Popper and dropper

This is nothing new or revolutionary, but I thought I would post it for somebody who's just starting fly fishing.

A guy I work with expressed an interest in learning fly fishing. I gave him some advice on gear and flies, but then he said, "OK, so HOW do I fly fish?" I knew he would be fishing ponds for bass and bluegills, so the first thing that came to mind was "popper and dropper". I started to give him an explanation, but I did a quick Google search and found this very thorough description of the method:

“I am a big fan of the "popper and dropper" combination for bass and panfish. I have caught hundreds on this since moving to Illinois in 2001. I moved from New Hampshire where I was a devoted trout fisherman and learned I had to adapt to what was here. I still travel to trout water a few times each year but for everyday fishing go after what's available.

Put a large weedless popper on the end of a tapered bass leader. Tie a small weighted nymph like a copper john or a smaller wooly bugger to the bend in the popper hook so that it trails about 18 inches to two feet below the popper. I prefer using 4lb tippet material for this although bass and panfish don't seem to be very leader shy. I like black or dark green or brown for the dropper, perhaps with a little crystal flash or a splash of red but that's more preference than science. I have no idea what panfish and bass are looking for.It's possible the dropper looks like a little predator following the popper above and makes for an easy snack.

Cast this heavy, double mess out near weed beds or into holes in weed beds. Let the water settle from the initial splash. This gives the dropper time to drop. Make sure the popper is large enough so that the dropper doesn't sink it because the floating, splashing popper acts both as an attractant and as a strike indicator.

When the dropper is down, start splashing the popper with short, jerky stripping moves, no more than a few inches at a time. Sometimes you will get big bass to hit the popper and other times bluegills or crappie will hit the dropper. Sometimes it works in reverse and a big bass will grab the dropper or a 'gill will attack the popper, either way it is fun. Once in a while you get lucky and get two on at a time. That's a real trip.

This combination produces more fish for me than anything else I've tried. I learned it from an old fishing guide who claimed it is so good it should be illegal. Don't know about the legal part but it seems to work consistently in all weather and light conditions if you can keep the dropper out of the weeds.”

Tweak it as you see fit. For the record, I just use regular poppers (not weedless), and I use straight mono for the leader. I find that the rig turns over just fine without a tapered leader.

If you've never tried it before, give it a shot. It's a great method when the fish are shallow.

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Originally Posted by deathb4disco

This is nothing new or revolutionary, but I thought I would post it for somebody who's just starting fly fishing.

A guy I work with expressed an interest in learning fly fishing. I gave him some advice on gear and flies, but then he said, "OK, so HOW do I fly fish?" I knew he would be fishing ponds for bass and bluegills, so the first thing that came to mind was "popper and dropper". I started to give him an explanation, but I did a quick Google search and found this very thorough description of the method:

“I am a big fan of the "popper and dropper" combination for bass and panfish. I have caught hundreds on this since moving to Illinois in 2001. I moved from New Hampshire where I was a devoted trout fisherman and learned I had to adapt to what was here. I still travel to trout water a few times each year but for everyday fishing go after what's available.

Put a large weedless popper on the end of a tapered bass leader. Tie a small weighted nymph like a copper john or a smaller wooly bugger to the bend in the popper hook so that it trails about 18 inches to two feet below the popper. I prefer using 4lb tippet material for this although bass and panfish don't seem to be very leader shy. I like black or dark green or brown for the dropper, perhaps with a little crystal flash or a splash of red but that's more preference than science. I have no idea what panfish and bass are looking for.It's possible the dropper looks like a little predator following the popper above and makes for an easy snack.

Cast this heavy, double mess out near weed beds or into holes in weed beds. Let the water settle from the initial splash. This gives the dropper time to drop. Make sure the popper is large enough so that the dropper doesn't sink it because the floating, splashing popper acts both as an attractant and as a strike indicator.

When the dropper is down, start splashing the popper with short, jerky stripping moves, no more than a few inches at a time. Sometimes you will get big bass to hit the popper and other times bluegills or crappie will hit the dropper. Sometimes it works in reverse and a big bass will grab the dropper or a 'gill will attack the popper, either way it is fun. Once in a while you get lucky and get two on at a time. That's a real trip.

This combination produces more fish for me than anything else I've tried. I learned it from an old fishing guide who claimed it is so good it should be illegal. Don't know about the legal part but it seems to work consistently in all weather and light conditions if you can keep the dropper out of the weeds.”

Tweak it as you see fit. For the record, I just use regular poppers (not weedless), and I use straight mono for the leader. I find that the rig turns over just fine without a tapered leader.

If you've never tried it before, give it a shot. It's a great method when the fish are shallow.

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Thanks Kevin! Bob and I are going to hit the "pond" again Thursday and I'll give this a try.

Absolutely deadly technique!

Great info. I knew that I was keeping you guys around for a reason. My home lake has little or no vegitation. Lay downs and rocks. That should be a great tech.

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Originally Posted by Fred in Ky

Thanks Kevin! Bob and I are going to hit the "pond" again Thursday and I'll give this a try.

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I'm jealous! :D The P&D should work great there.

I only use a dropper rig as a last resort when nothing else is working mainly due to the fact that I have a hard time casting it. It was difficult to cast when I first began using it but I got better at it with practice although its still hard to cast. It can work great at times.

you bet it works ,in late summer when the water is still and clear i have seen gills rise to a slider and just look,but tie in a #12 dropper six or eight inches behind a little twitch and bam.

I like a spider pattern for Bluegills. Great in shallow water.

I learned this technique as a kid fishing with my older brother on the Caddo and Ouachita Rivers--very old, cheap flyrod with popping bug with a bream killer trailer, lots of bream, bass large and small mouth. Great memories, worked so well, don't use it anymore, much more sophisticated!!!

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Originally Posted by dixieangler

I only use a dropper rig as a last resort when nothing else is working mainly due to the fact that I have a hard time casting it. It was difficult to cast when I first began using it but I got better at it with practice although its still hard to cast. It can work great at times.

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Find you an old glass fly rod that specs for #8 floating line. You will improve your casting with this set up. It will be a bit more physical to throw, but you will get used to it. I prefer the heavier rod/line set up.