Pike poppers are an example of a successful bait. Catching pike with poppers and rating the best lures Fishing for pike in May with poppers

Catching predators with poppers has been successfully used for about eighty years. And don’t be particularly embarrassed by the sad fact that you’ve only recently become familiar with this type of bait - the Soviet era, unfortunately, constantly hid the useful achievements of the West from us. It would be nice if the authorities at least tried to copy the design and implement it here, but alas. Vague Soviet time It’s over and now you won’t surprise anyone with a popper. What is it and how good is pike fishing with a popper? Let’s learn about it today.

What is a popper

Today, even the authoritative Wikipedia does not give a designation for this bait. If you start searching it by typing the word “popper” into the search field, it will only show you celebrities with a similar-sounding last name. There are even a few bearers of such a surname: from an Israeli terrorist who killed seven innocent people, to a Romanian adventurer who mercilessly took away the gold reserves of Argentina.

Then let's turn to English language. The word "Pop" literally translates to "pop" or "clap". And in combination with the preposition “per” we get literally “squishing” or “clapping”. This name is no coincidence, because this is the highlight of the bait - making a characteristic gurgling-popping sound - and lures pike.

Back in the last century, a certain James Haddon noticed that fish actively attack any moving object on the surface of the water. Actually, let's be objective - many people noticed this much earlier. It’s just that Haddon was much more enterprising than the rest and quickly set up production new bait. The engineers he hired were given the task: to decide on a material that would not sink in the water, and to ensure that the bait would make a sound. If everything is clear with the floating material and it would be logical to look in the direction of wood first, then I had to experiment with sound. The solution was found by chance: during a diving competition, one of the developers noticed that if an athlete failed to enter the pool, the sound was louder than usual. By cutting off the tip of the bait and placing the tackle perpendicular to the cut in relation to the surface of the water, it was possible to achieve a light sound. Next there will be improvements that continue to this day: the cut is made with a recess inside the bait, the edges are left smooth or rounded - such experiments allow you to achieve a different sound. There are also hollow poppers, the insides of which are filled with small balls. When wiring, they create additional noise, which attracts the owner of the reservoir.

Now let's look at the bait through the eyes of a pike. The popper is thrown and makes a fairly loud sound when landing. This already attracts the predator and she heads to the place where the popper falls. Or they remain in their place - here it is already difficult to predict her plan. Moving through the water, the popper leaves a trail behind itself, and the pike itself can see it perfectly. And the additional sound emanating from this increases the desire of the pike to grab the bait and allows you to quickly determine its location. In other words, the sight and sound that the pike sees and hears makes the toothy one curious - what is it and should I grab this “something”.

Traditionally, a popper is made in the shape of a fish, has no additional blades, the number of hooks varies from one to three, and the bait is usually light in weight. For example, we know the heaviest model is 26 grams, and the lightest is 2.4 grams. The length also varies, but for pike fishing it would be better to use a size from 30 to 150 millimeters (depending on what size predator you are fishing for).

Also, poppers for pike fishing can be divided into three categories, based on additional improvements.

The first group is compound poppers. Typically, such baits consist of two movably connected parts. Thanks to this design, when retrieved, the popper bends more smoothly and thus looks more natural in the eyes of the pike. However, one can argue with this if we compare the performance when fishing with a composite and solid wobbler of this type.

The second group is poppers equipped with additional plumage. Such models are most often used in the cold season, when due to the plumage a smoother movement of the bait is achieved.

The third group is bait with a phosphorus color. As a rule, phosphorus is applied only to places where the position of the fry's eyes is imitated.

Catching pike with a popper is possible with all types of this bait, but we have not yet mentioned one nuance - color. Today you can find a wide variety of color options on sale. These are yellow, and brown, and with red stripes, and green - the choice is simply huge. When choosing a bait for yourself, do not neglect the color of the paint. From our own experience, we can say that we personally prefer the natural color, which imitates the fry that lives in the pike fishing area.

