Every once in a while, an idea comes along that flips the script. For us, that moment was back in January, when we asked a bold question: What if we didn’t design our next lure alone? What if we let the fishing community build it with us?
 
The result was what we believe to be the tackle industry’s first-ever crowd-sourced lure design, at least by a major company. It wasn’t a quick poll either. This was a thirteen-minute deep-dive survey, and 757 hardcore anglers took the time to weigh in. Their answers became our blueprint.
 
The outcome is a plug stitched together from a dozen lure archetypes — poppers, pencils, walkers — all fused into one hybrid body. A lure designed by the community, for the community. A lure we now call the Franken Popper.

Here’s a Deep Look at the Response

The survey went well beyond surface-level questions. On average, it took thirteen minutes to complete, and 757 anglers shared real-world insights about how they fish, what they need, and what they wish existed. Those responses became the foundation for every design decision we made.
 
From rod setups to fishing environments, from body shapes to finish details, the community gave us both a clear direction and some challenging contradictions. Reconciling those competing preferences pushed us to innovate, and the result is a carefully blended hybrid that reflects hundreds of voices working together.

Who Participated?

This wasn’t a casual crowd, these were high-frequency, highly engaged saltwater anglers:

• 61.3% fish more than 30 times per season
• 96.6% fish more than 11 times per season

Most commonly used rods:

• 7’ rod with 30 lb line (37.6%)
• 8’ with 40 lb (24.7%)
• 9’ with 40+ lb (18.5%)

Most frequently fish in:

• Massachusetts (37.8%)
• New Jersey (16.8%)
• New York (12.3%)
• Rhode Island (11.2%)
• Connecticut (7.3%)

Usage Environments (Where They Fish the Plug)

• 65.1% said open water
• 58.7% – open beaches
• 50.6% – rocky shorelines
• 50.6% – rips
• 50.6% – inlets
• 49.1% – back bays
• 48.7% – jetties
• 42.0% – sand bars
• 29.7% – canal systems

These results, spanning a wide range of structure archetypes, clearly indicate that the lure must be highly versatile. It has to perform in surf, rocky structure, and moving water, with a balance of castability and retrieve control.

What You Asked For:

Length: 6” — chosen by 66.7% of respondents

Diameter: ~1" (“broomstick thick”) — 64.7%

Weight: 1.75oz — the ideal middle ground between 1.5oz and 2oz

Material: Hollow ABS Plastic (61.6%) — durable, long-casting, with internal balance options

Primary Use Case:

• 65% plan to use it in open water
• 61.6% said all-season use

The Franken-Popper Head Style Preferences (Q6)

Anglers showed a wide range of preferences for popper head styles. While no single design dominated, the data revealed a clear demand for head shapes that deliver both aggressive splash and versatile control.

• #3 Classic Deep Bucket – 18.7%
• Loudest pop; favored for choppy conditions and big predators
• #10 Rounded Polaris Style – 15.3%
• Subtle action with long casting — great for finicky fish
• #4 Classic 25° Taper (Shallow Bucket) – 13.8%
• Slim, aerodynamic head for mixed slash/pop retrieves
• #11 Oval Deep Cupped Chug – 13.8%
• More aggressive splash than Polaris but less than full bucket
• #7 Double Taper (No Bucket) – 9.0%
• Designed to walk-the-dog with little splash
• #2 Classic Shallow Bucket – 8.2%
• Balanced ripple and splash, more finesse than aggression

The popper’s head shape  (arguably its most important feature) was also the trickiest design challenge. No single option stood out as dominant, making a clear winner hard to define. Instead, the data pointed toward a "mean average" solution: a blended design that balanced the top preferences.
 
Taken together, Chug-style heads — including the #11 Oval Deep Cupped and elements of the #3 Classic Deep Bucket,  accounted for approximately 32% of total responses. 
 
While no single head type dominated, this concentration pointed toward a clear demand for some level of pop and surface disturbance.

Combined with secondary preferences for walkability and control, this data supported a hybrid design that borrows splash from the chuggers, without fully committing to a traditional bucket face.
 
This explains why the Franken Popper’s head design blends a 45° angle with a moderate chug face — enough splash to call fish, but refined for versatility and walkability.

