How to make a popper with your own hands for catching pike and perch

Materials and accessories

To make a popla popper with your own hands, you will need the following:

• Natural cork
• Paper clip
• Fishing sinker pellet
• Sandpaper
• Glue "Moment"
• Nail polish

Plus, you need to prepare some tools, namely:

In addition, you will need electronic kitchen scales and, if available, an electric sharpener, which can be replaced with a manual one.

Manufacturing process

Making a popper starts with giving it a shape. To do this, cut off all excess from the cork using a knife. But to do this, you need to decide on the size. It is not worth making a bait longer than 30 mm. The classic dimensions are as follows: the length of the large popper is exactly 30 mm, the length of the small one is 23 mm.

This, of course, is not a dogma; experiments are not forbidden, even encouraged. It is possible that you will be able to make an even more catchy bait, but you need to build on these numbers.

So, we cut off the excess length and make a notch on the side of the cut edge. It is needed so that when wiring the popper, you get a characteristic “chock”. A smooth recess is obtained using a large-diameter drill. It is done by hand.

The recess is ready:

Now you need to give the workpiece a shape. To do this, cut off all excess from the edge without a notch:

We get this semi-finished product:

After the shape of the pop-popper has emerged, the surface of the cork must be treated with coarse sandpaper. To do this, we take a drill, clamp it in a vice and make a device like this, where the self-tapping screw is designed to place a workpiece on it, and the plug serves as a kind of limiter.

We screw the plug onto the self-tapping screw, take the sandpaper in our hands and start the “installation”. After processing with coarse sandpaper, sand the surface with fine sandpaper.

The result is something like this:

Let's continue making the popper, namely, add weight to it and make an attachment for the main fishing line and leash. First - fastening. To make it you will need a regular paper clip.

• After some simple manipulations, the paper clip looks like this:
• We make a longitudinal cut to the center and insert the fastener.
• Fill the gap with Moment glue and clamp it in a vice.

After the glue has dried, you can continue making your own popper. Now, using a drill suitable in size to the diameter of the weight that we will insert, we make a hole. Again - manually.

We drip glue into it and place a weight of suitable weight.

The question arises: what weight to choose? We assume that the weight of a small popper is 1.8 g, a large popper is 3.7 g. Electronic kitchen scales are suitable for weighing.

Please note that this is the total weight of the plug with fastening and the weight, so do not forget to place the workpiece itself on the platform. To achieve a flat surface, the protruding part of the weight will have to be removed, and this must also be taken into account when weighing.

The practice of using homemade poppers shows that apothecary precision is not required here, but you still need to strive for the ideal.

To remove excess it is very convenient to use an electric sharpener.

We also place the weight on the glue and wait until it dries. With some skill and partial mechanization of labor, making a popper popper blank takes about half an hour.

Then you can turn to the services of a home designer in the image of your wife or daughter, or decorate the bait yourself. This is done using nail polish, the main thing is that it does not give a transparent effect when applied.

Buy a thick varnish, then the color will be the same as it looks in the bottle. A few words about choosing colors.

The fish don't care what type of popper it is, so make it so that it is clearly visible even on long casts. If the fishing takes place in an overgrown area of ​​the reservoir, and it is precisely for such places that the pop-popper is intended, then it should definitely not be green. The best option is red or yellow, and white is perfect for fishing at dusk.

Source: https://samrybak.ru/popla-popper-svoimi-rukami.html

Creating a blank

Making baits such as poppers or wobblers is extremely difficult, since manual processing of wood takes a lot of time. A significant advantage of a homemade popper is the long service life of the bait. High-quality work allows you to use the nozzle for many years, unless, of course, you tear the popper off by a snag. Thanks to its coverage area, the bait does not catch obstacles. Many anglers use poppers to fish in reed windows and over thick hornwort carpets.

As the main material you will need a beam of dense wood. If you use pine wood, the bait will quickly become unusable. Oak is the most difficult to process, but the choice can be made in favor of other deciduous trees. The main thing is to make sure that the workpiece does not have dense veins.

To create a popper you will need:

• wooden beam;
• hacksaw and stationery knife;
• metal wire;
• drill with a round attachment.

