The Texas pros managed to keep the Pop-R secrete for nearly a decade, during which time the little popper accounted for hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings. This was long before the Internet, social media and cameras constantly being focused on the pros. Secret lures don’t stay secret for long these days.
Rowland finally let the cat out of the bag when he won a B.A.S.S. Super Invitational with the Pop-R in Chattanooga in 1986. PRADCO was suddenly overwhelmed with orders for the Pop-R, and Rowland’s name immediately became synonymous with the lure.
“It’s hard to keep any bait you win on a secret unless you lie,” he said. “I didn’t want to lie.”
Several years later Rowland began tweaking the Pop-R by sanding the plastic walls of the bait thinner. This caused the popper to sit more tail down in the water, which allowed Rowland make the bait chug or spit.
“If I want it to chug, I work it with the rod tip down,” he said. “If I want it to spit, I hold the rod up. It’s the only chugger I know of that can do one or the other.”
To satisfy anglers who wanted a popper that would consistently spit when retrieved, he designed the Zell Pop for PRADCO’S XCalibur line of lures. The Zell Pop is now in PRADCO’S Booyah line and has been renamed the Boss Pop. It comes in 1/4- and 3/8-ounce sizes.
The Pop-R spurred countless other companies to introduce similar poppers, many of which are excellent bass catchers. South Carolina Bassmaster Elite Series pro and Classic champion Casey Ashley claimed that he has tried many different poppers, but that the 1/4-ounce Zell Pop is the only one he now ties on.
Originally posted on Bassmaster Go to Source
Author: Mark Hicks
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