In my mind the similarities between the two are small. Yet poppers - to me - are in a class all their own, separate from dry flies. I guess this is because when I use a popper I'm after warm water fish, not trout. Bass, Bluegill, & others get less respect in general from the fly rod crowd than do the trout we pursue with our intricate & complicated dry flies. I totally understand this because in the spring & early summer of the year I'm almost a trout purist. I want nothing but a trout on my line. However, come the heat of summer, I'm all for catching bass, crappie, even bluegill on my fly rod. Suddenly all those little ponds & lily pad covered areas of lakes have me salivating. Yet I wouldn't give these places a second look in April or May.
Fishing for warm water fish can be a lot like going after wild trout. You may find yourself looking at topographical maps for small ponds or even unknown sections of rivers for places where fish could be that have never been caught by an angler - places that nobody knows about. You might even find yourself driving around back country roads & knocking on stranger's doors to ask permission to fish. It can become very consuming if you let it.
I feel really bad for any fly angler that hasn't caught a small mouth bass on a fly rod. Also the fly roder who's never tied into a big bluegill on a popper has my sympathies as well. What sport these warm water fish offer to the fly angler!!!!
Those bass & other warm water species aren't just for folks with boats & spin or casting rods. There's no real, justifiable reason to not give them a go on a fly rod. You don't need a bass boat with a high horsepower motor & a fish finder to get these fish. No, just the proper fly rod, the right fly, maybe a pair of waders (waders are optional), & your wits will have you really enjoying a full summer of fly fishing.