The Hula Popper fishing lure is well-known and iconic topwater bait anglers use to attract bass and other game fish. Its origin can be traced back to the mid-1940s and is closely associated with the name of Fred Arbogast, an American lure designer, and manufacturer.
In 1941, Fred Arbogast, a talented angler and skilled woodworker, started crafting fishing lures in Akron, Ohio. He founded the Arbogast Company and began producing a variety of innovative fishing lures that quickly gained popularity among anglers.
The Hula Popper was introduced by Fred Arbogast in 1948. It was designed to mimic the appearance and movements of a small frog or wounded baitfish on the water’s surface, which would attract predatory fish, especially bass. The lure was unique in its design, featuring a hollow, cupped mouth that created a popping and splashing action when retrieved, hence the name “Hula Popper.”
The cupped mouth allowed the angler to create a popping sound by jerking the lure, imitating the sound of a struggling or injured prey. This sound and action triggered bass and other fish to strike the lure, making it a highly effective topwater bait.
The original Hula Popper was made of wood and featured a rubber skirt around the hook, which added to its lifelike appearance. Over the years, the lure’s design evolved, and different materials were used, including plastic bodies and silicone skirts, to improve its durability and effectiveness.
The Hula Popper quickly gained popularity among anglers and became a staple in many tackle boxes. Its effectiveness and unique action made it a go-to lure for catching bass in various fishing situations.
In the decades since its introduction, the Hula Popper has remained a beloved classic among anglers and has undergone various iterations and improvements. Despite the emergence of new fishing lure designs and technologies, the Hula Popper’s timeless appeal and effectiveness have secured its place as one of the most iconic and enduring fishing lures in history.
Fishing Lure
The Hula Popper is an iconic topwater lure that has withstood the test of time. Though there may be newer lures with unique actions available now, this old school favorite remains relevant in every angler’s tackle box.
As with any lure, when fishing a hula popper it is important to use either 30-40lb braided line or light monofilament lines with good sensitivity, as these will allow your lure to float better while offering greater sensitivity. Furthermore, try fishing near structures such as docks, boats, cattails or any other forms of cover the fish might use as cover – docks, boats and cattails all work great when targeting cover for sheltering fish; similarly it works great when fishing around lily pads or weedy waters where it mimics appearance of baitfish baitfishes so it will attract fish seeking easy meals!
Finally, when using a hula lure it’s essential to remember its purpose – working quickly and aggressively with it – is designed. To do this successfully you will need to quickly cast out as much line from your reel as possible before casting out as far as possible. A shorter rod such as 6.5-feet medium rod gives the necessary versatility when fishing this lure effectively.
Once you’ve discovered an ideal spot to fish, take out your hula lure and begin working it. As this lure is designed for topwater fishing, make sure that it floats on top of the water at all times; cast out horizontally or at an oblique tail-down angle before flicking your rod tip back and forth to move its head up and down and its scooped mouth to trap water against itself, forcing it out ahead or to the sides of it, creating the kind of disturbance that attracts topwater feeders such as bass.
Where to Fish
If you want to lure bass that are attracted by topwater baits with popping action, the Hula Popper is an excellent option. It can be cast across any type of cover – wood, brush, grass and weeds all work great – to keep the lure moving; make it up and down, hop or jig on each stroke as this pulsating motion triggers strikes from fish.
Hula Poppers have long been used to attract gamefish. Their concave mouth and loud popping sound has long attracted gamefish. Frog and coach dog patterns in particular have proven very effective at drawing largemouth bass from heavy cover into deeper water. Best fished with slow jerk motion to allow fish time to respond to its unique sound and action.
When conditions turn cool in early summer mornings or late evenings, bass may become reluctant to chase after fast-moving baits like poppers. At such times, using the hula popper can be an effective way to lure them out from hiding spots and bring out more bites.
