Mini-Me Popper

Ernest Peckinpaugh

Ernest Peckinpaugh

Mini-Me Popper

The popper type of fly is usually attributed to Ernest Peckinpaugh in 1907. Ernest lived in Tennessee and was a prolific Bass fisherman. He desired a floating fly and came up with the idea of using a cork with a long hook through it tying some deer hair at the head. The pattern worked well and Ernest experimented with different shapes and designs like concaving the front of the cork to give a “popping” sound. The demand was such that Ernest created the E.H. Peckinpaugh Company in 1920 to start commercial production. The company grew to over 300 fly tiers and 60 types of Bass Poppers by 1940.

Post War Drought

However, after World War II, Bass fishermen preferred the use of spinning rods and spin baits with the bass poppers going out of favor. It wasn’t until the 1970’s when Dave Whitlock brought back the interest in fishing for bass with a fly rod using deer hair flies that the poppers came back. The Mini-Me poppers provide the necessary attributes to attact pan fish and bass. Bluegills and small bass will eat this fly pattern up. Holographic eyes and plenty of tail and rubber legs movement make this one “happy meal”sitting on top of the water. A few quick strips and then let it sit a while and then strip it again and the pan fish will come running.

 

Variations