Popper Benefits and Efficiency

Fishing for pike with a popper is one of the options with which you can catch fish. We will not assure that this is the most the best choice among all baits, because each of them is designed for specific fishing conditions and has its own unique advantages. Popper is also not without its strengths:

• Perhaps the most important advantage of a popper is that it is a surface bait. Consequently, pike can be caught where a wobbler or spinner is powerless. Dense thickets of algae or reeds (if they do not protrude above the surface of the water) are precisely those places where the use of a popper is most appropriate and effective.
• Catching pike with a popper sometimes ends with the fisherman having a different type of trophy: chub, perch, pike perch and even carp respond well to such bait. But if we are already talking about these types of fish, then we must admit: pike perch and pike perch can probably be caught, chub is a 50/50 chance, and for carp the popper will have to be improved or made independently.
• The excitement of what you see when catching pike with a popper cannot be expressed in words: using this bait, you will see the attack of the pike with your own eyes and it’s worth a lot. There are all sorts of cases: either a pike jumps out of the water, for a moment allowing itself to be seen in all its glory and its full length, or a fisherman sees an approaching torpedo from afar - you can’t say otherwise in such cases, then the pike’s mouth will appear, revealing its sharp teeth and even this is worth seeing at least once.

Fishing for pike with a popper: how to choose gear

Rod . It is advisable to choose it so that it is convenient to twitch. The test is desirable up to 14 grams, the optimal length is 2.30 meters.

Coil . The main requirement is uniformity of winding, since the fishing line is laid behind the wiring either under the influence of a load or without it.

fishing line . Don’t forget that you will often have to fish in the grass, which means the breaking force must be taken into account. We pay attention to the stretching of the fishing line - there should not be any.

Leash . Mandatory, since the pike often misses and it is quite likely that the fishing line will be captured by the predator’s mouth. Leashes made of steel strings have proven to be the best.

Fishing for pike with a popper will be as successful as possible if you follow the recommendations below. We cannot guarantee a 100% catch, but the fact that each of our tips is confirmed by practice is indeed true.

• Fishing with a popper is an imitation of a fry jumping out of the water. Therefore, it is better to use bait when such a phenomenon is observed. This is often noticed on a pond and when such a moment comes, you can quickly replace the bait with a popper. In any case, the predator will be less afraid of the sound, as is often the case when there are small pikes in the pond.
• If you come across a tree on the shore of a pond whose fruits fall into the water, don’t miss your chance to try out a popper. A remarkable incident: one day we came across a mulberry growing near the shore. With every gust of wind, fruits fell into the water and a countless number of fry “grazed” in this place. It was noticed that the fry periodically appears: here it is trying to taste the mulberry, but it is not visible for a couple of minutes. A guess dawned on me: maybe it’s the pike that’s scaring the fish? Already the second throw of the popper brought results. It was also important to cast the bait just at the moment of calm, because in theory there was a pike swimming under the shore at that time, since the fry was not observed.
• The color of the popper plays a role when pike fishing occurs closer to the dark. Then it is better to use bright colors. As for phosphor dots or lines, we personally have not noticed much progress using such options. In principle, you rarely see such poppers even on sale, which already indicates their low efficiency.
• The number of hooks, as already mentioned, varies from one to three. Which quantity to give preference is up to you. Just don’t forget that if you use a popper, then even one tee will catch algae, let alone three tees.
• If you look at the cost, you will notice the difference and often it is colossal. We agree that the pike fisherman already has to spend a lot of money in order to fully satisfy his fishing needs. But don’t forget that cheap bait can bring more disappointment than catch. For example, Chinese fakes (there’s no other way to say it) get tangled with tees or don’t always produce a quality sound for pike. It’s better to buy a couple of expensive, but probably proven branded baits than a dozen and a half outright nonsense.
• Pike sometimes “allow” themselves to miss, and if this happens, then it is better to make the next cast to the wrong place, but a few meters further. A loud fall of the bait can scare away the pike, but just passing the popper over it is the best solution.
• Not often, but there are cases when a predator ignores fear, its caution is dulled, and catching pike with a popper allows you to get a rich catch in a short time. This usually happens during the spring and autumn feeding of the toothy fish in shallow water. During such periods, just don’t forget to take a popper with you when fishing - you can expect stunning and very exciting fishing.

