Modern fishing is not an ordinary hobby, but exciting a process that is constantly being improved, gaining more and more popularity. The changes relate directly to the principles and traditions of fishing, as well as equipment, tackle and everything that, to a greater or lesser extent, is associated with fishing.
It’s not only about the modernization of well-known tackle, but also about relatively new inventions that are quickly finding widespread use among fishing fans. It is interesting that not only well-known companies are involved in this, but also inventors from among the fishermen themselves.
One of these inventions, expanding the scope of traditional spinning fishing, is the so-called popla-popper – a hybrid of a float and the famous noisy surface bait for predatory fish.
The popular spinning lure, the popper, has been transformed into a special tackle that acts as a bite alarm and as an additional bait that works in conjunction with other baits – artificial or natural. Fishing with a pop-popper is a highly effective method of catching peaceful and predatory fish in a variety of conditions, including poor flotation, which is an obstacle to other lures.
Creation history
Popla-popper is a symbiosis of two different elements, previously unrelated to each other and used until now in a narrow specialization. The idea to combine them into one belongs to the angler-inventor Viktor Omelchenko. An avid fisherman, he once decided to rework his grandfather’s tackle for catching rudd in order to significantly increase its functionality. The result of the experiment was an interesting miniature and ultra-light float bait tackle that combines the advantages of a float and a popper. Although the main task of the pop-popper was to catch the rudd, as it turned out, other fish, including carp and trout, are perfectly caught with this bait.
Let’s take a closer look at what a pop-popper is and how does it work?
A popla popper is a wooden or plastic bait of a semicircular, streamlined shape with a notch typical for poppers to generate sounds and splashes. Simply put, this is a float that has the ability to popper squish during posting. For better control, the lure is made in a bright color: yellow, red, white – each with black specks. This coloration resembles fly agaric or ladybugs and provides perfect visibility in a variety of conditions. For example, a yellow popla-popper will not be noticeable against the background of aquatic vegetation burnt out in the summer heat, in this case it is wiser to use red or white. At the same time, there is an opinion that carp bite better on yellow, and in suitable, contrasting, environmental conditions, it should not be abandoned. Red – may not be noticeable in the shade of coastal trees or in cloudy weather, then white or yellow will be more relevant.
Due to the ideal smoothness and shape resembling a drop, the lure’s flight qualities are very high. Instead of triple popper hooks, the pop-popper has two loops: one is for attaching a fishing line, the other is for a leash with a hook and bait, often artificial in the form of a larva, fly, maggot, etc. The use of one small hook, almost completely hidden under the silicone bait, significantly reduces the risk of snags. It is not for nothing that connoisseurs of popla-poppers call them non-engaging gear.
Industrial baits are presented in two size categories:
- MPP – 23 mm.
- BPP – 30 mm. (Large ones are only yellow and red)
Handcrafted lures are also miniature. In the largest ones, the length usually does not exceed 30-35 mm, and they weigh about 2-5 grams. The length of the leash depends on the type of fish, its location and the depth of the reservoir. The inventor himself recommends using a leash about 15 cm long. But some fishermen use longer leashes – from 20 to 50 centimeters.
Fishing methods and guidance
You can fish with a pop-popper both from the boat and from the shore. Taking into account the minimum weight of the rod and installation, it is quite convenient to wade with this tackle, moving from place to place in search of active fish or specifically the one that they were going to hunt. When casting the tackle, you need to wait a little until the baited hook is completely submerged in the water. Often, if a fish is active, it will bite right away. If it does not bite, try to stir up the underwater inhabitants by passing the bait in light jerks, alternating them with short pauses. So you can fish a large area in search of interested fish. The more actively the fish behaves, the faster the speed of the posting and the more intense the jerks should be. If the fish is sluggish or too cautious, run the pop-popper smoothly, with long pauses. Try to tease tease her, not scare her away.
What is caught with a pop-popper, where and when?
