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Three large GTs caught on poppers

Tips & Advice on GT Popper Fishing

When somebody says they want to go fishing and land themselves a fish that is both big and strong, the one fish that pops into our minds is the Giant Trevally. One of the most enjoyable ways to catch these hard fighting predators is by using poppers on the surface. The popper is an effective and proven surface lure, which when jerked in the water, much like using stick baits, it creates a “pop” of water, due to the concaved cup shape at the front of the bait, causing lots of disturbance on the surface to perfectly imitate a dying baitfish trying to escape.

Poppers are designed to simulate a distressed fish or animal that might be struggling on the surface of the water. GT popper fishing is becoming more and more popular due to the GT’s aggressive nature which in turn creates some amazing surface takes, as these fish have even been known to take small birds flying just above the water’s surface. Used by fly and conventional lure anglers alike, this pattern has not failed fishermen since its creation around a century ago. This method only works at certain times and like many pelagic species of fish you need perfect weather conditions and good tides to get them to come to the surface. The best time for this is on big “making” tides leading up to the new or full moon and even then only while the tide is running.

By working the poppers around outcrops and underwater peaks you should soon start to see fish follow and hopefully it will not be long until the fish smashes your lure, my suggestion would be to use big poppers and a heavy-duty spinning outfit with a good retrieval rate.  Once you have found a few fish willing to follow I would strongly suggest you work that area for a while and you should soon start to hook into fish. Only use the best and strongest tackle available at the time

Reels with a drag of 30kg, teamed up with PE8-10 braid, 150lb mono trace and the toughest split rings and swivels of at least 150kg breaking strength. Any attempts with lesser tackle and weaker components is not advisable. Just imagine hooking an absolute beast of a fish that behaves like a steam train, not stopping for anybody or anything and the line suddenly goes slack all because you did not have tackle that was up to the job… how devastated would you be… I think the answer here is very!

The best way to describe this style of fishing is adrenaline-filled. GT popper fishing will give you the most physical workout, both to the angler and his tackle when a bow wave builds up behind the popper and then it disappears in a massive swirl. The next moment a huge angry Giant Trevally nearly pulls you off your feet and this feeling is something that you will never forget. All you have to do now is land the monster fish that you have hooked.

Hopefully, by following the advice given in this blog you will be able to not only fish for the Giant Trevally using popper tactics but also land the fish that you have always wanted to catch. Looking to catch a GT on a popper? Why not take a look at our extensive list of GT fishing holidays here, or, why not have a look at our dedicated Giant Trevally video playlist on Youtube?

Tight lines,

Paul

Contact us

We hope the above information is of some help to you and if you have any questions about this type of fishing, please feel free to call our big game fishing team on 01603 407596 or by email at info@sportquestholidays.com. Still, need some inspiration? Then head over to our Popper and Jig YouTube playlist where we regularly add amazing content from all over the world. Alternatively, you can also visit our full popper and jig tour list here.

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