The Franken Popper Belly

Voters were nearly unanimous:

• 73.1% chose the oval-tapered belly — and for good reason:
• Encourages walk-the-dog action while maintaining pop rhythm
• Centerline track stability helps the plug dance but stay in control
• Subtle or loud, depending on how you fish it

Body Style Preferences (Q8)

Anglers expressed a clear preference for body shapes that balance casting distance, splash, and swimming stability — with two front-runners leading the pack:

• Chug / Polaris Bulbous Body – 27.7%
Prioritized for its splash power and castability in surf and open water. A go-to for anglers looking to push water and grab attention from a distance.
• Wide Large Baitfish Profile – 24.3%
Mimics key forage like bunker, herring, and mackerel — ideal in rougher water when fish are locked onto full-bodied prey.

Trailing these were:

• Pencil Popper Body Taper – 13.5% — aerodynamic, tail-weighted, made for reach and fast retrieves
• Skinny Sand Eel Profile – 12.4% — long, slim, and subtle for finesse fishing
• Classic Popper Body – 11.6% — the stable all-arounder
• Retro Popper Body – 10.5% — aggressive taper for splash and darting motion

Design Insight

While the spread was diverse, over 52% of anglers voted for bodies with serious water displacement , translating to a plug that is bulbous or baitfish-shaped. This preference reflects a need for a plug that performs in moving water, structure-heavy terrain, and open surf.

That demand was further validated by the baitfish skew in the survey:

• 44.6% selected menhaden (bunker) — a fat-bodied, slow-moving bait that requires a popper with bulk, lift, and visual presence
• 15.9% selected squid — which demands a longer, elegant silhouette capable of a sweeping glide or rhythmic pop

Those two species alone accounted for over 60% of all baitfish responses, and they sit at opposite ends of the design spectrum:

• Bunker calls for girth and splash
• Squid demands glide and taper

Reconciling the Tension

This presented a classic plug design challenge:

• Anglers wanted a fat-bodied profile that could imitate large forage like bunker and still hint at squid behavior
• But it had to remain castable on a 7'–8' MH spinning rod — the most common setup in the survey
• And stay under the 1.75 oz weight ceiling, set by the top weight preference cluster of 1.5–2 oz

The result?


A compact-yet-bulky body with a “broomstick-thick” 1” diameter  that was optimized to cast long, track straight, move water, and still offer a controlled, finesse-capable retrieve. 
 
The Franken Popper walks the line between bunker presence and squid poise  without tipping the scales.
 
Baitfish Imitation Preferences (Q26)
When asked what baitfish they were imitating with the Franken Popper, anglers showed a clear priority: match what’s in the water — especially bunker and squid, two dominant forage species that demand very different lure behaviors.
 
Menhaden (Bunker) – 44.6% The overwhelming top choice. Bunker call for a fat-bodied profile, splashy action, and high visibility, especially in choppy water or blitz conditions. This preference drove key design traits like the plug’s diameter, frontal surface area, and lift at slower speeds — all essential to making the lure “show up” like a real pogy.
 
Squid – 15.9% A strong second-place finisher, especially among Cape Cod and Canal anglers. Squid require a longer, more fluid silhouette capable of gliding or rhythmic pops across current seams. This influenced both the oval-tapered belly and the balanced face design — refined enough to allow finesse movement without sacrificing surface disturbance.
 
Generic Attractor – 20.0% Roughly 1 in 5 anglers weren’t targeting specific forage — they simply wanted a lure that could create enough commotion to provoke a reaction strike, regardless of the bait. This is easy in the popper department. NEXT!
 
Herring – 7.4% Herring are flashy, mid-sized baitfish that demand a lure with sudden movement and directional changes. This validated the importance of a plug that can be worked as a walker or a popper — both classic herring-season approaches. Some careful overlap here with squid and smaller pogy.
 
Sand Eel – 3.5% Well, you can’t be all things! We make Surface Eraser for those anyway! NEXT!
 
Mullet – 2.2% Two per-what? NEXT!
 
Other / Open Text – 6.3%  Actually some comments on a popper that walks...

Design Takeaway

While bunker dominated the vote, squid offered the clearest contrast — and the two together shaped the Franken Popper’s core identity:

• Bunker demanded body girth, lift, and aggressive splash
• Squid required length, balance, and finesse control

It’s your Franken Popper.

