Many fishermen dream of a catchy bait for successful fishing. For these purposes, manufacturers offer high efficiency poppers. However, they are quite expensive. Not everyone wants to spend on them, because every casting of a fishing rod is a risk of losing precious bait.
Therefore, a considerable number of fishermen are looking for ways to hand-craft bait at minimal cost, on which the fish will bite very often. Making a popper, in principle, is easy. First you need to decide what material it will be made of, and then you can get to work.
content
cork popper
Of the items available in any home and the usual cork from a bottle of wine, etc. you can cook a pretty catchy popper for fishing. For this you will need:
- the cork itself;
- paints (you can nail polish or varnish);
- sinker (preferably fishing);
- paper clip ordinary, clerical;
- construction emery;
- super glue or any equivalent.
The following tools will also come in handy:
- mini drill (you can use a screwdriver with a nozzle in the form of a self-tapping screw);
- vise or other fastening device;
- awl;
- stationery knife.
The most important thing in the manufacture of this bait is giving a natural shape. After that, the cork must be treated with sandpaper. To do this, a cork is mounted on a self-tapping screw. With the help of a screwdriver, the self-tapping screw is spinning, during rotation, processing is carried out.
It is important that the surface is absolutely smooth. Next comes the mount. To do this, a cut is made with a knife to the center of the cork and a flattened half of a paper clip is inserted there. It is necessary that the curved end of the paper clip peeks out of the cork a little. The resulting gap must be sealed.
Next, you need to drill a small hole for the sinker. The size and shape of the hole depends on the chosen sinker. The main thing is that the overall design of the future bait does not fall apart. It is advisable to choose a sinker the size of one fourth of the cork, no more. The weight of the sinker is also important.
You should choose sinkers weighing at least two and not more than four grams. We fix the sinker tightly with glue. The last stage is painting the artificial bait. Most fish species don't care what color their food is. The main thing is that the homemade product is noticeable. Therefore, it is better to paint in bright colors that are visible on the surface of the water. So, the cork popper is ready.
Wood popper
Also, a popper can be made from wood, because it has no less buoyancy than cork:
- To work, you need to choose a tree branch that does not have knots, with a diameter of 1.5 - 2 centimeters. To work, you need about the same tools as when making a cork popper.
- Cut off a piece from the branch. Depending on what shape the homemade bait will be, we determine the length of the segment. The ideal length is considered to be a segment from 3 to 5 cm.
- With the help of an ordinary clerical knife, you need to give a piece of a branch the necessary shape. Next, we carry out fasteners.
- For this we use stainless steel wire. The size is not important, but it is desirable that it be sufficiently rigid. Such a wire can easily be drawn in the center of the branch without drills and difficulties. At the end with a notch, twist the wire.
- The popper needs to be dry. To do this, you can leave it on the battery or in the sun for a while. After drying, it must be treated with special means of moisture resistance. Any alkyd paint, paints containing nitrates or ordinary drying oil will do.
- Next comes the painting. Here, the brighter, the better. It is advisable to use several colors. The paint must be waterproof so that it does not lose color during fishing.
- Popper can be decorated with various trinkets: blankets, propellers to your taste. The main thing is that the more devices that create small noises and vibrations on a popper, the more attractive it will be for fish.
Thus, the product for catching fish is ready for use.
Manufacturing features
The methods for making poppers have been described above in general. Depending on where, in what weather and what kind of fish the fisherman expects to catch, the manufacture of the 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: such a popper has only one hook, it does not fly far, because it does not have a sinker. But he has his own 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.
Great for pike fishing. Such a homemade product is made from ultralight floating material. Styrofoam works great. It can be embellished with various dots, bright and noticeable patterns, etc. When using it, there are very often false bites due to its lightness. However, the fish on this bait is caught regularly.
