TIP - Always carry a variety of lures from small to large so you can try to match the size of the bait being pursued not necessarily the color. When casting to Tuna I will carry an assortment of lures from 1” metals to 10” long poppers and stick baits. You will have two very different types of lures to throw at your fish
SURFACE OR SUBSURFACE
Both can be deadly under the right circumstances and both will drive fish absolutely mad. Generally if I’m not seeing fish I will throw poppers or if I’m fishing underwater structure I will throw poppers. If I see fish I will throw subsurface for the most part unless they aren’t interested then I will switch and sometimes it’s the opposite but that’s my initial thought process
TOP- Surface Popper
Middle - Surface Stickbait
Bottom Subsurface Swimbait
Poppers: This 3”- 15” lure has a cupped face and is made to “POP” & throw water, when pulled correctly you should be able to chug massive amounts of water. They attract fish upwards towards the surface. These lures are effective in any type of water whether it is flat seas, big swells or choppy conditions. Poppers are extremely effective when fishing for GT’s, Cubera Snappers or Rooster Fish that generally hang around rocky structures below the surface. The chug will pull them up in an attacking fashion and the strike will be Violent. They are also deadly for massive tunas … the larger the chug the bigger the fish IMHO.
HOW TO CHOOSE A POPPER: Generally I look for a deep wide cup face this will displace the most amount of water with the least amount of effort. I also look for a great finish and vibrant colors. I also look for a wood construction with adequate through wire construction. Cypress wood holds up the best while foam injected poppers tend to break consistently near the narrow part of the neck
Example of cup face, the deeper or wider the cup the larger the splash
COLORS: Personally while throwing poppers in light or clear waters I tend to use BLACK as it is a nice silohette on eth waters surface. In darker waters like Mexico or Panama I tend o use brighter colors like PINK, PURPLE and YELLOW.
Stick bait’s – Stick bait’s are similar in size to a popper and similar design BUT lack the cup in the front, instead most have an angled nose which makes the lure dip and thrash from side to side like an injured bait fish. These are extremely effective as well and should be in any tackle bag. They are normally floating and longer than most poppers.
HOW TO CHOOSE A STICKBAIT: Generally I choose an angled nose stickbait because this shape tends to make the most commotion while fatter stickbaits like the Squid Pen tend to make more of a darting wobble effect. Depending on how it is weighted also depicts the action.
COLORS: Unlike poppers stickbaits are made to mimic real baitfish therefore I tend to like the longer models that are very similar to the local baitfish such as FLYING FISH & Sardine.
HIGH END Lures from $40-90.00 dollars
Hammerhead I Cup & G Cup
Craftbait GT2, GT3 and GT3 Ultra
Fisherman Brand Big Mouth
Skagit Pump King
Mangrove Studio
Nomad Poppers
CRAFTBAIT IN ACTION
SKAGIT PUMP KING IN ACTION
MID RANGED LURES UNDER $40.00
PR Labs Joker, Back Bone, Fly, Bone Eater
FCL Labo EBI Pop
Ocean Tackle International Komodo, Goanna & Wombat
Strike Pro Tuna Hunter
Yozuri Surface Bull
River2Sea Dumbell
You are trying to mimic baitfish busting on the waters surface therefore the bigger the splash the better, in order to accomplish this you can use two techniques or a combo of the two
1. Slower Technique - Rod tip down after cast and pull violently towards the waters surface with a pause every once in a while. You know that you are doing this right when you actually here the popper digging into the surface causing a very loud noise
2. Faster Technique – with the rod tip up you can chug faster mimicking a baitfish being chased, pull, reel, pull, reel. One rotation per cycle with an occasional pause so do this with the rod tip up and a faster pace or you can combine the two techniques
These lures are absolutely deadly and can make the difference between a skunk and a massive slob fish on the deck. Honestly these are the first out of my bag and the Smith Baby Runboh is the deadliest tuna lure I know. Period end of story
DON’T HAVE A HEART ATTACK … they are expensive but worth every figgin penny.
