Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - Fly Fish America - September 2007 Issue - Index

8
version some three inches long. In water
shallow enough to allow tails and backs
to become apparent, a size 1 between
2- and 2.5-inches long has proven to be
better. And in areas where the water is a
LOT clearer than in those where I have
mostly fi shed, a size 4 around 1.5-inches
long is often preferred. Those extremes
will probably vary with different areas,
so simply use the fi rst sentence in this
paragraph as a rule of thumb.
The weather also plays an important
role in the best use of poppers. Cloudy
days have never been as good as bright
ones, and calm bright days are the best.
Use smaller-sized poppers on those, and
slightly larger ones on the days when the
surface is a bit ruffl ed. And if it's choppy,
chuck a spinnerbait. Also, falling or low
tides have been most productive in the
areas I've fi shed, but that may differ in
other places. The point here is to use a
popper in the proper conditions instead
of a "sinking something? in the waters
you normally fl y fi sh for reds.
While prospecting with a popper-and
that can be around grassy
points and pockets along a shoreline, as
well as atop benthic structure in more
open water-the best retrieve seems to
consist of steady, moderately-paced soft
pops. Create it with line-strips and the
rod's tip held low and pointed directly
at the fl y. And if a sudden and rather
unexpected watery explosion doesn't
shatter your concentration, set the hook
with a single, fi rm strip.
That's all pretty plain-vanilla stuff, but
it changes radically when you are sight
fi shing. Then you get to watch the fi sh's
entire attack unfurl before you. Here's
where it gets really easy to snatch the fl y
away from the eager fi sh (been there/done
that a bunch of times). My only explanation
of why it's so much easier to do
that with a popper than with a "sinking
something? is that when using one of
the latter types, most folks wait for a tug
before yanking. On the other hand, folks
accustomed to fl y fi shing for freshwater
creatures with fl oating fl ies yank at the
fi rst sign of a strike-at least I do. Whatever,
strive to control your reactions as
the fi sh turns to the popper and attacks
it. Keep up the retrieve, and only yank-
again with a line strip-after you feel the
tell-tale tug. Sound easy? You just wait!
While prospecting, there is no way
of telling how your popper is moving
along in relation to the fi sh's position.
Conversely, you can tell it easily when
you can see the fi sh, and the importance
of the fl y NOT approaching a red seems
to be much greater with poppers than
with sinking flies. This is especially
critical in very shallow water. If possible,
try to place the fl y about two feet ahead
of and on or slightly beyond the line
of the fi sh's movement. A little further
ahead-but not too much-is better
than a little less.
Unlike specks, redfi sh seldom attempt
to "stun? a popper before they eat it; a
strike is almost always 100% business.
There are times, however, when a red
will follow a popper for a short distance
and then turn away from it. And if I
suggested what to do to convince any
such fi sh to eat, the odds are good that
I'd be wrong. Continuing the retrieve
at the same pace usually doesn't work.
Sometimes a brief pause, followed by the
resumption of the same retrieve does, but
an overall slowing of the retrieve doesn't.
Usually. And it seems that speeding up
the retrieve never does. Not for me,
anyway. Hopefully, you won't encounter
many of these tentative fi sh, but you will
probably run across some of them. When
you do . . . well, good luck. But try the
brief pause.
Poppers that are effective for reds can
be found in many shapes, colors, and sizes
in coastal fl y shops as well as in mail-order
catalogs. I would avoid pencil-poppers,
since their focal points-the eyes-are
so far from the hook's point, and that
could result in missed strikes. Whatever, a
recipe for creating one that has accounted
for most of my popper-caught reds can
be found in Fly Fishing the Louisiana
Coast (Countryman Press, 2004). Try
'em the next time you are in a suitable
setting-you'll be well entertained!
Pete Cooper, Jr. is a contributing editor
to FFA, and has probably caught
more reds than the rest of the staff combined.
Pete lives in Louisiana.
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