Smallmouth Fly Fishing Tactics: the Popper-Dropper Technique

Hanging a streamer off of the end of a popper can be a great fish producing technique. Check out how we put the rig together, cast it and fish it.

[@chbeagles]

An interesting concept, I'll be sure to try it. Thank you for the videos, after 40 years my wife and younger brother decided they both want to learn fly fishing your videos have definitely helped them out and save me some time.

[@juwright1949]

Great vid, I have been using this combination for years while floating in a canoe in the Ozark’s. Excellent!👍🏻

[@anthonyhipps8500]

I've been fly fishing the popper and dropper technique for over 30 years. It works on smallmouth and largemouth bass. Also try a #6 weightless rubber legged nymph as the dropper fly. God Bless and Tight Lines, Anthony Hipps

[@nicolelewis1828]

This is brilliant! I can't wait to try this! (especially with the Weamer!) :-) Thanks Peter.

[@derekspace]

Love the old reel. I still use my SA System 1 I bought in 1991. Great info, thanks!

[@scottlysle]

I loved seeing the gurgler for the point fly; that was brilliant. I was thinking this video could have been a good how-to for using rim control too - that part was fun to watch.

[@hooked4lifeca]

Typically I edit the fight scenes down, but figured I leave this one in since it was the only hookup that morning.

[@OutdoorsMyLife]

Great video, I need to try this

[@SurfSkagit]

Old concept rig locally in Nj also, great take Peter, love the rig in my local surf and bay spots, we use a perfection loop to the popper hook bend for a quick point fly change, it also never tangle, fun to watch my full size Bob's banger popper head going down just 30' from the surf line. Thanks for sharing!!

[@hooked4lifeca]

One approach I've seen at the Cape was with a spinning rod and a large popper with all hooks removed. A clouser was tied as a point fly to the popper. The vast majority of the hits were on the fly so the guy didn't think he missed much by leaving the hooks off.

[@SurfSkagit]

@@hooked4lifeca same here Peter for false albacore,same as the ''casting egg'' but with a lucky strike popper fully rig!! and the retrieving was with no popper action, only holding the point fly tight, I use it year round here in the surf, link below it's my favorite take from the rocks on that same rig concept. How's the season going up there so far? kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3KQf5l3Zcx5m6c

[@hooked4lifeca]

That looks like fun. Thanks to the pandemic, I haven't fished for stripers since 2019, so I'm hoping I can get back in 2022. Trout and steelhead fishing around here has sucked over the last few years, but smallie fishing is getting better. Cheers

[@gregkosinski2303]

@@hooked4lifecasounds like a growing area with increasing water temp

[@OregonFishingAdventures]

lol when you said "who said smallmouth dont run" i laughed cuz smallies are such a blast to catch and way way harder fighting fish then largemouth bass lol

[@flyfishingchannel]

Great video!

[@reevesar77]

great video. As usual. Do you have instructions for the flies available?

[@reevesar77]

my apologies. Missed the links!!

[@academicmailbox7798]

The about this is Charles. Even competition bass pro anglers. Faced with a lot of open water. In front of them like that. And finding themselves. With a fish bite. That has just evaporated. Into thin air (because the bass underneath have changed feeding pattern or behavior somehow).

[@academicmailbox7798]

I've watched footage. Of some bass competition angling. And this is the thing. Which really scares the pro bass anglers. It's like in World War Two. You are afraid. That the other side. Is going to change the encryption key. And all of your hard work. In trying to unravel the communications. Is pointless. All of a sudden. That is what it's like. Watching pro bass anglers a lot. They know. They can find themselves. In contact with fish. And getting towards a respectable fish limit in weight. Or measured in inches in length. One minute. And the next. The place turns barren for them. Even before they get. To five fish. And they are. Without any plan.

[@academicmailbox7798]

Many of the competition anglers. Even talk about. Getting to nine o'clock in the morning (where the time limit is three 'PM'). And if they have not a limit. In their boat or kayak. By around nine AM. They start to fear (because that high activity period, between really early first light and nine AM). Has elapsed. And they have not yet. Put that fourth and fifth bass fish. In their boat or kayak. It worries them. Because they know. How hard it came be. To de-code. What is going on. Between the time of nine AM. And three PM. A period of six hours. They have left over. But it's by far and away. The hardest six hours. Of all to fish in. To find fish. Never mind. To catch. And the thing of getting non-committed bites from fish. And losing them. All of those things. The wheels all fall off the wagon. At the same time. Between nine AM and three PM.

[@academicmailbox7798]

I've seen some of the very best of them. Throw back. A small fish and not keep it. Between first light and nine AM. Thinking that the bite. In the morning. Will keep going. And still find themselves. At five minutes to three PM. In the day time. Looking to re-catch one of those small fish. They had thrown back earlier. To reach 'five' fish. Having drawn a complete blank. For that last six hours. Competition bass angling. Is very much a game. Of two halves therefore. And the truth is. That by the time. You've caught three to four good fish. Early in the morning. Or even one or two. Takeable fish. A lot of hours. Than just evaporate. While doing that. You see video footage. Of these bass anglers. Catching four or five fish straight. In a matter of no time at all. And you think. Wow, bass fishing is real easy. Or these anglers. Are just really good. The reality is though. That's what it's like. When they are dialled in. To what is going on.

[@academicmailbox7798]

That can all change then. And they find themselves. Totally rudder-less. And without a plan. And into that empty space of frustration. Creeps the aspects. Such as panick and demoralization. It's hard actually. To return back. To stable territory. When that happens. And this idea. Of the larger bait. That can attract. Some attention. And the smaller bait. That fish might actually take. By the way. Species such as sea-run brown trout. In freshwater. Obey precisely the same behavior and patterns. As these freshwater bass fish do (and maybe it's similar, because sea run brown trout came really from places such as the Baltic ocean). Where you even have 'Pike' over there. Who occupy water. With a small level of saltwater content in it. These sea-run brown trout. Obey things such as tides, and changing times of day. They are mainly noctural hunters. And everything that I notice. About warmer water species. Such as freshwater bass. I've seen with sea-run brown trout. In low freshwater conditions too.

[@academicmailbox7798]

Sure, sea-run brown trout. Here in western Europe. Do not feed as such. In freshwater. However, their whole regime and pattern. Does not change. All of a sudden. Because they swim a number of miles. Up from saltwater. And into freshwater. As a migratory species of fish. They follow. More or less. The same pattern. As I see. With north American freshwater bass. And is true. Of a lot of saltwater species. However, I'm amazed at that. That unlike the fly anglers. Who fish for migratory species. What you don't find the freshwater bass anglers. In conventional tackle doing. Is paying nearly enough attention. To their 'size' of bait. That they use.

[@johnscibal]

Would a clouser work for the streamer?

[@hooked4lifeca]

It would have to be quite light to avoid dragging the popper down. An unweighted streamer that rides well in slow currents, would work better.

[@darrenlongar82]

Do you have to tie to the bend, could you not just run a long tag end and tie the pointer to that?

[@hooked4lifeca]

There are a number of ways to add the dropper. I just find that I get less of a tangling problem by tying to the bend.

[@countrycreekclips4749]

Explained simply, thank you, otherwise I'll be 🛶🎣🐟🌲