Many products have an elongated shape, but you can leave the workpiece in the form of an oval, which works great for perch. The center of gravity should be in the middle of the body, otherwise the clapping will be uneven. The length of the bait depends on its specialization. For pike, models from 7 centimeters are used, while perch and asp are perfectly caught with smaller products.

First of all, using a marker, you need to draw a stencil that will serve as a guide. Then you need to use a hacksaw to get rid of the excess wood. You can give the future popper its shape using a hunting knife, the blade of which has high sides. The model should be brought to perfection carefully, gradually removing wood from each edge. A utility knife will do the best job for this. Next, the workpiece is cleaned with sandpaper or a special grinding wheel. It is almost impossible to make a high-quality blade without a round nozzle. The depth of the notch can vary from 3 to 7 millimeters.

After the workpiece has acquired the appearance of a bait, it is necessary to start making mounting rings. The first ring is screwed into the blade, the next two - into the tail and middle of the nozzle, respectively. They are easy to make from stiff wire by cutting off the required piece and wrapping it around a thin screwdriver. For the reliability of the design, several revolutions along its axis are enough. The fastening rings are mounted into the wood and glued with cyanoacrylate glue.

Painting

Many anglers paint their poppers a bright color. This is done, first of all, to see the bait from afar, as well as at dusk. If you look from the bottom, then any object against the sky will appear black. It is for this reason that for pike or perch it does not matter what color the bait is.

Paint the popper with waterproof varnish. It is necessary to apply the paint in several layers so that it does not crack or fade over time. If you want to make the popper bright, then first of all you need to paint it white, and then use the required tone. The last layer of paint is clear varnish. The blade can be painted red, orange or light green.

DIY popper

How to make your own poplar poplar popper? In this article I will tell and show the process of making a popper at home.

An increasing number of spinning anglers prefer fishing with poppers. This bait is used mainly in fresh waters. In ponds and rivers overgrown with grass, a popper that looks like a fry will definitely attract pike or perch. This device attracts predators and significantly increases the catch, making fishing more exciting and fun.

Popper Features

Many experienced fishermen note that poppers can captivate even an inactive predator. Wiring the bait creates noise and splashes, provoking the fish to an instinctive reflex attack. The device is also supported by the fact that it rarely clings to snags and is wasted.

• Poppers are usually divided into 3 types:
• • with front loading;
• • with rear loading;
• • with average shipment.

The front load provides the device with the ability to dive and move smoothly at a shallow depth, which reaches 10 cm. The rear load is needed for long casts. The working depth of such a bait is at least 40 cm. The average load contributes to a heavier flight of the popper during casting, but the device does not sink deeply, but can withstand a dive of 20 cm.

Making your own bait is not difficult. To work you will need:

1. • a small block of wood (10X6X4 cm);
2. • wire (for “ears”);
3. • glue;
4. • tee hook;
5. • material for shipment (tin or lead);
6. • stationery knife;
7. • hacksaw for metal;
8. • a piece of sandpaper;
9. • pencil;
10. • waterproof paints or varnish.

Step-by-step making of a popper

1) A wooden block (the wood must be soft) is sawn into 3 parts. From each such part you can make a separate figurine.

2) On the surface of the block you need to draw an image of the future bait. Then the specified shape is cut out from the drawing. The cut of the front working side is made oblique. For this job you will need a knife, a file and sandpaper.

3) A correctly made workpiece is symmetrical and does not have chips.

4) A central cut is made at the bottom of the workpiece. The cutting depth should not be greater than the middle of the mold. Lead will be poured into this hole.

5) This popper has an oblique cut to the nose, which will ensure that it is immersed in water. In this case, it is best to place the weight at the rear of the bait. If the workpiece weighs about 2 g, a load of, for example, 0.5 g of lead will be quite enough.

6) All that remains is to glue the “ears” made from wire. After the glue has dried, the workpiece is sanded and painted.

7) At the last stage, the mini popper is equipped with rings with hooks. The finished product can weigh about 4.5 g.

The use of a popper is relevant from June to mid-September. This feature is explained by the fact that cold weather forces the fry to descend to depth, so to attract a predator in the cold season, other types of bait will be needed.

• I recommend to read:
• The importance of hook position
• Catching pike with spoons

Source: https://fishx.org/popper-svoimi-rukami/

Second step

The second step will be to make an iron frame and a cut (groove) for it. First of all, we cut through a groove with a hacksaw for metal, from the tail to the head in the abdominal cavity. We deepen the groove to the middle of the workpiece.

