Rebel PopR

[Sea Draggin]

I thought I would share some of my experience with catching YFT on poppers.

It all started one day about 15 years ago. We were trolling out of Oregon Inlet and I wanted to catch a bonito to bridle rig for a bigeye. There were some 150 -250lb fish being caught. We had not caught anything that morning, so I was looking for plan B.

It was a calm July morning and I threw my popper ( an $8 Rebel PopR ) into the busting school of 5lb. bonitos as we trolled by. I didn't even slow the boat down, just thinking if I got one great.

What happened was surprising. A 50lb yft came straight up out of the water with that popper in its mouth and one of the boys pulled the boat out of gear and we landed it. I went on to fill the boxes of that boat with YFT doing the same thing. Run up to the school of bonitos, I would sling the poppers, hook the fish and hand them off to the boys to land.

We even had some bigeye bites, but a 150lb bigeye and 20lb penn spinning gear isn't a good match. We were using cheap spinners that we used for cobia casting, that happened to be on the boat. Nothing high quality like what is available today. Needless to say they all had to be rebuilt by the end of the day.

But that is what started it for me. Sort of an accident. I have done it since, but it is seasonal for us here. July/August when its hot and calm. I'm guessing the silver and blue poppers resemble flying fish. The tunas often respond to a bait that is still/not moving.

So there you have it. I wish I had pics of all the fish we caught doing that and may have some film pics stuffed somewhere. But here is a pic of the poppers we used. 5" long, silver sides, blue back, red cup face. Fished it with trebles and a shot of 60lb mono upgrading to flouro later on.

[fishduck]

That's a great story. I'd say you have pushed that little plug to it's limit. Did you loose any fish do to broken hooks or plugs? I'm surprised those popr s will hold up to 50lb tuna.

Thanks for sharing,
Michael

[Tunaman40]

Great read . I see your a man after my own heart with the crimp .

[Sea Draggin]

That's a great story. I'd say you have pushed that little plug to it's limit. Did you loose any fish do to broken hooks or plugs? I'm surprised those popr s will hold up to 50lb tuna.

Thanks for sharing,
Michael

They will hold up to big tunas. Like anything, its all about drag. And yes, you have to replace hooks because they break them. I wouldn't fish the one in the pic without new hooks on it.

These were actually meant for freshwater stripers, but just happen to be what I had on hand.

[TBaker]

But that is what started it for me. Sort of an accident. I have done it since, but it is seasonal for us here. July/August when its hot and calm. I'm guessing the silver and blue poppers resemble flying fish. The tunas often respond to a bait that is still/not moving.

Jim:
If you want to do it big time and for a large part of the year, get yourself to Texas or Louisiana and get out in the Gulf. Big time popping for YFT. If you see my son's, Bret, avatar on some of the other sites, thats a 110 lb. YFT he caught on the Big E out of Freeport on the surface using a swimbait. Haven't done it yet, (going in Nov.) but it sure sounds like a blast!

[paul708]

sounds fun..thanks for the story

[striper swiper]

I showed a few guys this 2 yrs ago but with a yozuri in black/chrome They had the spainish balled up on the surface and it was alot of fun The biggest thing is use as light a drag as you are comfortable with and a finger on the spool This way when you get deep in the spool the drag tightening up won't cause a break somewhere Run 15# with a full spool and you will do well with little ones but a big fish will break you off
I chase bft's little to gbft with spinners and have landed well over 1000 this way best was 103 on 17# test but the biggest was 79" on 50 braid don't know the weight as it was cleaned/sold but was close to 300 that way