Zudbubbler – Matt Zudweg

My early days of fly fishing were all about Bass. I could not have cared less about trout or steelhead in those days. Being a person that loved things of old, I also found great satisfaction in fishing vintage style poppers… my favorite was the Gerbubble Bug, originated by Tom Loving in the early 1900’s. It was made from cork or balsa and had a square head. Gerbubble Bugs were time consuming, but very enjoyable to make, and boy did they fish great! Something about that square head was so different than the cylinder heads of the usual poppers, it had a different sound and always outfished the round heads. Because of the time involved to create a balsa popper I eventually converted to the round heads for most of my guided trips until one day walking through Home Depot I walked past a display with foam mats… it was one of those light bulb moments. I bought a pack and began making the Gerbubble Bugs from foam. I changed a few things about the bug so it worked better with the foam but the square head remained. I called my version the “Zudbubbler” and I’ve been fishing it as my exclusive popper ever since. In the last year, the Zudbubbler has grown in popularity thanks mostly to Hareline, which now offers the foam bodies to Commercial Tyers and Fly Shops. They are now available in over a dozen colors and can be found in most Fly Shops and at www.boneyardflygear.com