New Carolina Blue Blockhead Popper Bodies!

I've been getting bugged for years from fly fisher people out east in Virginia and North Carolina to offer some blue colored blockheads. It seems the smallmouth bass really like 'em there and everywhere!

We've been gerry-rigging blue poppers for years by coloring a white popper with a marker pen. These New Blue Blockheads are better and the color is just perfect!

Somewhere between Yellow, Chartreuse, White (especially good this summer), Black and Blue - you'll find a popper that will turn fish. Even on those days when fishing is slow, keep chucking these blockheads and good things will happen.

I generally will switch to a Mega Hopper Popper, when the poppers don't work.  Many times the hopper, especially mid to late summer will coax recalcitrant bass up to sip in these delectable foam hoppers.

If that doesn't work, I'll head down with streamers and ultimately dredge with Clousers or Weighted Crayfish patters, of some sort - not near as much fun in my book...

But we always go back to the blockheads periodically - later in the day as most often, smallmouth will look up at some point.

You'll generally take your biggest fish with a surface popper as well.

This was a strange overcast day with a light NW wind with relatively clear brown stained Mississippi River water, common for this time of year. About three foot visibility.

We caught a bunch of small fish early, but later in the afternoon, the big ones started to hit. Not a lot, but you're never going to get many this size!

We've taken lots of floats this season and it's funny how a couple of slobs can really define a particular trip and stretch of water.

This section of water has generally put out some big fish. Yet sections of river water will cycle through the years. For a few years they'll put out big ones and then the fish will diminish in size for a few year only to put out some monsters once again.

It's always good to see those smaller fish which means lots of great fly fishing action for years to come!