Features of making poppers for different types of fish
The qualitative characteristics of the popper are important when catching certain types of fish. For example, for perch fishing, the most important thing in this bait is size. Experienced fishermen know that perch is a shy fish. Therefore, it is better to use small baits on it. The weight of the bait should preferably be no more than 10 grams. Another issue is pike fishing.
When catching pike, two types of poppers are used:
- floating;
- sinking;
Unlike perch fishing, when fishing for pike, the size of the bait should be larger. So, if a product 4-6 cm in size is used on a 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 paint based on your preferences.
A brighter color will be more noticeable and it will be possible to make better wiring with it. The most important thing is to make the bait as similar as possible to the natural fish catch. Draw noticeable eyes, attach fins will be a great solution.
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, during the 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 dream up with paint and notches on the surface of the bait.
- floating lures should be bright, and have a notch deep enough so that the gurgling sound is characteristic of a fish;
- use as a hook strong steel wires;
- sinking poppers should not have many extra fixtures so as not to get caught in the algae and not get lost in them;
- for each fish you need to select certain weight and size of the bait.
How to make a poplar popper yourself? In this article I will tell and show the process of making a popper at home.
An increasing number of spinners prefer catching fish with poppers. This bait is used mainly in fresh waters. In reservoirs and rivers overgrown with grass, looking like fry, it will surely attract pike or perch. Such a device attracts predators and significantly increases the catch, making fishing more exciting and exciting.
Popper Features
Many experienced fishermen note that poppers can captivate even an inactive predator. The wiring creates noise and splashes, provoking the fish to an instinctive reflex attack. The fact that it rarely clings to snags and goes to waste also speaks in favor of the device.
Poppers are usually divided into 3 types:
With front shipment;
With back shipment;
With an average load.
The front load provides the device with the ability to dive and run smoothly at a shallow depth, which reaches 10 cm. The rear load is needed for long-distance 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 deep, but can withstand a dive of 20 cm.
Making your own bait is easy. For work you will need:
A small block of wood (10X6X4 cm);
Wire (for "ears");
Tee hook;
Material for shipment (tin or lead);
Stationery knife;
Hacksaw for metal;
a piece of sandpaper;
Pencil;
Waterproof paint or varnish.
Step by step making 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 figure.
2) On the surface of the bar, you need to draw an image of the future bait. Then, a given shape is cut out according to the drawing. The cut of the front working side is made oblique. For this work you will need a knife, a file and sandpaper.
3) A correctly made workpiece is symmetrical and has no chips.
4) A central cut is made at the bottom of the workpiece. The depth of cut should not be more than the middle of the mold. Lead will be poured into this hole.
5) This popper has a slanted nose that will allow it to sink into the water. In this case, the load is best placed at the back of the bait. If the workpiece weighs about 2 g, a load of, for example, 0.5 g of lead will be enough.
6) It remains to glue the "ears" made of wire. After the glue dries, 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 popper is relevant from June to mid-September. This feature is explained by the fact that a cold snap forces the fry to sink to a depth, so other types of baits will be needed to attract a predator in the cold season.
Making a popper is quite an exciting and budget-friendly activity.
Making a popper with your own hands is not difficult. This activity is quite exciting and profitable for the budget. The cost of poppers in stores is an average of 250-300 rubles. a piece. But these are not eternal nozzles. They can be lost during breaks and hooks, they are spoiled by the teeth of predators, etc. Yes, and one popper in your arsenal is not enough. Today the fish grabs a yellow popper, tomorrow it will like a green one with a red belly, and two days later it will be chasing a silver bait.
In order to make a popper with your own hands, you will need tools: pliers, round-nose pliers, a hacksaw, a drill or a screwdriver with drills with a diameter of 1 mm to 2 mm (the longer the drills, the better), a knife, zero and coarse sandpaper, with a grain size of P80 to P120, foam rubber, brush (from children's paints), drying oil (or any other impregnation for wood), acrylic paint (although watercolor can also be used) and the material itself from which we will make a popper. The ideal raw material for making a popper would be balsa (wood used in aeromodelling). But it's not that easy to find. I use ordinary pine, as you can buy 30x20 or 20x40 pine timber at any hardware store. You will also need stainless steel wire, with a diameter of up to 1 mm. Such a wire can be found through dentists (used in prosthetics). I didn't find it in stores. But the number 2 string from the guitar came up very well. Now let's go in order.
