Charter Grade Popper: 1 5/8oz - 5.5inch

The Classic Popper is the most versatile topwater in the Hogy system. It’s the plug Capt. Mike reaches for first when conditions are variable, when he doesn’t know what the fish want, and when he needs an answer fast. A concave face throws a crisp, sharp bloop that cuts through chop and silence alike — calling fish up from structure, locating scattered feeders, and forcing a reaction from bass that weren’t actively hunting.

• Poppers are the opening statement. Before you throw a walker, a swimmer, or a jig, you throw a popper and listen. Are fish willing to feed on top? Will they commit on the first strike or just swirl and inspect? Are they aggressive, lazy, or curious? The Classic Popper answers all of these questions in the first five casts.
  

• Concave Face: The Classic’s concave head profile creates a shorter, sharper water displacement than the Chug’s deep cup. The result is a crisp “bloop” that carries cleanly in calm to moderate conditions. This is the versatile popper sound — loud enough to draw fish from distance, controlled enough to fish finesse around structure.
• Floating Design: Sits high at rest. Pop and pause without the plug diving out of the zone. That float is the finesse advantage — on the pause, the 5.5” Classic Popper sits motionless on the surface while the flag tail breathes and following fish decide. Long pauses on glass-calm mornings produce some of the most violent topwater strikes in fishing.
• 5.5” — The Goldilocks Size: The 5.5” is the workhorse because it splits every difference perfectly. Enough splash to call fish in chop. Subtle enough for pressured water. Matches peanut bunker, small squid, mullet, and medium sand eels. Casts comfortably on a 7’ MH. If you own one popper, this is the one.
• Hook (1) Platform: Ships standard with the Hogy Hook (1) configuration: single VMC 4X belly treble plus hand-tied genuine bucktail flag on stainless steel in the tail. Inspired by MA DMF and ASGA’s Local Singles Program. Faster releases, cleaner hookups, and the flag tail adds subtle pulsing action on every pause that converts following fish. Conservation and performance in the same rig.

• Pop Fast:

When: Active blitzes, aggressive surface feeds, covering water
Rod tip slightly up. Quick, shallow pops in rapid succession. Fast reel to match tempo. Mimics a fleeing baitfish on the run. The Classic’s concave face throws sharp spits of water that track like tracer rounds across the surface.

• Twitch:

When: Calm water, pressured fish, finesse situations
Rod tip at 9 o’clock. Gentle, short twitches — just enough to make a pop without splashing. Slow reel, pause slightly after each twitch. Imitates a dazed baitfish. Ideal for sight-casting or when fish are inspecting.

• Twitch with Long Pause:

When: Glass-calm mornings, spooky fish, big stripers
One soft pop, then let the plug sit for 2–5 seconds. During the pause, the flag pulses and the plug sits motionless. This creates suspense and gives fish time to commit. Many of the largest strikes of the season come during the long pause.

• Fish the Swing:

When: Rips, channels, current seams
Cast uptide and pop your way in as the lure swings over the strike zone. The current carries the plug naturally while the pops add commotion. This combines topwater attraction with drift-based positioning.

• Environmental (E):

- Calm water: Where the bloop carries farthest and fish inspect longest on the pause.

- Moderate chop: The concave face bloops above surface turbulence.

- Strong current: Fish the swing with the tide.

- Low light: Commotion draws fish by sound when visibility drops.

• Observational (O):

- Scattered open-water feeds: The popper gathers attention from afar.

- Resident fish on rocky shorelines: Call-in tactic — trigger territorial strikes.

- Albies (crossover): Fast pop retrieve competes with metals when albies are surface feeding.

• Structure + Approach (S + A):

- Rip edges and current seams: Pop uptide and let it swing through the seam. Fish the swing on the drift — strikes come at the tension point.

- Rocky shorelines and boulder fields: Call-in tactic. Pop aggressively to trigger territorial strikes from resident fish.

- Open flats and bars: Fan-cast to cover water. The 5.5” casts far enough to scan structure from a distance.

- Boat: Drift rips and pop ahead of the drift. Anchor on structure and work edges systematically.

- Surf: 7’–8’ MH delivers distance. Pop through troughs, over bars, and along jetty edges.