fish a popper you need to tie or buy your poppers.

Here is a simple and efficient pattern.

Materials

Head M FredFlyFishing popper: Green leaf
Hook Tunca TP10 pike streamer – size 2
Thread Semperfli Nano silk – 100D
Body
  • chartreuse buck tail back part
  • chartreuse, red and pearl flash
  • strung saddle hackle: red and chartreuse
Other
  • Super glue
  • Marc Petitjean magic tool

Step by step

Use a streamer hook size 2 with a long shank, the Tunca model TP10 is a perfect fit, put it firmly in your vice.

 

Put the popper head over your hook and start your thread at the end of the popper head, don’t forget a drop of superglue before you put your thread on.

 

Grab a small bundle of buck tail, use the bottom part of the buck tail to get the right effect. Tie it straight in and make sure you tie it right in and finish with a drop of super-glue.

 

Grab 8 strands of small chartreuse flash, 2 strands of small red flash and 2 strands of small pearl flash. Fold them in 2 and cut them in the middle, roll the flash between your fingers to mix them.
Make sure the ends are uneven to create a natural look, when you have a nice bundle of flash put it on the shank and spread it around the shank with 50% to the back and 50% to the front.
Tie your flash in by doing 3 turns in the middle and then fold it over and tie the rest in, again finish by adding a drop of glue.

 

Take 3 strung saddle hackles in chartreuse and 2 in red, tie the chartreuse ones in on the top of your buck tail and your red ones on the bottom.

 

For the collar, I take 2 chartreuse strung saddle hackles and use the bottom part. Put it in the Marc Petitjean magic tool and cut the hard stamp off, make a dubbing loop and insert the fibres in the loop.

 

Spin the dubbing loop and brush out the fibres to create volume.

 

Start wrapping the hackle brush you made around your shank and pull the fibres back while wrapping so the fibres are pointing backwards tie off the brush, finish with a drop of super glue.

 

To make a tag on the bottom cut away the chartreuse part and grab a red strung saddle hackle. Use the bottom part in your Marc Petitjean magic tool and cut away the stamp, after that use the magic stacker or just grab all the material together and tie it in on the bottom.

 

Mix some epoxy and cover the shank in a very thin layer of epoxy, slide your popper head over the shank and make sure it is straight by looking at the hook eye. Add some eyes with epoxy and cover them in a thin layer of epoxy so they won’t come off after catching a fish.

 

Here is the finished product, you have a great popper for perch, asp, …
Use a loop knot to get the best action and make sure to use some strong tippet.
Make sure the water is warm enough and shallow enough to be able to catch a fish on a popper.

Get out there and get the thrill of your life by catching a fish on a popper!

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