when you work a popper do you hold the rod tip up or down

Down, unless your line is really stuck to the water.

i'll try that do i use a jerking motion

Keep the rod tip pointed towards the water and using your hand flex the rod tip to make the lure "pop" and "dart" on the surface.

Fast flexes make the lure go faster and pop louder.

Slow flexes make the lure go slower and softer.

I like the RICO for its slim body but the Pop-R is also good.

Each topwater has a different "pop" to it and you then have to decide to pop it loud and fast or soft and slow.

Good luck.

thanks sam i have a hula popper

I hold the rod tip paralell to the water (sideways)  I find it allows me to control the amount of splash I get and I can "walk" certain poppers using that approach.

good luck and have fun.

avid

I'm with avid.  I usually hold parallell to the water to the right or left side.  I pull/twitch horizontal as well, vs. up, seem to get better action and sound that way.  Also, maybe its just me, but horizontal seems to allow me a better hook set.  The motion just seem more compact vs. going up.

Eddie

I always start with 3 pulls, rod down, then pause for "5 one thousands". I decrease the count till I see what works. A popper is one of my favorite lures. i ahve cught tons of fish on them over the yeasr on many different bodies of water.

GOOD LUCK!

thanks for those tips

I vary the amount of 'pops'. pop, pop pop pop, pop pop. Different cadence different speed till the fish tell me how they want it.

Kelley

I'm with Triton21, I never do the same retrieve pattern in a cast. I also let the lure sit a while before I move it. Not too long though or the bass will get a good look at it. I always hold my rod to the side.

kinda like driving them crazy

I just tried out the classic pop-r!  I have one in frog print, yellow on the bottom, and black spots on a green base.  I caught a really large fish on it, and lost it!  I was a little discouraged, but I caught another, and also lost it.  Great lure otherwise!  I just need to learn the 3 second rule, then to set that hook hard!    I am a newbie on it, and I will figure it out.  My personal favorite way to pop it, is to hold it really low on the water, and chug it along ever 5-10 seconds.  This works amazing just before sun down!  

The position of your rod can vary somewhat proportionately to the distance the lure is from you. It will be "easier" to work it when it very far away from you with the rod tip in a more elevated position. As the lure gets closer to you, it will be "easier" to work it with the rod tip in a lower position.

You can also pop and twitch it from either side too.  You can start your retrieve after all the circles dissipate from the splash or start the retrieve as soon as it hits the water.

You can use a motion that will make the lure travel horizontally (twitches I suppose) across the water, or you can intentionally make the lure's nose dive down into the water to go sub-surface.

Heck, you can even just dead float for as long as you're willing to bear such insanity. It is entirely up to you.

Good luck! If you have never felt the explosion of a topwater popper strike, you are in for a treat. There is no other strike like it. Check your blood pressure and hold down. Warning! Top water strikes with a popper are addicting.  ;D

I hear that!  My second or third time ever using a pop-r in my life, the only top water I ever have really used, other than my heddon torp, and man, the explosion was amazing!  It was as though the fish couldn't resist the things!  I was rediculous!  I was totally hooked, though the explosion was more of a swirl, I blinked, and it was over!  haha  I did get the fish up to 3 feet of the boat before realizing that I never set the hook, with all the excitment!  I must have forgot...  Oh well, next time!  haha