DIY popper making process
1. Let's make a popper. To begin with, we determine the size of the popper. For catching perch, 5-6 cm are long enough, for pike - 7-8 cm, for large predators, for example, for asp - 10-11 cm. Having decided on the size, we saw off the bar of the required length and draw the silhouette of the future popper with a pencil.
We saw off along the line with a hacksaw, not necessarily very accurately, because the irregularities will then be smoothed out with sandpaper. From the bottom of the future popper we make a longitudinal cut in the center, as in the figure below. The depth of cut is to the middle of the resulting workpiece. The main thing is to get a straight line from the center of the front end of the workpiece to the center of the rear end of the workpiece. We make a cut with a hacksaw for metal, because we get an even cut with a width of 1 mm.
After that, we take a knife (I bought a cheap shoe knife for this) and start cutting off the corners of the workpiece, giving it a rounded look. We make the front (cut obliquely) end thicker, gradually narrowing towards the tail. The cut made earlier serves as a beacon for us, by which we control the symmetry of the future popper. The result should be such a semi-finished product.
Now we take a large sandpaper and give the product smooth shapes.
Now we make a notch in the front end. I bought a special kit for this for 90 rubles. The picture shows both the resulting recess and the set itself. But if there is no such set at hand, then an ordinary round file will do, with which a recess is machined across the popper in the bow.
2. Let's start making a wire frame. To do this, it is best to use orthodontic stainless steel wire with a diameter of 0.8 mm or #2 guitar string. The frame looks like this.
But for my first popper, I used a thin wire frame. I just did not find the necessary wire, but I really wanted to do it quickly. In a hardware store I saw this cable:
I untwisted the cable into several threads about 0.8 mm thick and about 25 cm long. (I made a popper 10 cm in size. So I cut off the cable with wire cutters, taking into account two lengths of the popper plus 5 cm in reserve.) At one end I made a loop and missed the twisted end with glue.
When the glue dried up, I smeared the twisted part again, only now with super glue, and without waiting for the glue to dry, I inserted it into the cut, as in the picture.
The cable is not very convenient for the frame, because. too springy and does not hold the desired shape when laying. To fix it, I inserted a piece of lead into the cut at the base of the cable loop. I squeezed the lead with pliers, then cut off a small piece with scissors. The main thing is that the thickness of the inserted piece of lead should be about 1mm. If it is thicker, then when inserted into the cut, it will simply split the popper in half lengthwise. And if it is thinner, it simply does not fix in the cut and pops out. Although it is for the popper that I would still use not lead, but a wooden wedge, because. popper - the nozzle is superficial, and she does not need extra weight. The end result should look like the picture below. An inserted piece of lead holds the eyelet in position.
Then we lay the cable in the cut to the back.
We make a loop at the end of the back of the popper, grease it with super glue and insert it into the cut. From above, as in the front, we insert a piece of lead to fix the back loop.
Now we approximately divide the length of the popper into three parts, and make a loop somewhere at the level of the end of the first third from the head.
We bite off the excess end of the cable, grease the cable with glue and put it in the cut. You can tamp the cable into the cut with a knife, or any other tool that is suitable in thickness. To fix the loop, insert a piece of lead again. Next, fill the cut with PVA glue mixed with sawdust. If the emptiness of the cut allows, you can insert into it pieces of wood left after planing the workpiece.
Now we leave the workpiece for a while. After the glue dries, we process the future popper with sandpaper (zero) and impregnate it with a protective compound. I did not spend much and bought an ordinary drying oil for this. I poured a little drying oil into a plastic container and threw the popper blank to swim in it for a day, periodically turning it over. Then hung to dry on the balcony. The drying process took me about 2-3 days. Only after complete drying, you can start painting, having previously walked over the popper with sandpaper again, because after impregnation the tree is a little bit frayed.