Since the blade width of the hacksaw is small, it will have to be bored out; in this case, a flat needle file will come in handy. To make a metal frame, do we need wire? 0.8-1.5 mm.

(preferably stainless steel). First we bend the ring for the abdominal hook, and then the ring for the tail and for the swivel.

In a non-snappy

everything is simpler, if you do not have enough length of the double, screw a wire to it and make a loop.

Third step

The third step is shipment. After you have inserted the metal frame into our groove, we insert the lead plates, while simultaneously clamping the frame inside. The main thing is not to overdo it.

Make sure the popper doesn't sink.

Now our workpiece needs to be coated with epoxy resin, since balsa is soft and light, and the resin will give it hardness and weight

. We also need to seal the groove with epoxy.

After the resin has dried, we grind the workpiece. After the workpiece has become smooth, cover it with foil. (such foil is used in construction)

Before painting, be sure to wipe the foil with alcohol. I used light green paint, but you can use another (there is no friend in taste and color).

Paint in 2-3 layers

. Well, after the paint has dried, everything depends solely on the height of your imagination.

At my drawing school I had a troyban with a minus, and my flight was not particularly high.

Having decorated the workpiece with all the colors of the rainbow (just kidding), it needs to be coated with waterproof varnish, in 2-3 layers.

After complete drying, you can coat your finished popper with epoxy resin one more time for strength.

The last step before the big fishing trip

All that remains is to attach the hooks and wait for the right moment to go fishing.

Popper with a double is a small modernization of the “Croatian egg”

that does not get caught on surface vegetation. At the same time, I think that the double should improve the performance of bites.

I have already tested my products on the water to see their performance, and the catchability will be discussed in my fishing reports.

Pickerel

Probably all spinning anglers are familiar with such bait as a popper. And it’s no secret that it’s not difficult to make a popper for pike with your own hands. You will need a minimum of tools and a minimum of metalworking skills to make this bait. Not every angler has the opportunity to buy a branded bait.

After all, not everyone lives in cities where there are fishing stores, and not everyone can afford to buy expensive bait. And I have the opinion that a pike caught on a popper that you made yourself will bring more satisfaction from fishing than from a popper purchased in a store.

It has long been known that manufacturers of such surface baits as poppers make them not very heavy. Which in turn prevents you from casting the bait far away. And of course, the size of the pike bait should be larger if you are going to hunt for pike, and not for its babies.

There are many articles on the Internet on how to make a popper yourself. I offer my version of a weighted, floating popper.

So, to make a pike popper you will need some tools. In my case, this is an electric drill, a three-millimeter drill, as well as a good, fairly sharp knife, sandpaper, pliers, and a hacksaw. This is enough for cutting out the workpiece and making fastening loops.

Application tactics

For pike, it is better to use large poppers from 65 mm or more, the weight corresponding to the spinning test. The usual size is 7-10 cm and weighs up to 20 grams. Large poppers weighing tens of grams are used in jerking, and small ones are used on light and ultralight tackle. The smaller the popper, the greater the likelihood of catching a perch or pencil with it, rather than a large pike. For large toothy fish, it is better to use larger baits - poppers 80-100 mm.

• Opinions were divided on coloring. Some anglers believe that color is not important - the pike sees only a silhouette in the water from below, and comes to the bait based on sound and vibrations. However, sometimes color is still important. This is proven by cases when two anglers with the same baits, but different colors, fish differently in the same place. Sometimes pike take better on dark colors, at other times - orange, red, acid yellow. It all depends on the specific conditions on the reservoir, the level of illumination and the purity of the water. The more cloudy the water, the more bright acidic colors are a priority.
• In warm water in summer, pike fish better in the morning or evening. In spring and autumn, as well as in summer, when it is cloudy all day, the toothy fish can peck during the entire daylight hours.
• We use poppers to check locally specific anomalies - overgrown shore breaks, pockets, snags, areas with underwater algae. Splashing around in vast expanses with great depths is almost useless. In deep waters it is better to use spinners, wobblers or jigs in the depths. Pike are well caught using surface splashes near bushes and in shallow waters, since in these places the entry of various animals into the water, which are part of the predator’s diet, is a common occurrence.
• On rivers, we also check areas that are overgrown under water before and after rapids, entrances and exits from holes, and rapids with long algae fluttering with the flow. Pike often stands under such a mass of grass at the end of the rapids, waiting for a fish that has weakened after overcoming the stream.

