Survey Origins
The Hogy Franken Popper is the first crowd-sourced lure in the saltwater game, designed from the input of 757 hardcore anglers who each helped shape its body, balance, and function. The result is a 6" “macro chug popper” that can throw loud cupped-mouth splashes when needed, yet slip seamlessly into a walk-the-dog glide when fish demand finesse. Its broomstick-thick body matches bunker presence, while the hybrid face and belly taper allow it to double as a squid imitator across rip seams.
Boat Perspective
On a 7' medium-heavy setup, this plug feels perfectly at home as a boat plug. It casts long, holds its track in open water, and can be worked loud to pull fish up or walked quietly when fish are tracking but not committing. In calm conditions, the Franken Popper becomes a clean walker, making it deadly in estuary mouths and bays where stripers and albies feed on squid or herring.
Surf Perspective
From the surf, the Franken Popper’s rear-weighted balance makes it a distance tool that cuts wind and reaches outer bars, shoal crests, and rip lines. In rougher seas or on open beaches, the hybrid head throws enough splash to get noticed, while still walking steady when worked on a pause. Whether casting across sandy troughs or rocky points, it gives surfcasters a versatile topwater that can call fish in and then shift gears into finesse mode.
Closing Note
At Hogy, we’ve built a lot of plugs over the years, but this one has us flat-out bonkers. Born from hundreds of angler voices, tested across boat and surf, the Franken Popper is the most versatile topwater we’ve ever put in the lineup.
