should they droop only allowing the mouth to partially protruding above the surface when still ?

 

I saw a vid of splashing water in front of the mouth when popped. I didn't notice this with mine today. I didn't tie directly to the integral ring and added a slip ring to it to ease a swivel latch to attach. Should I attach line directly to the popper for correct action ?

I tie direct. A lot of poppers sit tail down in the water. When you move them forward they come up level on the surface.

The thing about poppers is you can just twitch them and make ripples or jerk them and make a big splash. They are quite versatile in presentation.