Popper animation technique

To catch pike with a popper, you need the correct technique for working with bait. At the same time, the rod is tough and biting. Of course, not to the same extent as for large wobblers for pike when twitching, but still it is better to use a light rod that is fast in action, since the basis of the retrieve is jerking.

1. Working with a popper is in some way a type of twitching for pike. In addition to selecting the pattern of jerks, pauses, and intensity of twitching, you need to achieve such movements so that the bait creates the right gurgles.
2. Pike does not like fast, chaotic animations - such wiring is more likely for a perch, and not for a toothy one. The delivery of the popper to the pike should be moderate, more monotonous. However, with the general rhythm of the wiring, the predator sometimes reacts to disruptions in the monotonous game - unscheduled pauses or small twitches.
3. We experiment with the strength of the jerk, pause and rhythm of twitching. You need to start with a measured retrieve, a medium-power jerk and a pause of 2-3 seconds - an active pike usually takes this pattern more often.
4. It doesn’t work like that - we check a more measured game, with pauses of 3-5 seconds, even up to 10. Also measured.
5. If the popper has its own game, for example, megabass pop or killer pop, we try stretches up to 1 meter long, in which the bait goes slightly deeper and wags its body.
6. Small short twitches with short pauses sometimes work on passive fish.
7. During the current we work with light twitching - a strike, a pause, two strikes and a pause.

Homemade popper

Date: February 25, 2011 | 311

The surface bait popper has very sharply and actively burst into the arsenals of many spinning anglers. The characteristic gurgling sound and fountain of spray when jerking makes the popper very interesting when fishing in perch pots and when hunting for pike standing in grassy shallow water. It’s not uncommon for catfish to rise to the “croaking” of a popper.

Many modern wobbler manufacturers offer various poppers and other surface baits . I will not dispute the catchability of branded models.

However, such a bait as a popper is relatively easy to make yourself, from scrap materials, literally on your knees. And I have personally been convinced more than once homemade poppers Therefore, in my box there are only a few branded poppers, and the rest are homemade.

In this post I will talk about just one of the many ways to make a homemade popper . This is how I make them.

As a material, I use a dried willow stick of the required diameter. I cut out the blanks with an ordinary penknife. I flatten the sides slightly. I narrow the tail part.

I saw off the front part of the popper at an angle with a hacksaw or jigsaw. I select the cup on the nose of the popper with a well-sharpened round chisel of the appropriate number. Then, I make a cut for loading, from below along the axis of symmetry.

The popper blank is ready (Photo).

Then, the popper frame . Based on the dimensions of the bait, either only the back and front loops are made, or a third one is made under the second tee from the bottom.

The frame is glued into the cut along with a lead load.

If there are voids in the cut after installing the frame and lead, they can be filled with pieces of ordinary matches, carefully placed on the glue flush with the surface of the bait.

a homemade popper with drying oil so that if a pike gnaws through the varnish coating, the bait does not begin to take on water. We paint the surface with nitro varnish or oil paints with the addition of varnish. On top there are 1-2 more thin layers of varnish.

Regarding the colors of the poppers, this is purely my opinion: the color of the popper is for the fisherman ... The fish actually hears sounds, sees the game and a dark silhouette against the sky, as the bait moves along the surface. So, it is better to choose colors that are easily visible.

This allows you to control the popper's wiring even from a long distance. It is important. I usually paint poppers in bright, acidic, contrasting colors and combinations thereof. Small elements such as eyes, gill covers, fins and scales can be completed “for fun” with a regular alcohol marker.

And then apply the outer layers of varnish.

We hang the tees through the winding rings. The rear tee can (and sometimes even needs to) be draped with a neat fly or a short tuft of rain. The size of the tees is selected experimentally.

It happens that the lower one is slightly larger than the rear one, this often allows the popper to squish well when jerking. That's all.

If good running and sound characteristics are achieved, you can test the bait during real fishing.

Popla-popper baits

Despite the effect that attracts fish, when placing a pop-popper you cannot do without bait. As such, you can use both artificial and natural ones.

