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Indestructable Bass popper

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I have been experimenting with a way to make some indestructable poppers for bass,could make them smaller for panfish also,these pictured are larger ones,2 inch bodies,I started with some packing foam,the plastic type foam that comes in electronic packaging and other small appliance packaging,I cut it to shape very easy with a sharp knife.I then srewed an eye screw in one end to hold the body,a 3 inch eye screw to be exact,I then used some plasti-dip,the liquid plastic rubber that is used to make handles on your pliers and small hand tools,found in most hardware stores,It comes in red,yellow,blue black and whit and clear,I dipped the popper body in the plastidip and let it dry,after it dried I formed a wire and inserted it and atatched the tail and hook,I took more plasti-dip and painted spots on the body and sealed the wire holes with more plasti-dip,The end result is a bait that has a sealed rubber coating,I can be squeezed,crushed,bitten and retains its shape,They cast very far as they are a fairly heavy popper but float excellent,The plasti-dip is very inexpensive and can also be used to dip wood lures also,I tried to coat a few wood lures and it worked great,just wanted to share this stuff with the rest of you,It has a lot of different uses and im sure someone will come up with a lot more,and GO PACK

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Ive also used the plasti-dip on carved balsa poppers,its an easy way to seal and color the bait all in one step,its really great stuff,I keep a supply on hand just to get the creative juices going ,I want to try it on soft plastics,It may have a use for coloring eyes on baits or just to dip the head or legs for a different effect,its really tuff stuff,wont snap when stretched and its sealing ability is wonderful:),im sure someone has probably used it on other applications,if so let us know,thanks again

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I havent had any bad experience with it,i use it all the time,Im have poppers that are 6 years old and still look like the day I made them.Not sure if they changed the formula or not.Never had it peel on lures,I also give multiple coats,By all means try this stuff and see for your self,I love it for the poppers that are foam and balsa,They poppers pictured are 3 years old and used a lot,notice no dirt or peeling,Let it dry completly,I also bought the thinner they sell for this stuff,you can thin it down when doing multiple dips.

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No,the clear is not that clear and its a rubber type product so it will be a bit cloudy,I would not use it to cover any paint job,I have used the colored dip on wood lures ,heres an example,I carved a topwater bass plug,I dipped it in yellow plastidip,painted on some details,fins etc,paint sticks well to it,then I coated it with devcon 2 ton,you could not tell it wasnt paint but it is thicker and seals better than paint,also dont pay any more than 6-$7.00 for a 14.5 ounce can,thats all it cost from a menards or a hardwarestore,jans is very high on this product.

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I have been experimenting with a way to make some indestructable poppers for bass,could make them smaller for panfish also,these pictured are larger ones,2 inch bodies,....

OK, Pro now when you get down to 2" you are getting into my upper range for Big Bass Popping bugs I've been making nearly 60 years. Big Bass are a lot smarter today. I guess a ten year old momma that has been caught and released 1000-1500 times in her life either gets smarter or gets eaten. So with fly rod developments, today's tackle will easily hurl popping bugs 1 1/4" diameter and two inches long - if you make them "right". So here is the short version of how I do it.

1. Flotation. First I make sure the final version of the popping bug floats horizontally on the water's surface. I make this happen by hook placement in the popper body. Your treble hook will do just the opposite. When twitched, your bug will go from vertical to horizontal then back to vertical. This is a very unnatural action in nature. I try to avoid it.

2. In the meniscus. I use the capillary attraction of water to the bug and its treatment to help keep it horizontal. In fact today I rely more on minor movements to attract BIG Bass in lieu of noisy popping which scare oft-caught bass away in a heart beat. Your bug has no legs. Except for some minnow patterns, I nearly always leg my bugs.

3. Roll, Pitch and Yaw. Popping Bug design is a lot like space craft design - but easier. Pulling a bug through water is much like passing a ship through space.

I correct roll by gluing my hook on the bottom, not middle, of the body. The hook's bend corrects roll.

Yaw is corrected by retrieving the bug. If the bug lurches to the right or to the left, retrieval will force it into a straght line, which is the normal direction of most prey.

