Spopper wanted

[Eddie Bray]

Don’t you use a shock leader with those items Eddie?
What if it actually was heading for the far bank and you had to stop it mid flight.
im not a braid expert but I’d imagine a fully loaded spopper or a deeper could crack 40lb braid off dead easy if ground to a halt.

I've never thought about it to be honest Richard, I haven't actually cast the spopper out it out more than 30 yards which doesn't seem to put any strain on the rod or line, the Deeper only weighs 3.4 ounces and I have cast that further to get the lie of the river but again, no noticeable strain. When I fish the Trent, I will probably use a shock leader, but I've no plans to on the Severn.

 

[Rob Paylor]

Don’t you use a shock leader with those items Eddie?
What if it actually was heading for the far bank and you had to stop it mid flight.
im not a braid expert but I’d imagine a fully loaded spopper or a deeper could crack 40lb braid off dead easy if ground to a halt.

I think the general idea with spods/spoppers etc is that flight is supposed to be more of an arc'd curve rather than a level flying missile. Doesn't always go to plan though I've only used my spopper a couple of times and actually used my drop shot rod with 20lb braid on to launch that, but then it was only a 20/30 yard lob. When I'm carp fish and using maggots in the spod, I use 15lb mainline but do have a Fox tapered leader attached just for those potential mishap moments on the launch Can't say i've ever cracked off on the mainline despite casting to the clip and often over doing the launch! I'm sure plenty do though.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

The ones sold in the shop are converted mini Chinese spombs..well the one I received last week was .
No one makes smaller spombs than the size I received..
I was unfortunately under the impression that they were the larger of the two sizes that come from China too .

As for rods and line specs.
For Carp fishing I use a 3lb test carp rod, budget Dorisea extreme braid 30lb test with a 30lb mono leader just for finger protection on the cast and a so called Midi (actually the Chinese don't make them any larger so should really be classed as large ) Chinese spomb, completely filled with hemp and hemp sludge.
This set up chucks 80yds effortlessly and 100+ with a bit of exertion without a problem.
I would have no qualms of using a 2.5 test rod, 20lb braid with leader finger protection or finger stall with the item I was supplied with from the shop...I'll probably use it for long range feeder fishing on the lochs.View attachment 12993

You can get cheap copy large spombs and cheap copy midi spombs. I have plenty of both. As for the mini spombs you need to buy the real deal.
I will not compete with Eddie or BFW and supply the standard 4 oz midi spoppers but for anything else that’s not available in the bfw shop I could possibly help with.

 

[William Telfer]

You can get cheap copy large spombs and cheap copy midi spombs. I have plenty of both. As for the mini spombs you need to buy the real deal.
I will not compete with Eddie or BFW and supply the standard 4 oz midi spoppers but for anything else that’s not available in the bfw shop I could possibly help with.

If you are referring to Chinese copies...What you class as large are only the size of midi genuine spombs.
What you class as midi spombs are only the size of mini genuine spombs.
What I was sent was a mini chinky spomb converted to spopper....not the larger size.

There are a good few Facebook sellers who supply the larger of the two sized Chinese spombs converted to spopper thanks.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

If you are referring to Chinese copies...What you class as large are only the size of midi genuine spombs.
What you class as midi spombs are only the size of mini genuine spombs.
What I was sent was a mini chinky spomb converted to spopper....not the larger size.

There are a good few Facebook sellers who supply the larger of the two sized Chinese spombs converted to spopper thanks.

I didn’t supply you anything so I don’t know what you received but you can get the proper large size in a Chinese copy.
you can get the proper midi size in a Chinese copy
The mini size needs to be genuine spomb.
if you want a proper large one making up pm me and I’ll do you one.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

If you are referring to Chinese copies...What you class as large are only the size of midi genuine spombs.

This should clear things up.

2 green cheap copy spombs in proper large and midi sizes and the black one is a genuine mini spomb.
the moulds were originally all made with genuine spombs so the sizes are accurate.

