Surface Seducer Howitzer Baitfish Popper Head | Articulated Foam Popper Head | Deep Cup & Rear Body Recess | EVA Foam | 3 Sizes | White, Yellow & Chartreuse | Bass, Pike & Big Game | Flymen

Articulated Baitfish Foam Popper Head. Deep Cup & Extended Lip for Loud Pops. Rear Recess for Seamless Articulated Body Integration. Recessed Eye Sockets. EVA Closed-Cell Foam. 3 Sizes: Small, Medium & Large. White, Yellow & Yellow Chartreuse. Bass, Pike, Musky & Big Game Poppers.

The Surface Seducer Howitzer by Flymen Fishing Company is a next-generation soft EVA foam baitfish popper head designed specifically for tying articulated baitfish poppers — a category of fly that standard popper heads cannot produce effectively. The Howitzer’s defining feature is a deep recess at the rear of the head that allows an articulated minnow body and tail — built from one or more Fish-Skull Articulated Shanks or Fish-Spines — to be embedded seamlessly into the back of the head, so that the articulated body hangs downward in the water at roughly a 45-degree angle between strips. This position presents the minnow’s body and tail as a vulnerable, easy meal to predatory fish approaching from below, while the Howitzer head pops aggressively at the surface to attract fish from distance. Available in Small, Medium, and Large to cover patterns from general-purpose bass and seatrout poppers to large-profile big game flies for pike, musky, peacock bass, and golden dorado. Compatible with Surface Seducer Dragon Eyes and Fish-Skull Living Eyes in the appropriate sizes.

What Makes the Howitzer Different

• Deep Cup & Extended Top Lip — the Howitzer’s cup geometry is designed to catch maximum water on each strip and displace it as an aggressive, loud, audible pop; the extended top lip increases the surface area of the cup’s catch zone and amplifies the pop’s volume and water disturbance relative to a standard cylindrical or round cup face; the Howitzer pops louder per strip than most comparable foam heads and attracts fish from a longer distance
• Rear Body Recess — the single most important design feature; a deep, clean recess in the tail end of the head that accepts an articulated shank or Fish-Spine and allows the articulated minnow body to be embedded and glued flush into the head body, creating a smooth, seamless connection from the popper head to the articulated body without gaps, exposed thread wraps, or misaligned materials; the metal weight of the articulated shanks attached to the body causes the body and tail to hang downward at a natural 45-degree angle when the fly is at rest between strips, presenting the prey profile from the best possible angle for fish approaching from below and to the side
• Recessed Eye Sockets — the Howitzer’s eye sockets are designed as recessed cavities rather than flat surface mounting points; 3D eyes (Dragon Eyes or Living Eyes in the correct size) seat deep inside the socket, surrounded by foam on all sides, which creates a mechanical lock that holds the eye in place through repeated violent strikes and prevents the delamination and loss that surface-mounted eyes experience on hard-hitting species
• Smooth Popper Skin — the Howitzer’s outer surface is smooth and strong, making it compatible with paint, clear coat, airbrush, and UV finish decoration; fish it as-is in the natural foam color, clear-coat it to increase durability and color vibrancy, or fully paint and decorate it for a detailed baitfish pattern
• Ultra-Lightweight EVA Foam — EVA closed-cell foam construction keeps the head weight to a minimum, which is essential for casting articulated popper builds that already carry significant weight from the metal articulated shanks in the body; a heavy foam head on top of a weighted articulated body produces a fly that is difficult to turn over on the cast and exhausting to fish all day; the Howitzer’s lightweight foam keeps the total fly weight manageable for the rod and line weight the target species requires

Three Hook Configuration Options

The Howitzer is compatible with three fundamental articulated baitfish popper hook configurations:

• Front Hook — the hook is mounted directly in the Howitzer head; the articulated body and tail (one or more shanks daisy-chained) connects off the hook bend behind the head; the hook point is at the head, which produces the most direct hookup on fish that charge and strike the popper head; best for species that hit the face of the popper
• Rear Hook — an articulated shank is mounted in the Howitzer head (no front hook); the articulated body runs back from the head shank and the hook is the last element, at the end of the tail; the hook point is at the back of the fly, which catches fish that strike the tail rather than the head; best for species that charge from behind and slash at the body; configurations: shank + hook or shank + shank + hook
• Dual Hook (Front + Stinger) — the primary hook is mounted in the Howitzer head and a small stinger hook is attached at the end of the articulated tail; the stinger catches short-striking fish that hit the tail and miss the primary hook; most effective for pike, musky, and any species with a high short-strike frequency on large flies; configurations: hook + shank + stinger or hook + shank + shank + shank + stinger

Size Guide & Component Compatibility

• Small (14mm L × 13mm W × 10mm H) — fits #8–#4 long-shank streamer hooks, 10mm Fish-Skull Articulated Shanks or Fish-Spines, 4mm eyes; 8 per pack; for smaller trout, panfish, and light-tackle saltwater poppers
• Medium (20mm L × 19mm W × 14mm H) — fits #2–2/0 long-shank streamer hooks (Kona Big Popper Hook recommended), 20mm Fish-Skull Articulated Shanks or Fish-Spines, 6mm eyes; 8 per pack; general-purpose size for bass, seatrout, snook, and redfish
• Large (26mm L × 24mm W × 19mm H) — fits 3/0–5/0 long-shank predator hooks (Kona Big Popper Hook recommended), 20mm Fish-Skull Big Game Shanks, 8.5mm eyes; 6 per pack; big game size for pike, musky, peacock bass, golden dorado, barracuda, and large saltwater species

Mounting Instructions

1. Tie the articulated body and tail completely on the hook or shank, leaving room near the hook eye for the Howitzer head.
2. Select a bodkin or heated needle of roughly the same diameter as the hook shank.
3. Insert the bodkin from the tail socket and push it through the foam body until it exits through the cup face, slightly above and just past the bottom lip.
4. Apply a liberal amount of clear-drying super glue gel to the hook shank.
5. Firmly slide the foam body onto the hook shank through the channel the bodkin created; position as desired and allow 1–2 minutes to dry.

Decoration Options

• As-Is — the Howitzer’s smooth skin and vibrant foam colors fish effectively without any finish; the fastest approach for functional flies
• Clear Coat — apply 30-minute epoxy, water-based urethane (Liquid Fusion, Sally Hansen Hard-As-Nails), or UV resin (Loon UV Clear Fly Finish) over the foam to increase durability and make colors more vivid
• Marker or Paint + Clear Coat — add spots, stripes, or shading with permanent markers or a paintbrush before clear-coating; most practical for detailed baitfish patterns without airbrush equipment
• Primer + Paint + Clear Coat — for the most detailed, durable finish; prime the foam, apply multiple paint layers with an airbrush, decorate, then clear coat; produces commercial-quality finished poppers

Target Species

Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass • Pike • Musky • Peacock Bass • Golden Dorado • Barracuda • Redfish • Snook • Seatrout • Tarpon (on Large) • Any predatory species that responds to surface popper presentations.

Specs

• Material: EVA closed-cell foam (soft, durable)
• Sizes: Small (14×13×10mm) | Medium (20×19×14mm) | Large (26×24×19mm)
• Colors: Yellow | White | Yellow Chartreuse
• Pack Qty: Small (8) | Medium (8) | Large (6)
• Eye Compatibility: 4mm (Small) | 6mm (Medium) | 8.5mm (Large)
• Compatible Eyes: Surface Seducer Dragon Eyes, Fish-Skull Living Eyes
• Brand: Surface Seducer by Flymen Fishing Company

In stock and ready to ship. Select size and color from the variant menu.