Swaping Skirts

Here’s a great & simple modification to the Hula Popper. During a tournament my boater was filling the boat with a black Spro Bronzeye Popper. The closest thing I had to it was a Hula Popper. But by the time I put it on, the bite had died. Although I didn’t catch anything, the Hula Popper had better action than the Spro Popper. The Hula made splashing bubble noises while the Bronzeye just merely splashed. To my surprise the treble hooks didn't get all fouled up when in the grass. I just merely tugged the popper free of the grass and the treble hooks came out clean most of the time. To make it look more like the Bronzeye I replaced the stock skirt with a black silicone jig skirt. It actually looks great in the water.





Modified Hula Popper (top) compared to the Spro Bronzeye Popper

I pulled the stock skirt off first.  Then I moved the band to one end of the skirt by lubricating half the skirt with soap and sliding the band to the end.  The skirt will stretch while doing this but don’t worry about it.  Rinse the soap off the skirt.  Using a pair of needle nose pliers, shove the point into the band and spread the band by opening the pliers.  Press the band and skirt onto the popper and make sure the skirt is spread evenly.  Then trim the excess around the band and the other end of the skirt.

The Forgotten Spinnerbait

I’m amazed at how many seasoned bass anglers turn their noses up at the black spinnerbait.  When I first started using black, a lot of anglers rolled their eyes.  When I was observing for the Mr. Bass Championship, I threw the “Midnight Special” spinnerbait.  I caught 3 bass within 10 minutes before my boater told me not to fish anymore, since I was only an observer.  I told him what I was using and he said,
“Bass must be hitting at anything”.  Meanwhile, he hadn’t caught a fish yet and ignored my suggestion.  Yet another angler asked “Aren’t you embarrassed throwing that?”

The general theory behind using black is it makes a better silhouette in dark conditions, and it stands out more in stained, murky water.  In short, any condition where it is difficult for bass to see/find your lure.  I strongly favor black spinnerbaits armed with Colorado blades, which create a lot of vibration.  The Strike King “Midnight Special” sports a single Colorado blade with an additional rattle. 

In my location, stained water has a light color; white and chartreuse spinnerbaits blend in with the suspended silt.  Black in this situation is seen by bass as a shadow, which is more visible than the lighter colors which are camouflaged.  So the strategy is to attract bass with vibration, close enough for her to see the silhouette, and finally the kill.

Here’s another viewpoint; what is a spinnerbait?  To me it looks like a jig with spinners.  Remember when you used to fish with beetlespins to catch crappie and bluegill?  Black bass are in the same family.  So if you use a trailer with a heavy black spinnerbait and a small single blade you’ve essentially have a beetlespin for bass.  This is called slow rolling. 

Keep a black spinnerbait in your box.  You may be surprised.