3. Painting. Now many fishermen are divided into two camps. Those who believe that coloration is important for fish and those who believe that coloration is not very important. I myself tend to think that beautiful coloring is more important from an aesthetic point of view. For fish, the size and play of the bait itself is more important. Although in the dark and daylight hours, the overall tone of the nozzle probably has its own meaning. Therefore, I paint the fish to my taste, but for surface baits (popper, some wobblers and walkers), I use the coloring of the belly of two types - light and dark. And for deep water, I use the same gradation (dark and light) - only for the backs.
To paint the popper, I use acrylic enamel.
For tinting enamel, I use a universal tinting paste.
To draw the eyes of fish, I use watercolors and black ink.
To paint our workpiece, we will use a foam sponge. You can invent the color and the drawing itself or copy it from store poppers, the Internet, etc. I am not an artist and will not teach you how to paint. I will only say that I applied one color and waited for the paint layer to dry. Then I applied a second layer (if there was such a need), waited for it to dry and proceeded to apply a different color. At the final stage, I painted white circles in place of the eyes with watercolor paint, waited for the paint to dry (very quickly) and painted black dots (pupils) on the white circles. As a result, our workpiece began to look like this.
Some blanks I painted even easier. I dipped the whole fish in a jar of paint and hung it on a carnation to drain off the excess and further dry it over a rag. But the first hour I controlled and periodically removed excess paint from the eyelets, especially the lower one. excess paint just collects on the bottom loop.
4. After complete drying, you can proceed to the varnishing of our popper. In principle, you can use any varnish. But I prefer yacht varnish, it is more reliable and lays on the workpiece with high quality.
Lacquering is done in the simplest way. We dip the popper into a jar of varnish and hang it on a carnation by the head loop. The main thing is not to forget to remove the drops of varnish from the loops. After complete drying, repeat the procedure. After the first and second layers, I go over the workpiece with sandpaper (naturally zero) to smooth out the remaining roughness. Then I varnish a couple more times. Three or four layers of varnish are enough. And our fish is almost ready.
It remains to hang the winding rings with tees on the tail and bottom loop of the popper.
Popper "Perch-light" was made specifically for catching on his ultralight spinning rod for catching perch on the surface of the water. I have a spinning test from 0 to 5 grams, and I followed these criteria (size, weight, volatility, stability in the game and starting the game from half a turn, cheapness, reliability and ease of manufacture).
To be honest, the popper showed itself perfectly in catching perch, pike from the surface of reservoirs, and what is especially important is that it can be fed to hard-to-reach places and carried out over a place overgrown with grass and algae, where, as you know, a toothy predator and a striped robber like to live.
Materials and tools for making popper "Perch light"
- Styrofoam rectangle measuring 25 mm in length and 20 mm in height and width, medium elasticity.
- Super glue.
- Epoxy resin.
- Hook tee.
- Swivels 2 pcs.
- Clockwork ring.
- Two lead pellets weighing 0.6 grams.
- Awl, needle or pin.
- Stationery knife.
- Needle file.
- Sandpaper not fine abrasive
- Multi-colored nail polishes and nail polish.
Preparation method
We take a piece of foam plastic prepared in advance in size and cut off the excess ends. We smooth the surface of the workpiece with sandpaper, and with the help of a clerical knife, cut out a notch at the front of the number. It will serve us as a sound chamber and smooth its surface with sandpaper.
Using an awl, he makes holes along the horizontal axis of the popper.
The smaller angle of the head will serve us as the bottom, at the bottom we make two holes for lead pellets (niches), this will serve us as a balance for our poper, in whatever position it is, it will still adhere to a strictly defined slope.
After we have cleaned the workpiece and made holes, we cover the surface with super glue, since the glue is perfectly absorbed into the foam and hardens when it dries, and its resistance to water is colossal.
