Sapper,
Here is how I like to flyfish poppers. After I cast and the popper hits the water, I don't move it for 5 to 10 seconds, sometimes longer. Just let it sit there.
Sometimes the bass will just smash it right after it hits the water. Other times it will happen just as the rings caused by the popper hitting the water disappear. If nothing hits it after it sits there, I give it just a small twitch, not even a strip. Let it settle down and twitch it again. Repeat this a few times and then give it a decent strip. Somedays you may need to twitch / strip it back faster to get hits. This is especially true with smallmouths. You just have to experiment. The one thing I never change is letting the popper sit there after the cast.
As far was what type of popper, I like the hard foam with rubber legs and deerhair poppers. Anything in a frog pattern will work well. All black can be a real great color also. I like to fish with a 6 wt, floating line and a 10 lb Maxima ultragreen tippet around 7-8 Ft long.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you need any further info.
Brian