 

[Joe Winstanley]

I use a 3.75lb marker rod which has a really stiff tip and 0.38 braid for using anything from Thamesley baitdroppers to midi and large spombs. This might seem like overkill to some, but I find it gives me a great feel, being able to feel the dropper right down to the bottom. The lack of stretch is also ideal twitching the dropper up and down a few immediately after hitting the bottom - a useful trick with hemp, casters and maggots sometimes, helping to draw the fish upstream.

Despite it being a beefy set up, I can't recall ever using it for overhead/lob casts. Always a feathered underarm lob even on the middle Trent as I rarely fish beyond mid-river. My forearms always feel like they've had a proper work out after putting out a few pints of particles.

 

[Terry Simner]

I've yet to have need to Spopper out further than ~20m, and originally I used a cheapo 12ft/3lb t/c marker rod. It was ok but, on underarm swings with a fully loaded Spopper (6.5-7.0oz), the rod sometimes 'bounced/wobbled' when cast was made, resulting in inaccuracy. So I rigged up a 12ft, 2.75lb carp rod (found up a tree, post flood, on the banks of the Teme) but ran line out through the line guides 1, then 2, and then 3 down from its tip. I eventually found that for greatest accuracy the rod needed to be shortened to just over 7ft i.e. top section was cut down to just leave one line guide on it.
Ok it seems crazy, and it looks ridiculous, but it works. With it I can drop a Spopper into a bucket (or at least hit it) 20m down my garden, 90% of the time. It must have a test curve of over 10lbs (it's basically a stick!) but for underarming out to ~25m it's brilliant.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

With it I can drop a Spopper into a bucket (or at least hit it) 20m down my garden, 90% of the time.

Thats some accuracy there Terry. I reckon I’d hit everything but the bucket at that range
You ain’t confusing it with next doors skip are ya

 

[Terry Simner]

Thats some accuracy there Terry. I reckon I’d hit everything but the bucket at that range
You ain’t confusing it with next doors skip are ya

By using what's basically a rigid stick, braid that doesn't stretch, and a feathered down underhand swing, you take virtually all the variables out of the process. You create a repeatable pendulum effect.

 

[Joe Winstanley]

I've yet to have need to Spopper out further than ~20m, and originally I used a cheapo 12ft/3lb t/c marker rod. It was ok but, on underarm swings with a fully loaded Spopper (6.5-7.0oz), the rod sometimes 'bounced/wobbled' when cast was made, resulting in inaccuracy. So I rigged up a 12ft, 2.75lb carp rod (found up a tree, post flood, on the banks of the Teme) but ran line out through the line guides 1, then 2, and then 3 down from its tip. I eventually found that for greatest accuracy the rod needed to be shortened to just over 7ft i.e. top section was cut down to just leave one line guide on it.
Ok it seems crazy, and it looks ridiculous, but it works. With it I can drop a Spopper into a bucket (or at least hit it) 20m down my garden, 90% of the time. It must have a test curve of over 10lbs (it's basically a stick!) but for underarming out to ~25m it's brilliant.

It doesn't seem remotely crazy to me Terry. After all it's not a 'fishing' rod is it?

Re markers, some marker rods are very tippy, presumably with the intention of providing visual feedback when a marker lead is being dragged over differing substrates. Others very stiff so you feel more through the blank. The old greys one I use as my dropper/spopper rod is very stiff in the tip and therefore I find much more accurate and consistent. But it hadn't occured to me that it might be improved by shortening it....hmmn, you've got me thinking there

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Gone spopper mad this evening
The two white ones are genuine spombs and what a dream they are to work with compared to the cheap copies. The plastic drills nicer, the leads fit nicer the actual closure is spot on and the link at the back is super reliable I don’t need to change it like the cheap ones. If I was to factor my hourly rate into these things the genuine spombs would actually be cheaper to produce. I made both those white ones in less than 25 minutes.