As it was said earlier, first of all, a redfin is caught on a pop-popper. This nimble fish loves to feed in areas overgrown with algae, mainly in shallow water. Most often, its habitat is small bays of reservoirs and rivers. You can also find her in small lakes, where she huddles in flocks and rummages through the expanses of water in search of a suitable place for feeding. However, rudd is also found in larger bodies of water. It is better to look for her there from a boat.
You can fish throughout the warm season up to autumn frosts.
Pop-popper fishing in spring
As a rule, fish are quite active almost immediately after the ice melts. During floods, rudd can be found in places where the river floods – on flooded lawns, under trees and bushes. The water there warms up much earlier by the sun, and the grass and between the roots are full of worms and larvae suitable for food.
In the past, the rudd was classified as a peaceful fish. As it turned out, in fact, it is omnivorous – it feeds on algae, all sorts of small insects living near the water and fry. This explains her excellent reaction to a pop-popper, imitating a fluttering fry or an insect that has fallen into the water with squelching sounds.
Incomplete list of fish that can be caught with a popla-popper:
- roach;
- perch;
- crucian carp;
- carp;
- carp;
- trout;
- grass carp;
- chub;
- top water;
- asp;
- ide;
- other peaceful fish and predators.
Capricious roach and shy top-water are caught by pop-popping along with rudd. Fishing for roach on a popla-popper is carried out almost the entire season. Medium and small fish are located at a depth of about 1-2 meters in coastal areas among thickets of underwater grass, where they feed on small crustaceans, algae, bloodworms and other insects. Eagerly responding to a splash of bait, it floats to the surface. Sometimes, at the time of special activity, a larger fish, which was previously hidden at great depths, can become prey.
To catch a variety of fish, you can experiment with bait. For example, perch, pike, chub and asp swallow ordinary silicone or flavored “snacks” without any problems, and to catch crucian carp or carp you will most likely need their favorite live red worms. The carp usually walks far from the shore, but for a pop-popper capable of flying at a distance of 30 meters and further, this is not a problem. By the way, you can additionally attach a pellet to the fishing line to lure bottom fish. This is done in order to make the tackle a little heavy, and during the wiring, the baited hook dragged closer to the bottom. Not only the carp, but also the common carp goes well with this bait.
Popla-carp fishing – an unusual way of catching carp
Carp, unlike crucian carp, is inactive and inactive during the daytime. Usually he hides in such places of the reservoir, where light almost does not penetrate. Its presence is found in lakes, ponds, shallow calm streams, reservoirs with stagnant water. If a forest grows along the coast, it is an ideal habitat for this species of fish. It is possible to detect the location of the carp by ear by the characteristic smacking sounds made by them during feeding.
It is best to catch carp in summer in the heat at an air temperature of about + 30. As a rule, a predatory fish is not caught in such weather, but the carp just begins to smack. Winding is different from catching rudd, when it is enough for the bait to squish, attracting fish. When catching carp, the pop-popper is more like a float than a popper. Not only should the game with the tackle be very smooth and calm, when fishing for carp, it is important to very accurately throw the bait a little further than the place where the smacking is heard, and carefully guide it closer to the fish, keeping pauses for seven seconds.
Fishing for carp with a popla popper is just as exciting as catching rudd or roach, and is quite successful based on the results. Sometimes you come across such large specimens that it can be problematic to pull out with an ultralight spinning rod. If you are going to hunt carp with a pop-popper, take care of a landing net, the most durable rod and high-quality hooks that are convenient for baiting a standard artificial maggot.
Let’s summarize the obvious advantages of the pop-popper:
- Catchability – when used correctly, the tackle works like an excellent bait with one hundred percent result.
- Versatility – used in different conditions, for luring and catching different types of fish: peaceful and predatory, high-water and bottom.
- Functionality – functions as a float and surface bait.
- Non-snagging – thanks to its shape and design, the pop-popper easily goes through the most overgrown places without snagging, keeping all other rigs intact.
- High payback at minimal costs – the price of the product is affordable for everyone and is not comparable even with a small part of the subsequent catch.