The main bait, aimed at virtually all surface fish, is silicone maggot. If in a static position it seduces fish weakly, then with active wiring? vice versa. The main requirement is a decent size. An excellent choice is Power Bait (Berkley). I pierce the imitation with a hook and pull it onto the fore-end. To prevent it from slipping, you can first wind a thread onto the fore-end. I tried using maggots with pheromones, but did not notice a significant difference.

At the same time, I note that artificial maggots are good in the warm season. In early spring and late autumn, there are fewer bites for such bait. In addition, there are days when even in summer the fish are picky. That’s why I always keep a jar of natural fly larvae in my pocket. They can either be hooked to an artificial relative, piercing right through the head, or used independently.

Artificial flies have proven themselves to be positive, as well as small twisters without white or creamy tails, which are similar in appearance to larvae. Such baits are attached to the hook with a stocking, covering two-thirds of the fore-end.

Fish are also excellently caught using thin strips of finely porous foam rubber, pre-soaked in egg white and boiled. In reservoirs where there are a lot of cupids, it is useful to tie a strand of grass to a hook, which these fish will probably not miss. You can equip the hook with an edge or string beads on it, as in ice fishing. In a word, experiments are appropriate and justified.

I don’t see any point in stopping at baits such as bloodworms, worms, etc., as well as baits. The fish will bite, but such baits are not designed for active fishing, so you don’t have to think about them. Well, their silicone analogues are inferior to maggots when catching “peaceful” fish.

How to make a catchy popper with your own hands and save money?

Nowadays, you won’t surprise anyone by fishing with surface baits – topwaters. Such fishing can be very interesting and exciting, and sometimes topwaters can give a head start to other catchy baits.

There are several types of surface baits - poppers, walkers, proppers (poppers with a propeller), torpedoes, crawlers.

What kind of bait

A popper is a floating bait with a recess in the bow . When jerking, the popper makes gurgling or slurping sounds; some models create fountains of water in front of them when jerking.

Branded poppers are made of plastic; some models have a recess with a transparent plastic edging. There is a loop in the recess for attaching the fastener.

Most poppers are equipped with two treble hooks , often the rear treble hook carrying a wabik (fly). This is done not so much to increase catchability, but to stabilize the performance of the bait.

Large poppers have three tees.

Of all the surface baits, the popper is the most accessible for mastering the intricacies of topwater fishing . It is not necessary to have a short rod with an extra-fast action, as when fishing with walkers - a popper allows the use of more affordable gear. Braided line is an indispensable element of such fishing, although the use of fluorocarbon line is also acceptable.

Application area

The main targets for fishing with poppers are pike and perch. The area of ​​application of poppers is shallow areas of reservoirs , both overgrown with aquatic vegetation and free from it. Perch can also be caught in open areas of reservoirs, especially at those moments when it gathers in schools and forms “cauldrons”. Many fishermen successfully catch so-called white predators – chub, ide and asp – using poppers.

Interesting! There are bodies of water where pike completely refuse to bite on poppers, although they react quite adequately to other baits. What this is connected with is unknown, but in an unfamiliar body of water you can try fishing with poppers in hopes of luck.

The main time to use poppers is summer and early autumn. In warm water, topwaters are more likely to be attacked by predators.

Wiring poppers is not particularly difficult. These are short jerks with the tip of the spinning rod with almost no pauses.

When attacking, a pike very often misses the popper and attacks it again when casting again.

It is believed that this is due to the fact that the popper walks along the boundary of two media - air and water, and the pike is not able to accurately aim due to the difference in the refractive indices of these media.

The fishing industry produces many models of poppers - different sizes, colors and shapes. Sometimes they are very expensive and there is a need to make a cheap and catchy popper with your own hands. The material for manufacturing can be very different - the main thing is that the product has positive buoyancy and makes gurgling and slurping sounds when inserted.

How to make a float

To make poppers, you can use out-of-use floats that are no longer suitable for use for their intended purpose. The float material is balsa, which is quite easy to process.

Floats must have an elongated shape . The recommended size for catching perch, ide and chub is 5 centimeters . For pike fishing, it is better to use larger floats. To catch asp, the float must be narrow and elongated to give it the aerodynamic shape necessary for long casting.

