What I will show you here is a simple one color popper made using a #8 hook.  I can tell you that they work extremely well and they are durable.  I like the #8 for bluegill.  I have tied them on #10 hooks using ¼” foam cylinders but the bream suck those in so far the fish are injured sometimes and I wear out the poppers faster using forceps to reach into the fish’s mouth. 

Step 1 – Here I am using a 5/16th” cylinder.  Use a sharp single edge razor blade and a soft pine 1 x 12 board for cutting.  Make your first cut at about a 45 degree angle making the body long enough to cover much of the hook but leaving plenty of room to tie in the tail.  When making the cut you can move the razor blade to make the cut but only move it in one direction.  A back and forth motion results in an uneven cut. 

Once your body has been cut you will notice what is left on the cylinder is an exact replica of your first cut.  So, you can cut your second body by making a flat perpendicular straight cut and you have your second body.  If you have enough of the cylinder left you may get another body out of it.  This 90 degree ramp has a purpose.  When the fish takes the fly and closes it’s mouth the ramp actually pushes the hook into some tissue. 

Step 2 – At the base of the ramp make a straight cut leaving a flat surface where the rear of the hook will come out of the body. 

Step 3 – This step is optional and requires a Dremel Tool mounted to some sort of device to hold it for you.  Mine is an inexpensive attachment that is supposed to make your Dremel tool into a drill press.  I got mine at Home Depot.  The drill press does not fit all Dremel Tools. 

You will also need a cone shaped grinder.  I’ve cupped the face on a lot of poppers.  One thing I learned early on is you should wear safety glasses.  When I was learning to do this I had some bodies fly out of my fingers and one hit me in the forehead.  I also tried using two fingers to form the mouth and hold the Dremel with my other hand.  That did not work for me. I guess you could hold the Dremel Tool between your legs.  I don’t like having power tools running at several thousand rpm’s between my legs for obvious reasons.

I use a medium speed on the Dremel, make a small hole in the center of the popper body then turn the body with my fingers slowly to widen the popper’s smile. I put a recessed mouth on most of my poppers but it is not necessary. 

The bass seem to like the added noise and moving water. When my popper hits the water I give them one jerk so everyone knows it is there.  Then I wait.  If a bluegill does not show up I start stripping and making noise to see if a bass is home.

Step 4 – This takes practice too.  Line up your razor blade on the belly of the popper and make a cut about halfway into the body.  This will allow you to slide the body over the hook.  With practice you will learn to get the cut straight.  A straight cut is important so the popper tracks straight when you jerk it in the water.  Make this cut after you have cupped the mouth.  The hard part is over.  The rest is easy.  I would make a dozen bodies before starting on the next steps.

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