Data is One Thing…. It was comments like these (personal, thoughtful, and rooted in real fishing) that glued the whole experiment together. 

“Looking for a low-profile plug with the option of pencil popper action and walk-the-dog action. Something easy to work to reduce angler fatigue compared to throwing a chug style popper. I fish a lot with my 12 y/o son and it’s a workout to throw some poppers all AM. Mostly fish sand/mud flats matching ultra-small bait with finicky bass. Thanks!”

“I’d love a plug that can be used for long-distance casting and can still walk easily when fish are finicky.”

“Sometimes I wish chuggers could also glide like pencils. Maybe find a middle ground?”

“Plug that walks easy with a subtle pop—not just loud splashers. Stripers are getting smarter.”

“A lure that can both pop and walk the dog depending on how you work it would be awesome.”

“Something fat enough to imitate a pogy but small enough to cast on my 7' MH spinning rod inshore.” *This single sentence sums up the Franken Popper’s

DNA:

• Big enough to move water and imitate bunker.
• Small and balanced enough to throw comfortably on a standard inshore setup.
• Versatile enough to hit back bays, open water, or shoreline structure — with just one plug.

Finish Details: 

1. Body Translucency + Paint:

Respondents were nearly split between translucent and non-translucent finishes — but here’s what stood out:

• Top Choice: Translucent with Highly Imitative Paint Job — 23.8%
• Runner-up: Non-Translucent with Simple Paint Job — 22.7%
• Non-Translucent with No Paint (molded color) — 16.4%
• Translucent with Simple Paint — 14.1%

Takeaway: The crowd was clearly divided between solid colors and translucent finishes. At Hogy, our translucent lures consistently outsell other patterns, so we’re leaning into what we know works. We’ll offer a mix of two-tone and single-tone translucent finishes, with one or two solid colors in the lineup.

2. Color Features

(Respondents were asked to pick up to four) Here’s what rose to the top out of 259 entries:

• Two-Tone Body — 48.7%
• Contrasting Belly Stripe — 39.8%
• Red or Pink Inside Popper Face — 38.6%
• Highly Imitative Baitfish Replica — 31.7%

Takeaway: Two-tone, belly stripe, and pink face are crowd-approved — and they’ll all be part of the design. Clean, classic, and loud where it counts. We’ll make a few variations.

3. Body Texture

• Lateral Line (Engraved or Painted) — 34.3%
• Classic Scale Pattern (Raised/Engraved) — 30.2%
• Foiled or Holographic Accents — 26.9%
• Smooth, Polished Surface — 25.0%
• 3D Scale Effect — 18.7%

Takeaway: We’ll include a visible lateral line and subtle scale pattern as standard.
Foil detailing may be included in select finishes where it helps visibility without overpowering the clean design.

4. Rattle Preferences

• Subdued Rattle — 38.8%
• Loud Rattle — 33.6%
• No Rattle — 12.9%
• Indifferent — 14.8%

Takeaway: We’re going with a subdued rattle. Too much internal weight would impede the walk-the-dog action, which is the Franken Popper’s most unique attribute. Sound matters — but so does balance.

5. Eye Placement

• Large, Forward-Set Eyes — overwhelming winner (62.7%)
  

Takeaway: Bigger is better — but we’re working within the limits of the 45° mini chug face. We’ll use the biggest forward-set eye we can fit without messing with performance.

Final Finish Formula (Crowd-Sourced Look)

• Body: Translucent ABS
• Paint: Highly imitative and two-tone options
• Detailing: Contrasting belly stripe, red inside popper face
• Texture: Lateral line + subtle scale pattern + occasional foil accents
• Rattle: Subdued
• Eyes: Large, forward-set

Takeaway

We’ve now got a very rare popper that can walk the dog as well as it pops
 
You can fish it loud or subtle. It’ll pop, walk, and do BOTH, depending on how you work it and of course what the fish are keyed in on. While bunker is king, versatility is critical.

The Franken Popper’s shape and action needed to cover both fat-bodied forage like bunker and more nimble species like fleeing squid or herring, depending on how the angler works it.

Two lures. One body.
 Lots of scenarios to fish it.

It might just be the most Hogy System(y) lure we've ever made.