In addition to the float itself, you will need a jigsaw, soft steel wire, a sharp knife, a drill, wire cutters, glue, strips of lead and a pair of treble hooks and winding rings.

Healthy! You can tie the fly on the back hook of the popper yourself from fly fishing materials - Lurex, feathers. On sale you can find ready-made flies tied on high-quality tees.

The work of making a popper consists of the following stages:

1. Using a jigsaw, the narrow parts of the float are sawed off. Then an oblique cut is made of the thick part of the float . This ensures that the popper gurgles when inserted. You can also leave a straight cut - such poppers also have a right to exist.
2. In the front part of the workpiece, a funnel-shaped depression . This depression is responsible for the characteristic slurping sound during wiring.
3. Making loops. There are two options here - either two loops are twisted around a nail and then inserted separately, or a frame is made the length of the workpiece and two loops are made on it. With the frame, you can be sure that when bitten, the loop will not be torn out of the popper’s body by a predator.
4. If there are two separate loops, then a hole is drilled in the recess and tail of the popper. Ready-made loops are inserted into them. If a frame is used, then a cut is made along the body of the workpiece where this frame is inserted.
5. The places where the hinges are attached are filled with glue or epoxy resin.
6. Tees are attached to the hinges through the winding rings.
7. The popper is lowered into a container of water. In a static position, its rear end should be immersed in water. To do this, a strip of lead is glued below the tail end.
8. The popper is covered with drying oil and then paint. After drying, it is advisable to additionally coat the popper with waterproof varnish.
9. The popper is ready to go.

Made from a tree knot

If there are no more unnecessary floats left or their size does not suit the angler, you can make a popper from a wood knot . This is much easier than cutting a blank from a single piece of wood - you can always choose a piece of a branch of the desired diameter. The material you can use is linden, ash or birch.

Attention! The wood for making a popper must be dry. Damp and rotten branches should not be used under any circumstances.

The tools for making a popper will be the same; in addition, you will need a file and sandpaper. The process of making a knot popper is as follows:

1. A piece of the required length is cut, then using a sharp knife, file, or sandpaper, the workpiece is given the desired shape. The front end of the workpiece is sawn off at an oblique angle or left straight.
2. A recess is made in the front part of the workpiece using a table knife. You can use a large diameter drill for this purpose.
3. Using a long and thin drill, an axial hole is made through the body of the bait. Another option is to cut along the body of the workpiece.
4. The wire is threaded through and loops are made at the ends. If a cut is made, then a wire of the required length with ready-made loops is laid in it. When making a large pike popper, there is a need for an additional belly tee. In this case, a hole is drilled in the right place where the loop is inserted, and when gluing the frame into the cut in the belly of the bait, the loop is made in advance on the wire.
5. The wire structure is fixed with epoxy resin or glue.
6. If necessary, the back of the bait is surrounded with lead.
7. Next comes impregnation with drying oil and painting.

Important! The color of the popper is not as important for the predator as the color of other baits that work in the water column. It is better to focus on ensuring that the bait is clearly visible to the spinner performing the retrieve. Therefore, it is preferable to use bright colors.

8. The popper is coated with waterproof varnish.
9. Once the treble hooks are attached through the winding rings, the popper is ready for use.

Homemade transparent from a syringe

Another interesting homemade popper can be made from a plastic syringe . At the pharmacy you can purchase several disposable syringes of different sizes and make poppers of various sizes from them. The tools and materials that you need to have on hand when making this bait are the following: several wine corks, soft steel wire, small ball bearings, a sharp knife, pliers and wire cutters, a drill, tees with winding rings.

Choosing fishing gear

Rod and reel

For fishing with such a wobbler, use a rod with the following characteristics:

• Length - 2.1−2.4 meters.
• The build is super fast.
• Test - 10−30 grams.
• The blank material is graphite.

Jig blanks with a thin, sensitive tip are not suitable for fishing with poppers. The spinning rod for this bait is chosen from twitching models, with a hard, durable whip, a comfortable spaced handle made of EVA, and a reliable reel seat.

