Throwing Shapes

When it comes to largemouth in still waters poppers are almost always the least effective. Probably an unpopular view, but I'm convinced that it's true. Flat or cupped faces that bloop, aren't useful unless there's a good bit of surface noise from waves, rain or other disruption that the fish are likely habituated to. Yes, you can fish them slower and pop them more gently, but there are better tools for that job.  Smallies on rivers are a different story, the popper can be just the ticket, because rivers are noisier. Until pressure makes them more cautious.  Something of an exception is open water when fish are eating bait over deeper water, A long thin skipping popper is often the best choice there. Not really an exception because it's a noiser situation than working weed beds and lay downs in a sheltered bay.  For both species poppers do remain popular, and I suspect that it's as much to do with how poppers often elicit more of a blow-up eat than a confident relaxed suck under. It looks reallycool, is exciting and they do catch fish.  For me, I only really fish poppers when a front is passing and there’s a bit more wind than is comfortable in the tube.

 Divers are more useful than poppers, they can be fished almost as noisily as a popper if needed, and certainly as noisily as you're likely to need. They also go deeper and stay subsurface longer,  which is when I find most fish eat it, just as it's approaching the surface.  They can be fished more slowly/gently to get a nice gurgley burble without being forced so far under the surface.  They do it better than an out and out popper. A diver whether it's a Dahlberg or something else, like a hair spoon, will outfish poppers 90% of the time. Probably. 

Sliders are the best.  OK, you can't get the loud bloop from them, but then you probably don't need to, a little chug from the round front end is going to be all the noise you need almost all the time. If the bug is close enough to a fish, the fish will know it's there without a huge disturbance. They sit low in the water and wake or softly burble through the surface like a real creature swimming on the surface. The grinnel fly slides across the surface and among the weed like a small snake. If you have a slider frog, you can make it dive and then rise or just slip it along the surface in a non-threatening manner. Sliders, for me, produce more, more confident eats.  Slides, and divers, are what I would say you should reach for when conditions are good and stable. A warm dawn, targeting gaps in the weed when there’s barely a ripple that’s what to go for. If it’s flat calm, then the subtlest bug I can dig out of my box is always the first choice. 

Legs and appendages can go on any style of bug but are best fitted on bugs that are going to be fished more slowly. Don't bother on a baitfish imitating skipping bug, the vibration isn't worth the twist. Put plenty of soft wiggly bits on little round headed thing that might be a frog or a cicada. Let it sit and move.  

There's more leeway with spun bugs, they're softer because there's less hair packed into the same space meaning that unless you glue the face the shape has less of an impact on how the bug sounds. Something like a Tap's bug looks very poppery, but it easily fishes as a slider because its face is soft.  So, while it will bloop, it gives that lovely soft burble that seems to be the most attractive to bass most of the time on almost any retrieve.  I'd only really bother with tap's bugs and divers if I was only fishing spun bugs.  

There are obviously all kinds of other cool bug shapes that you can tie and fish, and that’s fun. I don’t need a mouse in my bass box, but I have several, because why not? I do still try to basically follow something It all essentially boils down to the noisier the water, the noisier the bug and the faster you fish it the more streamlined it should be. I’d say the above holds true for foam, cork and balsa too for the most part too. That said, none of it is hard and fast, although I try to systematic, I won’t be too surprised when Chuck ties on a popper and gives me a doing on a perfect flat calm morning.