Pitch, the degree off horizontal, is corrected by hook placement. If the hook point is almost even with the bug's rear, the popping bug will float nearly horizontal. To test this out, drop it into water and adjust.

4.Water disturbance features. A popping Bug that floats horizontally can have shaped faces that disturb water when twitched all the way from just barely to a huge disruption. Over the years I've found that sloped, cupped, and other shapes are far more effective than flat fronts.

5. Body material. Originally I used cork and balsa. Cork is on the heavy side ( 12 to 18 pounds per cubic foot) and labor-intensive to cover the pits. Ten to 12 pounds per cubic foot Balsa has its sealing problems and 4 pounds per cubic foot racing balsa is structurally weak, so I have been looking for other wood and plastic foam bodies. Poly packing material is way too flimsy for my use. I'm looking for a more dense material but light in the 4 pound per cubic foot range.

6. Hook stability. I use kinked shank popper hooks and a great adhesive to keep the hook from turning in the bug body. Sadly the hooks available on the market do not fit my needs so I'm searching for a source. That's why I developed the hook testing machine, see Do It Yourself Tools thread.

7. Paints. I have long used selected Testors paints and in more recent years use Wapsi primer, base, paint and top gloss. Since I always drill through the body to insert legs, the paint must separate without chipping. I have NOT had good luck with Plastidip. It is difficult to drill, the colors are off and the shelf life is short. It does not mix with other paints I've used. My son is experimenting with some automobile paints. I'm hard on paint - bouncing bugs off logs, rocks and docks so a great paint would be good to find.

Hope these comments give you another perspective and are helpful.

Good luck!

John

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Thanks for your insite,I have to say this lure floats great,pops even Greater and I have caught many largemouth over 7 pounds with this popper,They take about 1/2 hour to make and cost next to nothing,no scientific research or methods,just good old creativity,Im not into fly fishing much anyway but this is a great bass popper in any water,Ill put it up against anything youve got for big abss,thanks

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Just to respond to some of your comments,1.The treble hook counters the weight of the lure very nicely,no diving when popping as you suggest,it also gives a much better hook set on a larger fish than your single hook,ive used this popper for over 6 years and the single hook lures in this range dont come close when your dealing with a bucket mouth,and Im not going for natural action when it comes to a bass popper,I have much better fishing when the lure runs irratic,we are not fishing trout with these,we fish for aggessive bass and they work well,I have had large bass come from 15-20 feet away to atack these,never remember scaring one away though,I give these to my fishing rental customers and I also guide on the flowage lakes here in wi and they love them.2.the bug has legs,the skirt on the rear mimmicks legs and has great movement when twitched.3.The flat front works fine,Ive made some with concave and like those also.4.The poly material combine d with the rubber coating work very well and its very tough,it also can be squeased and retains it shape,no cracking,peeling.I take it you have never tried this combo so how can you comment on its strength,its very strong when combined.5.I( dont have to worry about this hook turning.6,I just poke a hole in it and then reseal it with more dip,ive drilled it also with no problem,Ive had open containers of this for a long time,need to use tin foil to seal top before putting on the lid,the manufacturer has a lot of info on how to care for this product,And last but not least i Painted a bunch of bass plugs with createx over the plastidip and they came out great,then coated with epoxy,no problems at all,I know I dont have a lot of post here so I think people assume you have no knowledge or you dont test these things,Ive been fishing for over 40 years and been making lures for about 5 years,So I just thought id clarify a few things,The plastidip may have some uses for people here and thats why I posted this,Ill nesver buy another popper ,thats how good it works for me,I also made a buch of crappie poppers with small trebles and they work great also,so I guess one mans nightmare is another mans dream,dont be afraid to try this stuff,it has some good uses.

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I guide on the cranberry flowage es in jackson county,I have access to many private ponds and also guide on the public access lakes,I also have a 3 bedroom mobile on an acre in the heart of the flowages that is for rent all summer for fisherman,I also have 4 acres on my main property for campers also.

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