An inertia-free reel installed on a spinning rod must have the following characteristics:

• Forest capacity (size) - 2500−3000.
• Gear ratio - 5.0−5.2:1.
• The number of bearings is at least 4-5 installed in the transmission mechanism, line roller, knob.
• Body material: aluminum alloy, carbon fiber.
• Weight - no more than 300 grams.

fishing line

Fishing tackle for popper fishing is equipped with a bright-colored braided cord with a cross-section of 0.08−0.12 mm. Monofilament fishing line with a thickness of 0.18−0.22 mm is used when fishing for perch in small ponds with a maximum casting distance of no more than 15 meters.

On a note

The bright color of the cord is necessary in order to see in low light conditions where the bait is located, to which place it goes at the end of the line.

Homemade popper

Is it difficult to make a popper with your own hands and what material would be most suitable - this is a question that every fishing enthusiast periodically asks. Despite the fact that today fishing stores offer a wide range of all kinds of baits and lures, poppers still occupy one of the leading positions.

The undeniable advantage of this tackle is that if used correctly, it will definitely attract the attention of the fish and provoke even a large predator to attack.

But since the price of baits of this type is quite high, lately a homemade popper has become increasingly popular, since its production will be several times cheaper.

The main advantages of poppers

Before you start making a popper, you need to figure out what kind of bait it is and what it is intended for. Popper is a bait made of hard plastic, externally having the shape and color of a live fish.

This type of bait has proven itself best in fishing for large predators such as pike or asp. When cast, poppers make specific sounds that resemble gurgling.

Toothed river inhabitants often mistake this noise for fry and begin to attack.

Both purchased and homemade poppers have the following advantages:

• high efficiency. The catchability of such baits has long been proven. Anglers from all over the world confirm that pike respond very well to such baits, since in appearance they are extremely similar to live bait;
• simplicity and comfort of use. If you know the features of throwing tackle, even a beginner will be able to cope with the task with ease;
• the fisherman will be able to see with his own eyes how the predator swallows the bait. The ability to visually assess the hunt is an undeniable advantage; and makes fishing unforgettable;
• casting distance;
• thanks to its specific work, the product can even attract fish located at a considerable distance from the fishing spot;
• the bait will not catch on roots and snags located near the bottom;
• Since a homemade popper will only float on the surface, it will be almost impossible to lose it.

As practice shows, this tackle attracts even the laziest fish, so the fisherman will definitely not leave the shore with nothing.

Making bait from a float

If you can’t visit the store, and you need bait in the next few hours, you can make a popper yourself. The work is elementary and can be completed in literally half an hour, and the fisherman does not need to make any drawings or make calculations.

To make a homemade popper you will need the following materials:

1. Styrofoam float (if you don’t have one, you can use a wine bottle cork as a base).
2. Wire.
3. A pair of hooks (preferably doubles or tees).
4. Swivels.
5. Paint or stickers that imitate fish eyes.

How to make a popper with your own hands? The first thing the fisherman will need is to secure the drill in a vice and install the float in the drill. After this, the drill will need to be turned on to slow mode and drill the base of the future bait. In order for the surface of the product to be even and smooth, you need to go over it with sandpaper.

Next, a cut is made at an angle of 70 degrees (in the bow), and a hole is made on either side where the swivel is attached. A wire is threaded through the swivel, a plug and beads are installed on the spout (you can also simply draw eyes), and a mass is attached to the back for balance.

All that remains to be done is to paint the popper and install winding rings on it.

A homemade cork popper made according to this algorithm of actions will do its job perfectly and will undoubtedly attract a predator.

Popper made of wood

Homemade poppers are also often made from wood. The first thing the fisherman needs is to find a knot of a suitable size (if you plan to fish for pike, its length should be about 80 mm). You also need to stock up on the necessary materials in advance: wire, glue, sandpaper, a knife, hooks and swivels.

In order not to be disappointed in a homemade popper, you need to perform it following the algorithm of actions:

• the wooden knot must be sanded and given the desired shape;
• a recess is made in the front part using a drill;
• Using a sharp knife, an axial hole is made along the length through which the wire will pass;
• The wire must be tied on one side with a loop, and then an “eye” must be formed on the other side. Also, such a loop will need to be made on the abdomen for an additional hook;
• You need to apply glue on top of the wire for additional fixation and completely treat the base of the popper with drying oil.

If the fisherman has done all these steps, all he has to do is paint the product and draw eyes on it. When the base dries, tees are attached to it and they go fishing.

