A Day on the Water — Bass Poppers

10) North Channel Smallmouth, Popovics' Popper Pattern RULES! July 10

Bass Poppers Big Smallmouth Bob's Banger Popper Marabou Banger Popper Pike Popper Popovick's Jiggy

10) North Channel Smallmouth, Popovics' Popper Pattern RULES! July 10

On the long padIe downstream from the launch in Saint Johns Marsh, I tried for largemouth in some new to me shallow weedy bays and some seawall spots, nothing there.  Nearer the mouth of the North Channel, the current flowed briskly over deep, partially weeded flat. Drifting along the 8 foot contour, casting Poppers out across the current toward 12 or 15 ft depths near the edge of the much deeper central channel.  On the first drift the White 3/0 Marabou Banger got hit by a very big, hard fighting smallmouth that shook the hook on the first high jump.  I stopped to set...

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Wakeley ReDo, Bug Worm Popper is Born

Bass Bass Poppers Broken Barb Hooks Kayak Bass

Wakeley ReDo, Bug Worm Popper is Born

  Wakely Lake is a long drive and a long way to drag a kayak full of fly gear just to land a few (6) bass12 to 16 inches.  I was busy with many smaller  bass, a couple bluegills and a pumpkinseed.    The best pattern was to cast Poppers to lily pad edges across deep, scattered, upward growing pond weed.  Then 3 pops and a pause.  Today, like last week, a Lime Chartreuse Bug Popper pattern was much better than black.  Fishing deep with a bead head Clouser (Popovic's Jiggy) in Chartreuse and White got a small pike and fast action on...

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Poppers for Saginaw Bay Tributary Large Mouth

Bass Poppers Kayak Bass Kayak Fishing Pike Poppers Popping Wedge

Poppers for Saginaw Bay Tributary Large Mouth

From mid May to some time mid summer, good sized Largemouth Bass run up a short distance into Saginaw Bay tributaries.  Even the smallest, marginal streams can get good numbers of fish.  There are usually some pike with them that are mostly small to medium sized.  Only occasionally do you find what you would call a big pike.  There are also a few Walleye, Bowfin, Channel Cats, Carp, Sheephead or Gar that show up, sometime in big numbers.  They hit flies like Rabbit Strip Leaches, Poppers or Floating Divers depending on species.  Carp hit oversized Hex Nymphs, and the Gar can...

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Poppers Lessons Learned on Belleville Lake

Bass Poppers Bob's Banger Popper Kayak Bass

Easy trip, low expectations because the bass here see a lot of pressure. I fished a point forming a narrows on this upper end of this Huron River impoundment. Weed growth was at the perfect stage to allow casting to shoreline cover. About 100 yards down the point toward a shallow bay got an 11 inch Smallmouth then a 17 incher that was  bleeding badly before I got a hold of her lip.  The barbless hook came out of her gills easily, I never lifted out of the water and let her go without a photo.  Bluegills were on beds and...

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Poppers in Huron Hot Spot, May 17, 2021

Bass Poppers Kayak Bass Pike Popping Wedge

I fished a shallow difficult to access Impoundment on the Huron River.  I put my kayak in at a shore fishing spot on a shallow oxbow that connects to the river. There were bass right there in the very shallow weedy water. Down toward the river, there were homes on the firm bank and an expanse of weed choked water back toward the inside of the oxbow bend.  The river fractures into a fan of channels at the upper end of this expansive but shallow impoundment.  Upstream into the first small serpentine channel, the water was deep and colder, and appeared sterile...

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