SOULS BARABUS IN ACTION
VOLADOR IN ACTION
The subsurface lures are all flash, dash and wiggle. They imitate baitfish under the surface. They are generally smaller in size about 5” long and shaped like a baitfish generall most effective when a pause or a twitch is added to presentation.
Popular swim baits …. Absolutely deadly. In order my top list
1. SMITH Baby Runboh – first lure out of my bag no doubt about it
2. Tackle House Shibuki or Souls Barabus – same lure although Souls is slightly heavier
3. Shimano Ocea Pencil – Badass lure that produces big fish
4. Tailwalk Gunz – Newer lure that has shown to be effective with brilliant colors
PRESENTATION
After cast you should let the lures sink for at least a 5-10 count depending on where the fish are located, then use one of the following techniques
1. Rod tip down - Long sweep motion across body … reel slack , long sweeping motion across body … reel slack and Pause then repeat process. This will imitate a squid to perfection as they have long burst followed by a pause
2.Rod tip up or down - Slow steady retrieve with a periodic twitch and pause, then repeat motion back to boat
1. Generally you need to use heavy, heavy treble hooks the larger the better. I strongly suggest the use 5/0 Owner ST-76. The only hooks I will use. They are super strong and unlike the ST-66 I haven’t heard of any opening or being straightened.
4/0 ST66 ON LEFT versus 4/0 ST76 ON RIGHT
2. Using a Heavy larger treble hook on belly and then a large single on tail, I have fished with people that swear by using a single trailing hook. The jury is out and I have had mixed feelings on the subject. For meat fish I like using double 5/0 treble but this is another option
Tuna and Pelagic Fish with Swim Baits
Swim baits are much smaller and they swim hence the name swim baits therefore it is very important not to change there motion. I would strongly suggest using a size 3/0 Owner ST-76, there is enough of a hook to catch flesh but not screw up its motion
Marlin & Billfish
Most people do not understand that Marlin & Sailfish are very attracted to poppers and swim baits. While in Cabo I successfully caught & released Striped Marlin on poppers and then in Panama two large Sailfish were also released.
Idealy you want to sightfish for tailing Marlin then cast in front of them or troll live hookless baits and then as fish enter spread toss them a popper similiar to bait and switch mode when fly fishing
I will only use single hooks and would only suggest you do the same so release is easier and you do the least amount of damage to the fish. You can rig the popper, stick bait or swim bait with the single attached through the split ring or you can tie assist hooks with Kevlar and attach that way as well
*** Please note if you are casting to Marlin, make sure you let them eat for a 3 count before setting the hook so the swinging hook gets lodged in the mouth. You can use any large single like a Jobu or a Varivas
Striped Marlin of Cabo San Lucas with Mangrove studio popper with dual single hooks
There are some keys to casting that will allow you to gain some additional yardage with some practice you should be able to throw a lure 80 plus yards without issue on a pitching boat.
The motion is very much like normal casting with some slight differences
GRIP: Personally I grip the reel between the ring and pinkie finger and then use my pointing finger to hold line while I flip bail
LEADER LENGTH: The longer your leader to popper connection is outside your rod the longer your cast should be. I keep my lure approximately 2-3 feet outside my rod tip this helps create velocity while casting.
NON REEL GRIP HAND – should be used to pull rod butt down while casting.
TIMING: Always cast WITH the pitching boat
Putting it all together, first I get the proper grip, good balanced stance, I flip my bail and hold line with my pointer finger. I leave my popper dangling approximately 2’ from the tip and over the side of the boat … I rock back with boat and in a strong compact movement I come forward with power ahead of my target.
This isn’t rocket scense but tricks like keeping your popper out far from rod tip and pulling down with opposite hand while casting will increase your distance. Here is a short video of me screwing around at a gold course lake last weekend the lake is about 80-100 yards wide in certain spots.
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
