How to Make Bass Poppers

If you enjoy the thrill of a fast-paced surface strike from a bass, consider using a bass popper fly. This fly pattern is modifiable via colors or hook size, allowing you to customize a fly for your lake or bass area. A popper uses a foam head that floats along the surface, bringing the bass up for violent and exciting strikes. A bass popper is also a good fly to begin the craft of tying as it is one of the easier fly patterns to master.

Things You'll Need

  • Fly vise
  • Forceps
  • Daiichi Stinger hook size 4
  • Saddle hackle
  • Marabou
  • Foam popper body
  • 3-D eyes
  • Round rubber
  • Spray paint
  • Fly thread
  • Glue
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Push the end of the hook onto the popper foam head, then spray paint it in the color of your choice. As a general rule, black is a good option for a default color.

    • 2

      Grab the hook at the curve in the jaws of the fly vise. Use the forceps to wrap the entire length of the hook shank with the fly thread.

    • 3

      Wrap the back end of the shank, just above the curve, with the marabou. Fluff up the marabou and keep the ends facing out from the curve. Wrap five or six wraps of thread around the marabou on the shank.

    • 4

      Take four hackle feathers and place them between the fingers so there are two feathers on each side. Fluff them out so they form a cylindrical cone shape at the opening.

    • 5

      Set the hackle feathers along the sides of the shank and wrap them to the fly at the upper portion of the shank. Extend the hackle feathers out from the marabou, making two-tiered feathering between the materials.

    • 6

      Add the two rubber legs to the top of the fly, near the eye of the hook. Wrap three to four coils of the thread around the top of the legs to secure them to the fly.

    • 7

      Put a drop of glue onto the backside of each eye and glue them to the side of the popper head. Let the glue dry and take the fly out for use.