Top Water Action - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Tattoo · 03-05-2002, 06:57 PM

Question: Which do you feel is a more effective bait and why? The traditional popper (Pencil, Polaris, or Standard Issue) or the Zara (Spook / Gasa). When would you fish each one?

Tattoo · 03-05-2002, 07:17 PM

My weapon of choice.......

Fish_Eye · 03-05-2002, 08:03 PM

Woof, woof, woof!

Love to walk them dogs.

Slipknot · 03-05-2002, 08:48 PM

Fish a polaris when squid are around, fish a pencil when the macs are around. Spook when mullet are running?

I am gonna fish a pikie when the herring are around and want it to swim up top. I'm gonna drive myself mad this year fishing everything.

SeaWolf · 03-05-2002, 09:05 PM

none of the above. i think the gag's popper is the best! how can you beat those rattles!!!???

Scotch Bonnet · 03-05-2002, 10:36 PM

As far as top water action goes - give me a 3oz chrome ranger and 200 blues thrashing the outgoing at Charlestown breachway.

A 3oz Ranger in fast water is like walking a deranged pit bull!

Goose · 03-05-2002, 11:24 PM

I must say I questioned all those rattles, I thought they scare more then they'd catch.....Boy was I wrong...Because of wieghted ball's they cast excellent, I take off the trebles and replaced them with a singel hook......Blues go NUTTS for thoses....when blues are around they're #1.
Never fished zara pook in salt, always thought they'd produce smaller fish........Penicels and popper I think those work to......LOL

Plug_Mugger · 03-06-2002, 07:32 AM

Foo, Tatto!

(I made a rhyme!!!)

Tattoo · 03-06-2002, 08:12 AM

Good answer weewee...good answer....

JohnR · 03-06-2002, 08:13 AM

Sometimes my eel swims on topwater but most of the time I want them down lowwww....

Chrome Creek Chub for schoolies & blues... Darters in the current and blue/white or yellow Polaris to breaking fish at the ditch - missed doing that last year

Saltheart · 03-06-2002, 08:39 AM

I caught more fish with Atom poppers than all the other poppers put together. You got to have a teaser on there too. Black over white.

There have been times when they wouldn't hit an Atom but would hit a creek Chub. I like the chrome and the blueback colors.

Pencil poppers are big fish poppers. I never use them trying to scare up fish less than 24 inches. They are excellent for long casting.

Polaris poppers are a rich man's popper. Plugman poppers work just as good and cost 1/3 as much if you buy 6 at a time.

Jalapeno poppers burn going in and coming out.

Tattoo · 03-06-2002, 09:58 AM

WOW, how many people have actually used a zara in the salt?

JohnR · 03-06-2002, 10:37 AM

Never have... Not yet anyway...

bloocrab · 03-06-2002, 12:36 PM

you guys are crazier than I thought!!!..

....you mean, you actually "name" your plugs???...

Canalratt1 · 03-06-2002, 12:49 PM

I just like the old Gibbs plugs that I bought when they sold them out of his house. Polaris are my favorites then the large Pencils, got yellow! But I think the ones Specialist made for my from my design will be the best now!

Fish_Eye · 03-06-2002, 12:58 PM

It’s hard to beat a popper if there is a chop or a big heave on. However, if the water is calm and if the prey items of choice are fish and not squid, the best surface lure is a Zara or any lure you can impart the “walk the dog”or zig-zag action to.

I’ve done a number of side by side comparisons with spooks vs. poppers and while the popper brought about strikes, the spook outperformed the popper hands down. The side to side action of a spook is a much more true to life example of what wounded bait fish do. The straight chug and splash, chug and pop action of a popper is more akin to what a squid would do on the surface. If it’s squid they’re on, I’ll use the popper, if it’s herring season or the menhaden or mullet are around, make mine a spook. The only exception would be late season when the LARGE are in shallow water, then I’ll be tempted to go with a pikie or Danny plug, but once again you’re looking at creating a zig-zag motion on the surface.

If they made an oversized 6 or 8 inch Zara, I’m sure it would be a killer plug....hint, hint Mr. Habs.

Mike

schoolie monster · 03-06-2002, 02:08 PM

The past few years I caught most of my schoolies on blue/white atom and a chrome gags. I carry a small surf bag and have had to resort my zara spook a few times when I snapped off a couple poppers. I always did just as well.

In fact, my wife and I fished side by side one day and went fish for fish... she had an atom, I had a spook.

This past year, the topwater popper action just wasn't happenin' but the fish were hitting weightless slug-o's right on top. So, I tried the bagley's finger mullet, a 3" lipless crankbait. It is also a "walk the dog" type lure. It worked pretty well, but I only had a couple to try out and I lost them to bluefish.

And I was really disciplined at switching up this past year when the bite was on... even at the expense of a few fish. After a few fish on slug-o's, I'd often drop down with a shad and also throw the popper. Most of the time, the shad wouldn't draw a strike and the popper might get a couple chasers. I'd go back to the jerkbait and start hitting fish again.

Crafty Angler · 03-06-2002, 06:06 PM

With the possible exception of the Tattoo Tomahawk, I don't fish topwater popping plugs a lot -

However, one of my all-time topwater favorites is the old Rebel Sea-Gar in black and silver of which I still have 8 or 10 left - it's a large profile walk the dog surface plug. Anybody remember it?

Yeah, I'd also like to see some local wood-spinner produce something like the old Pflueger Ballerina in a larger saltwater size like the Trader Bay Mangrove Stick, perhaps 1 1/2 ounces or so....

Tattoo · 03-06-2002, 07:14 PM

Rebel Sea-Gar huh??? Is that cellar door locked??

Krispy · 03-06-2002, 07:27 PM

Clammer · 03-06-2002, 07:48 PM

Tattoo, I have plenty of times//
take the front treble off if you really want to walk the dog!!!!!!!!!!!!

SeaWolf · 03-06-2002, 08:29 PM

hmmm...wish i had a large zara spook...

bassmaster · 03-06-2002, 11:10 PM

Fish_Eye · 03-07-2002, 06:58 AM

BM,

I use one of those to turn skim milk into a shake or to blend gravy. We're taking dog-walking plugs here! I'll bet that design would be great for peacock bass though.

Mike

bassmaster · 03-07-2002, 06:19 PM

the plug worked slow is wicke pissa EYE

its a chopa

Fish_Eye · 03-07-2002, 07:54 PM

BM,

I use to use an old wooden torpedo lure, blades front and back, for largemouth at night, it was the best lure on Warden's Pond...but then again I loved my Jitterbug.

Mike

bassmaster · 03-07-2002, 08:44 PM

Fish (o)......... got Devels horse. black and yellow was awsome in hingham and surrounding ponds