Umpqua Bass Popper Fly

Overview

The Umpqua Bass Popper is a classic hard-body topwater bug for largemouth bass that pops, chugs and gurgles across the surface. Its cupped face throws water and makes noise that bass can hear and feel from a distance, while rubber legs and a marabou tail keep moving even when the popper sits still. That pause is often the moment a bass decides to eat.

A screened splatter-pattern head with large, bright eyes and a hackle collar finish the look, and a stout, wide-gap stinger hook holds big fish. It suggests frogs, struggling baitfish and insects that have fallen on the water. Few things in fly fishing match watching a bass blow up on a popper.

How to Fish It

• Pop and pause: cast near lily pads, docks or downed wood, give a sharp strip to pop it, then let it sit for several seconds before the next pop.
• Steady retrieve: when bass are chasing, strip it continuously so it looks like something fleeing.
• Over weed beds: work it over submerged weeds where bass hold and look up.
• Timing: late spring through early fall, especially at dawn, dusk and on calm days.
• Gear: a 6- to 8-weight rod with a short, stout leader turns over the bulky bug and helps pull bass out of cover.

Choosing Color and Size

Chartreuse is the high-visibility choice for stained water, low light and fish that respond to bright color. Fluorescent Green leans closer to a frog while staying easy to see in clear water and under cloud.

Both come in size 6, a good all-around size for largemouth, smallmouth and big panfish.