Zazzy Pop Poppers

Being that Jeff Jones decided to do a run of Zazzy Pop Poppers after a long hiatus, I thought I'd repost this from an old blog, love these things!!!!


After what seamed like an eternity I received a brown envelope in the mail (OK so it was only a few days) After opening I found inside the most awesome poppers I’ve ever seen in my life! I gave Owl at Zazzy Pop freedom of choice on the eight I ordered from him and trust me when I say he did great. I was only saddened by the fact that they arrived on my Monday and I would not be able to get them in the water for several days. I literally pulled them out of there fly box (yes they have there own because they deserve it) and just admired the fine craftsmanship every night when I got home and debated just putting them on the wall or from the visor of my car but something that zazzy has gotta catch a fish.
Finally I got a day off so I woke up early (well early for my day off ) made some coffee, loaded up my fly pack and Camelbak, and headed up to the lake. After a 2 mile hike to an old fishing pier on the back side of the lake I tied the shiny new blue pencil popper to my tippet ( hind sight should’ve changed the 6x tippet to 3x) and made my first cast. Even casting with a bothersome wind coming from a 5-6wt 7ft glass rod they casted great shot it out about 40 ft and started to chug it back. POP-POP-POP pause, POP-POP- pause, then it seamed if the water under the fly vanished as a green and black head exploded out of the water engulfing the popper. I easily strip set the hook as the thought hit my head Gabe what tippet is on that line (6x) wow that fish is bigger than the 3lb test and its headed for cover. I grasped the line firmly and lightly applied pressure to the rod butt, it still ran against me. I knew if it hit the branches and weed bed of it’s home I’d lose it so I leaned into the rod just as it hit cover and pop, limp yellow fly line fell back on the water. I was crushed I had caught a possible lake record Fly bass and…… that punk took my new popper. Then it hit me, wow these are sweet, third cast and a couple pops and the big boys come out to play. So I cut the tippet off went to a 3x and tied another popper on I started to cast towards the same spot when I saw something surface, it was my zazzy pop that punk broke my line stole my popper and then spit it out. I decided to catch my popper back so I began to cast out to it and strip back in, not fishing just trying to retrieve my fly I’d hit the loose pencil popper and it would wiggle and shake in the water then go to rest. After the third or fourth attempt the wildest thing happened, it popped, wiggled, then went to rest ,then the water boiled and it was gone, ARE YOU SERIOUS TWO BASS JUST STOLE MY POPPER!!!!!!
Accepting my defeat I pulled in my line and decided to move to another location. As I was hiking around the lake the wind picked up even more as my iPhone alerted me of severe thunderstorm warning with hail and chance of tornadoes so I decided (translation: wife called said Gabe get off the lake now there is a big storm coming in) to haul it back up the trail to the car load up and head for cover. I got to the car as the sky opened up and rain, wind, thunder, and lightning bashed down as I crossed the dam the light chop turned to white caps. I drove home blessed by the day I was given and thinking, some where in this lake is a trophy bass that stole my popper but his brother popper will avenge him!
p.s.
Later on that day the storm cleared and it turned into a nice sunny,windy, day so I went down to the river and tossed my #8 into holes and washes and pulled out several fun bass.