Source: https://orybalke.com/samodelki/popper-svoimi-rukami.html

Manufacturing Features

The above describes methods for making poppers in general.
Depending on where, in what weather and what kind of fish the fisherman expects to catch, the manufacture of bait has its own characteristics. For example, if fishing is carried out in a pond overgrown with grass, then the popper should not be green. Non-hook popper: This type of popper has only one hook and does not fly far because it does not have a sinker. But it has its advantages. It easily passes through the thickets on the surface of the reservoir and does not cling to branches and algae, thereby not getting stuck in one place.

Excellent for catching pike. This homemade product is made from ultra-light floating material. Styrofoam is perfect. It can be embellished with various dots, bright and noticeable patterns, etc. When using it, false bites are very common due to its lightness. However, fish are caught with this bait regularly.

Features of making poppers for different types of fish

The quality characteristics of a popper are important when catching certain types of fish. For example, for catching perch, the most important thing in this bait is the size.

Experienced fishermen know that perch is a shy fish. Therefore, it is better to use small baits for it. The weight of the bait should preferably be no more than 10 grams. Another question is pike fishing.

When fishing for pike, two types of poppers are used:

• floating;
• drowning;

Unlike fishing for perch, when fishing for pike, the size of the bait should be larger. So, if a product measuring 4-6 cm is used for perch, then a bait up to 10 cm is better suited for a toothy catch. They don’t pay attention to the color of the fish, so you need to select the paint based on your preferences.

A brighter color will be more noticeable and will allow for better wiring. The most important thing is to make the bait as similar as possible to the natural prey of the fish. Adding noticeable eyes and attaching fins would be a great solution.

Those with engineering skills are encouraged to get creative and add vibration and noise-making fixtures. Also, the choice of popper depends on the season.

If it is autumn, then it is best to make a sinking bait. To do this, you need to use heavier materials with low buoyancy. You can also make sinkers weighing more than 15 grams. On the contrary, in warm seasons the fish are very active and floating baits are perfect during this period.

It is best to make bait similar to locusts, grasshoppers or fish fry. But if this is not possible, you can get creative with paint and grooves on the surface of the bait.

Homemade syringe popper with your own hands

To make a syringe popper you will need the following materials:

• syringe five cubes;
• wine bottle cork;
• two wires;
• two tees with winding rings;
• steel balls that can be removed from the bearing.

The process of making a homemade syringe popper with your own hands:

Let's get down to the task at hand - making a popper. We disassemble the pharmaceutical syringe and cut off unnecessary parts (we cut the nose, the stem into pieces and use only the middle). The actions can be seen in the photographs.

Cylinders are cut out of a wine cork, which are the size of the syringe and will be tightly inserted inside. To do this, use a knife to cut off excess pieces in a circle until the required size is obtained. To avoid mistakes, you can draw the cut location with a ballpoint pen.

Then we push a small cylinder of cork into the syringe to the very end, carefully pierce a hole in it for the wire. Next we send the middle part from the cut rod. We also make holes for the wires in the remaining cylinder, as shown in the photo.

We pour steel balls inside the syringe and push the stopper. We twist the free ends of the two wires and make a ring for attaching the fishing line. We also bend the remaining free ends of the wires and create rings for attaching hooks.

All that remains is to attach the tees with winding rings and a homemade popper - the syringe rattle is ready. You can go to the river and try to catch a predatory pike, which loves to attack such baits.

What it is?

Popper is a special type of wobbler that differs from other baits in its appearance. Fishing tackle is designed to imitate a small-sized hunting object

The bait should attract the attention of the predator and provoke the fish to take the bait. This spoon is presented in the form of a small fish with an open mouth that feeds on the surface of the reservoir.

The bait is offered in a form that allows you to create animation and a characteristic sound

No fishing trip is going to be successful without a popper, so it's important to prepare for your trip and include this bait in your arsenal.

There is a notch or bevel on the front of the spoon. On the market you can find models with cutouts on the side that imitate gills. As for the body of the bait, it comes in two versions: round or oblong. A distinctive feature of a wobbler is that it does not have a blade. The popper has a tail or two tees depending on the model and manufacturer. This bait is characterized by a special sound, reminiscent of squelching or gurgling. During play, poppers spray water all around, creating the effect of live bait.