Hula poppers come in various sizes to suit specific applications. For instance, the smallest model is ideal for fishing small farm ponds or other bodies of water with limited fishing areas – weighing just 3/8 of an ounce with one single treble hook attached. Hula Poppers can also be used as buzz bait around cover such as stumps and laydowns to coax small panfish into striking. For larger applications, however, the Hula Popper can be cast over grass/weed beds to bring in largemouth bass species like Spotted Bass or Largemouth Bass. Hula poppers from Arbogast are available in an assortment of highly realistic colors, such as Blue Kill, Black Death and Coach Hog. Since 1948 they have been an essential component of Arbogast production lines. Recently re-released with several upgrades that make it more effective for anglers targeting big bass, including more powerful hooks and upgraded hook hangers designed to withstand bigger fish, making the new Hula Popper an essential piece of gear for serious topwater anglers.
When to Fish
The Hula Popper is best used when large bass are feeding aggressively or chasing smaller baitfish in relatively shallow water, often around weed edges, submerged vegetation, docks and manmade structures such as rip-rap or boulder piles. Most often it will work best when quickly retrieved just above the surface of the water; however it can also be used with slower retrieves for maximum effectiveness when large bass feed aggressively. It works especially well around these structures due to their proximity to docks, man made structures like rip-rap and boulder piles as fish often strike it from these manmade structures which mimic wounded baitfish this mimicry makes this lure highly effective when large bass feeding aggressively!
There are various elements that can determine the effectiveness of hula poppers, including water temperature, wind conditions and coloration. For instance, those that resemble small minnows or bluegills are ideal in late spring/early summer when fish are searching for smaller forage species; on the other hand, those that more closely resemble large frogs might work better during hotter periods when larger ones are active on lakes and rivers.
Hula poppers can be fished using various methods, but the most successful methods involve quick retrieves that create lots of noise and disturbance on the water’s surface. Pausing between jerks allows the lure to move slightly up and down across its surface creating an erratic bubble trail which attracts bass fishers.
Hula Poppers are beloved lures because they can be utilized by anglers of all experience levels – beginners as well as experts alike! In fact, novice fishers may find this lure an ideal way to introduce bass fishing. Furthermore, its design makes it the ideal lure for targeting school bass that are unwilling to chase after faster moving baits; with some practice an angler can learn to fish one effectively and quickly land one big bass! Arbogast’s latest iteration of their legendary Hula Popper boasts key upgrades sure to help all anglers catch more bass.
What Fish Will Strike
Arbogast Hula Poppers have proven themselves deadly on bass, pike and other gamefish since their introduction nearly 60 years ago. Their signature pulsating skirt moves like something alive during its pauses to trigger vicious topwater strikes that keep on striking!
The Hula Popper is an ideal lure to use around vegetation, docks, weed beds and boulder piles in lakes and ponds. You can easily pop, twitch or jerk it for optimal performance in shallow waters where fish are hiding under cover. Its flashy hula skirt provides added flash while its hollow nose creates loud popping sounds with an associated bubble trail to trigger aggressive strikes from fish.
To maximize its action, this lure should be fished using slow jerks with long pauses in between each. This allows it to attract strikers from deeper waters and bring them up towards the surface for strikers from deeper in the water to strike at it. Furthermore, fishing slower means giving fish time to respond to its sound and movement of the hula hula lure.
If you are fishing a pond with dense lily pads, a good strategy for fishing with Hula Poppers may be mounting them on a pole or rod and positioning it above any weeds; this allows for casting into an open space without worrying about snagging any vegetation and discouraging bass from striking.
Poppers effectively draw bass out from heavy cover and target aggressive ones in shallower waters.
Here’s a list of some fish that may be enticed by this lure:
- Largemouth Bass
- Smallmouth Bass
- Striped Bass
- Northern Pike
- Musky (Muskellunge)
- Pickerel
- Peacock Bass
- Snakehead
- Redfish (Red Drum)
- Tarpon
- Snook
- Bluegill (Bream)
- Crappie
- Panfish (such as Sunfish)
- Catfish (certain species may strike topwater lures)
- Chain Pickerel
- Barramundi
- Golden Dorado
- Carp (particularly when they are surface feeding)
- Rainbow Trout (especially in certain conditions)
It’s important to note that fish behavior can vary depending on the location, time of year, and environmental conditions. While the Hula Popper can be effective for the species listed above, it’s always a good idea for anglers to research and understand the local fish species and their behavior to maximize their chances of success with this or any other fishing lure. Also, proper presentation and retrieval techniques are crucial in attracting fish to strike the Hula Popper.
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