Folks, just started getting into lure fishing after years with bait only. I want to know how best to fish surface popping lures. Should they be wound in constantly or twitched etc.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
surface poppers
Moderators: teacher, MAC
-
- SAI Bait Ball
- Posts: 115
- Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2007 4:54 pm
- Location: GLENGORMLEY
-
- SAI Megalodon!
- Posts: 2417
- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2006 2:18 pm
- Location: North Wexford
Re: surface poppers
There's no one answer here. It depends on the lure and also on how you want the lure to appear.
Pencil baits or stick baits (unlike poppers, these don't create a bit splash) are usually used with a "walk the dog action" where you use small, gentle twitches of the rod tip to get the lure to move in a zig-zag pattern across the top of the water. You can vary speed and action to produce different actions.
For poppers that have more resistance and create a bigger splash, you can also use walk-the-dog, but constant retrieve, start stop, occasional twitches, etc. all work.
There's no real right and wrong way with this. You'll know what looks good when you see it. It will differ between lures.
A smart man once gave me a simple tip for all lures but surface lures in particular that works but is easy to forget - frequently stop the lure dead in the water before starting to retrieve again.
Pencil baits or stick baits (unlike poppers, these don't create a bit splash) are usually used with a "walk the dog action" where you use small, gentle twitches of the rod tip to get the lure to move in a zig-zag pattern across the top of the water. You can vary speed and action to produce different actions.
For poppers that have more resistance and create a bigger splash, you can also use walk-the-dog, but constant retrieve, start stop, occasional twitches, etc. all work.
There's no real right and wrong way with this. You'll know what looks good when you see it. It will differ between lures.
A smart man once gave me a simple tip for all lures but surface lures in particular that works but is easy to forget - frequently stop the lure dead in the water before starting to retrieve again.
[size=75][i]"Pier fishing was, indeed, an eccentric, unproductive and extremely dull occupation, and even if we'd posessed the necessary heavy plant we decided not to attempt it."[/i] Chris Yates, Out of the Blue.[/size]
-
- SAI Lug Worm
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 7:30 pm
Re: surface poppers
There is no best, be it rod reel, lure or for that matter type of retrieve, Over here poppers seem to work best when the water is warmer but not hot, they work in low light situations, pre dawn after sun sets and on overcast days. The fish will tell you what they want, so vary the retrieve, sometimes fast and steady some times a cadence works pop, pop, pop, pause / pop, pause, pop /sometimes just let it sit after the cast until the splash circles dissipate and then start the retrieve vary your retrieve till you see what’s best. There are poppers and chuggers bigger and smaller amounts or water splashed and different amount of noise made.
I think every fisherman would prefer a top water bite but unfortunately it is not productive most of the time.
One of my most productive poppers is the 2 & 3/8 Super Strike Little Neck Poppers, can cast it a mile and it sinks slowly so you have the options of popping it or letting it sink and swim it back slowly.
O'D
I think every fisherman would prefer a top water bite but unfortunately it is not productive most of the time.
One of my most productive poppers is the 2 & 3/8 Super Strike Little Neck Poppers, can cast it a mile and it sinks slowly so you have the options of popping it or letting it sink and swim it back slowly.
O'D
-
- SAI Lug Worm
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 1:21 pm
- Favourite Rod: Zenaq assaut shore 78 mh.
- Favourite Reel: Shimano symettre 4000 and 2500
- Favourite Fish: seabass
- Location: Britanny .Morbihan
Re: surface poppers
I like to use 3 or 4 poppers .
Chug bug small size:calm conditions.
Pop max megabass: a lure to make everything.My favorite popper .
Gunnish lucky craft:My first topwater who had caught a seabass.It 'sn't the best
Cotton cordell:When it is necessary to go far, and that the wind blows. It makes many noise, sometimes seabass are very crasy because of the noise.
This year ,i 'll buy 2 feed popper ,2 size :100 and 120 .A good lure for Britanny.I'll try this in your country this summer .
I hope that can help you to do a choice.
For the rest everything is said more high .
Chug bug small size:calm conditions.
Pop max megabass: a lure to make everything.My favorite popper .
Gunnish lucky craft:My first topwater who had caught a seabass.It 'sn't the best
Cotton cordell:When it is necessary to go far, and that the wind blows. It makes many noise, sometimes seabass are very crasy because of the noise.
This year ,i 'll buy 2 feed popper ,2 size :100 and 120 .A good lure for Britanny.I'll try this in your country this summer .
I hope that can help you to do a choice.
For the rest everything is said more high .
-
- SAI Sea Dog!
- Posts: 446
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 11:41 pm
- Location: Austria
Re: surface poppers
Go for the chug bug the blue silver one chug it a bit stop then chug again, then reel fast then slow then stop. and now repeat forever works wonders for the guy in the photo on the left!! 

IBPAG No: 248
"A fish is too valuable to only catch once"
"A fish is too valuable to only catch once"