Popper Lessons with a Master
Custom Tips
Rowland, a longtime tackle designer, can’t shake
his insatiable itch for tinkering. He’s a master of modification.
In his mind, it seems like there should always
be a better way.
“It’s in my blood,” he says. “I love fishing a topwater,
and I’ve always been intrigued by all the baits that different
companies make. When I see a good bait, I automatically
start thinking of ways that it could be made
into a great bait.”
It’s been the same way with the Rebel Pop-R, which
Rowland has thrown – and modified – for decades with
great success. He’s particularly fond of his customized
Pop-R. He proudly refers to it as “the bait that’s never
been made.”
“There aren’t any others like it other than the ones
I’ve shared with a few close friends,” he says.
“Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to see it in production
someday. I’ve got ideas for some other topwater baits
that the industry hasn’t seen yet.”
The tweaks change the way the bait slides through
the water and the way it positions when at rest – tail
down, instead of flatter on the surface. As a result,
Rowland can make his modified Pop-R chug, spit or
walk by merely altering the rod angle and cadence.
“I can hold my rod tip up at about a 45-degree angle
and speed the retrieve up and make it spit and make a
sound like a shad, hold it down to make it chug or walk
it like a Zara Spook,” he says. “It’s like having three different
poppers in one. If I’m practicing, I can constantly
change the cadence, action and sound without having
to change baits to see what the fish prefer.”
Rowland accomplishes the custom action through
an intricate sanding process that involves shaving the
bait down to a uniform smoothness all the way around.
“Once the concave eyes are smooth, you’re there,”
he says. “It changes the shape of the entire bait from
round to oval. All I’ll do to the lip is use fine sandpaper
to give it a sharp edge like a boat prop. I’ve seen a lot
of poppers, and there aren’t many you can do all that
to. The Pop-R is the perfect shape body.”
It takes Rowland about an hour to get a bait ready
for paint, which he does with an airbrush using a quality
oil-based product. Paint jobs can take up to 30 minutes
to complete, depending on how intricate he wants it.
“I won’t fish one without a feather on the rear treble,”
he adds. “That feather pulsates in the water. If a
bass hits and misses, it doesn’t run 30 feet away. He’s
probably just sitting there looking at it. Barely move the
bait, and that feather will open and close. It’s like turning
a light bulb on. They can’t stand it.”
There’s a passel of ways to catch a bass, and
Rowland has made a stellar career out of fooling them
using a tactic that is often regarded as the most exciting
of all.
Topwater fishing – especially with poppers – is his
passion. It has been ever since he launched that memorable
cast into a still-water cove on Sardis Lake way
back in 1965.
PHOTOS BY MATT PACE
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FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2020