Poppers for Albies - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Bill L · 08-10-2002, 02:13 PM

Has anybody used a "snapper popper" with teaser for Albies/Bonito? I danced with many of these buggers last season, and caught just one (on a green SPRO jig). I tried throwing many things (Deadly #^&#^&#^&#^&s, Crystal Minnows, Fast Tracs, jigs, etc.), and often found the wind to be a problem. On a few outings, I noticed a man and woman in another boat who seemed to be hooking up fairly consistently. Looked like they were tossing a snapper popper, which cast well into the wind and seemed to be able to keep it in the strike zone as they worked it. Not sure what the teaser was, but I imagine it was a fly or small jig or tube? Anybody used these with success?

JohnR · 08-10-2002, 08:14 PM

I got one once a monster Habs 3oz Pink Needlefish. Bunch of blues busting outside at Great Point Nantucket, wound up with my first albie instead

jeffsod · 08-10-2002, 08:42 PM

I got a nice one at the canal on a white polaris popper two years ago. I had another nice one on a sandeel fly off south beach that was the best fish I ever hooked on a fly as far as over all line striped and excitment. A couple years ago we had good luckwith white three inch atom poppers with a single hook on them. Ment for bluefish I believe. We had to retire one we caught soo many fish on it. If the water is dirty with weed like it happens to be now then you will appreciate the single hooks. That is why I carry crippled herring and deadly #^&#^&#^&#^&s. The deadly #^&#^&#^&#^&s are great but those hooks pick up a lot of weeks so if its bad I switch to the crippled herring.

Fisherwoman · 08-11-2002, 08:10 AM

Matoonoc, they will definately hit top water if they are in the mood, couple of people we fished with on MV last year took them on pensil poppers and chrome creek chubs. We us a dropper fly with the metal lures some times and find it to be very productuve, especially if there is alot of small bait around. We actually got one doulbe header landed, but alsop had a lot of doubles hooked up and just didn't get both fish in.

DaveS · 08-11-2002, 10:04 AM

I have had good success with albies here in NJ using a very simple setup. First, take a 1-2 oz popper and loose the hooks, then take a a piece of 20-30# fluorocarbon leader, about 3 feet in length and tie it on to where your tailhook was, and then add the teaser/fly of your choice, voila! Work it quickly and you'll be surprised as to how those Fat Alberts come up for it.

devils fiddle · 08-12-2002, 04:57 PM

my favorite albie lure by far is the spro jig in chartreuse and white 1oz. or smaller. albies are very line shy so you want to use small diameter line or flouro. i go down to a light tackle rig set up with 6lb. test no leader. this combination works very well for me in southern ri and the islands.

"Lou" · 08-13-2002, 09:58 AM

Has anyone seen any albies or bonito around RI, like... Charlestown - Pt Judith area yet this year??

Saltheart · 08-13-2002, 10:45 AM

You may get one now and then but i wouldn't go to poppers for albies. Do what dave S said. Trail some kind of teaser behind a casting weight (in his case a popper) and work it fast.

schoolie monster · 08-13-2002, 11:38 AM

I have to get an albie in Nantucket this fall... it is very necessary.

FW, how do you rig your teasers for albies? Same as for bass?

When you use a teaser with metal (deadly #^&#^&#^&#^&, swedish pimple), do you rig the teaser the same as your bass rigs?

Also, I'm going to try some small jerkbaits... I don't see why they would hit a fly, but not a 4" jerkbait.

My other question is regarding braid... I know albies are supposed to be hardware/leader shy. Braid shows pretty big in the water, plus I use a swivel to connect line/leader. In most everyone's opinion, is the 30" leader generally enough, or should I stick with mono instead of braid?

I will definitely try the popper sans hooks with dropper fly off the back.

devils fiddle · 08-13-2002, 09:33 PM

if you want to catch albies you wont use a leader. leaders cut your hook up percentage way down. there have been some albies around watch hill once in a while.

Bill L · 08-14-2002, 05:57 AM

Thanks for the replies.... I definitely need to try the old popper/fly combo. Found breaking fish last night at sunset off the Matunuck beaches that appeared to be bonito. They didn't appear to be bass or blues, and were breaking like tunoids, however I couldn't catch any to confirm

. I think it might have been the "too much bait" syndrome --- the fish were feeding on millions of TINY bunker. I was snagging little bunker less than an inch long on my lures. Tried the deadly #^&#^&#^&#^&, spro jig, and ended up with a small gummy shad that I thought was pretty close, but still too big. A fly would have been much better--have to visit the tackle shop and pick up a few. The albies should be coming soon too

. At least I did catch one decent size bluefish on a popper at deep hole on the way over; the guys in the surf were hooking up too.

JohnR · 08-14-2002, 07:18 AM

MaTuNoOk - we gotta talk

But first - if you can find them, Megabait makes a 1 Oz and 1.5 Oz metal that's poyfect for Albies & Bones when there into that small nut bunker. I wish I had a pic for you but they would be perfect... I think I have a dozen or so if you wanna meet up and fish them

Scotch Bonnet · 08-14-2002, 08:04 AM

Bill, I was snagging bait in the Breachway that looked like peanut bunker but didn't have the spot near the gil. Thought maybe it was mullet. It was also 2 am so I wasn't seeing clearly. My brother-in-law matched the bait perfectly with a fly and still didn't hook up. And we were up to our ears in bass breaking - very frustrating!

Bill L · 08-14-2002, 07:41 PM

John, I'll look for those Megabaits --- always can use some more tackle

. My humble fifteen footer is no Seacraft, but it gets me there and back again. I plan my trips at the mercy of the weather and the wife, never know when one or the other will let me out

Chris, these definitely looked like bunker, but I'd never seen ones so small --- and there was tons of them. The night before last I found the same a the west gap, with shad on em. Good to see so much bait around....and SEPTEMBER'S coming