After the glue has dried, with the help of epoxy glue two swivel along the edges and insert the pellets into the prepared grooves, and cover with epoxy from the top.
Painting an ultralight popper
We give time for everything to dry, we clean the surface from the hardened resin with a file and sandpaper and paint it, as indicated in the photo. This is not the only color. The one that is now is a commonly used one, and I have two colors: red - silver and yellow fiery - dark green.
After drying and working with a varnish fixative, leave the product to dry. After drying to the back swivel with the help of a winding ring, the do-it-yourself Perch Light fishing spinning lure is ready.
Its length is 25 mm and the weight is 2.67 grams.
Use for fishing and wiring bait
It is desirable to use it in combination with an ultralight spinning rod, 1000 size reels, and 0.20 - 0.25 mm line with a fluorocarbon leader. Fishing postings depending on the pace of the game to hold down. That is, up the rod with frequent twitches from side to side or low (smooth). Rod down and a slight twitch of the rod tip, and, of course, the middle, as said (middle).
Good luck with your fishing, experiment, craft, and constantly stretch your fishing line.
Ryabush Yuri - Specially for the site SamodelkiFISH, Rivne, Ukraine
Is it difficult to make a popper with your own hands and what material will be most suitable - every fishing enthusiast periodically asks this question. Despite the fact that today a wide range of all kinds of baits and lures is presented in fishing stores, poppers still occupy one of the leading positions. The indisputable advantage of this tackle is that, with proper use, it will definitely attract the attention of fish and provoke even a large predator to attack. But since the price of this type of bait is quite high, recently a home-made popper has become increasingly popular, since its manufacture will come out many times cheaper.
Before you start making a popper, you need to figure out what kind of bait it is and what it is intended for. Popper - a bait made of hard plastic, outwardly 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 casting, poppers make specific sounds resembling gurgling. Toothy river inhabitants often take this noise for fry and begin to attack.
Both purchased and homemade popper has the following advantages:- high efficiency. The catchability of such baits has long been proven. Anglers from all over the world confirm that pikes respond very well to such baits, since they look very similar to live bait;
- simplicity and comfort in use. If you know the features of throwing gear, even a beginner can easily cope with the task;
- the fisherman will be able to see with his own eyes how the predator swallows the bait. The ability to visually evaluate the hunt is an undeniable advantage; and makes fishing unforgettable;
- casting distance;
- due to its specific work, the product can even attract fish that are at a decent distance from the place of fishing;
- the bait will not catch on the roots and snags located near the bottom;
- since the homemade popper will only float on the surface, it is 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.
If it is not possible to visit the store, and you need bait in the next few hours, you can make a popper with your own hands. The work is elementary and you can cope with it in just half an hour, while the fisherman does not need to make any drawings and make calculations.
To make a homemade popper, you will need the following materials:- A foam float (if not, you can use a cork from a bottle of wine as a basis).
- Wire.
- A pair of hooks (preferably doubles or tees).
- swivels.
- Paint or stickers imitating the eyes of a fish.
How to make a popper with your own hands? The first thing you need from a fisherman is to fix the drill in a vise and install the float in the drill. After that, 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, it is required to walk on it with sandpaper. Further, a cut is made at an angle of 70 degrees (in the bow), 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), a mass is attached to the back for balance. All that's left to do is to paint the popper with paint and install clockwork 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.
Homemade poppers are also often made from wood. The first thing that a 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, it must be performed following the algorithm of actions:- a wooden knot needs to be processed with sandpaper and give it the desired shape;
- a recess is made in the front with a drill;
- along the length with a sharp knife, an axial hole is made through which the wire will pass;
- the wire must be pulled off on one side with a loop, and then an “ear” should 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 go over the wire with glue for additional fixation and completely process the base of the popper with drying oil.
If the fisherman has done all these actions, he only has to paint the product and draw eyes on it. When the base dries, tees are attached to it and go fishing.