Conclusions and videos about catching pike with a popper

On fishing forums there are often annoying messages about the first unsuccessful experience of using this bait and a complete rejection of it in the future. What can you do, it’s not uncommon for such fishermen to give up at the first failure. But there are those who take a popper with them on every fishing trip, except ice fishing, and always have in their arsenal many exciting stories about fishing with a floating wobbler. So don’t be upset or despair - you need to try, improve, and then your efforts will be generously rewarded.

The traditional video, which we will supplement the article with, will tell you very well about fishing techniques and demonstrate that pike attacks the bait no less often than other types of wobblers. After watching such a video, you just want to throw away all pressing matters and plunge into the world of silence and excitement.

Poppers for pike are classified as seasonal artificial baits, which are applicable in special fishing conditions. Despite the fact that the prototype of this fishing design was invented more than a hundred years ago, the bait in its modern form has become widely available to spinning anglers only over the past two decades and is becoming more and more popular in use every year. In the practice of spinning fishing, there are not many effective surface baits for catching pike, but it is poppers that have become the most common tools for catching pike from the surface of a reservoir.

A fishing popper belongs to a huge family of artificial simulators such as wobblers, without which it is simply impossible to imagine any spinning fishing today. predatory fish. Due to certain structural elements of this type of wobbler, the performance characteristics are reduced to the ability to carry out wiring on the surface of a reservoir while simultaneously creating a noise effect through contact with water. When holding the bait, the splashes and squelching from the working surface of the tool additionally attract the toothy predator, bringing it to a spectacular and vivid bite for the angler.

The technique of fishing with a popper itself is not that complicated, and even a novice spinning angler can easily master standard bait movements after the first couple of training casts, and having received the initial skill, he practices the technique based on his vision of the hunting process in certain conditions that arise in the fished body of water.

Fishing with a popper will become successful and productive if the fisherman has knowledge that will tell him at what point and under what behavior of the predator to use this surface fishing tool, and the following article will help the spinning angler understand the prerequisites for using poppers. In addition, it would be useful for the angler to get acquainted with the rating of the best poppers for pike, which will help to competently create a set of effective fishing tools.

Fishing with poppers is mostly a method used in the summer and helps to get pike from the predator’s most inconvenient ambush places for the angler. During the period of warm water, in the summer months, growing fry of all kinds of fish try to stay on the shallows in areas of reservoirs overgrown with aquatic vegetation.

The toothy predator stops migrating in search of prey and stands at certain points where it conducts its hunt in an expectant manner. Since small fish feed in the middle and surface layers of water, the attention of pikes is focused precisely on these areas of the reservoir and any active movements in such zones near the predator’s parking area do not remain aloof from its attention. Catching fish with a popper just means provoking an attack from a predator waiting at the surface for its prey. But this is precisely the behavior of fish that is typical in warm water, because during cold seasons the fry move to deeper waters, where the pike population moves after them, and surface baits lose their relevance and catchability when fishing.

Important! Summer is the most promising time for fishing with poppers.

Catching pike with a popper in the fall is possible in September if the weather is consistently warm and aquatic vegetation continues to float on the surface. Popper wiring, due to various styles and techniques, allows you to fish heavily overgrown with algae surfaces, delivering the bait to free windows. Therefore, this type of wobbler is popular among spinning anglers for summer fishing in standing backwaters, various small ponds and toadfish.

In open spaces, fishing for popper is productive, on coastal shallows, at the borders of the beginning of the drop to depth. You should not neglect the reed walls, along which you can also fish. As a rule, the predator rises behind the bait moving on the surface from a depth of 1.5-2 meters.

Features of poppers

Poppers for pike differ from a classic wobbler in the absence of a working blade, the so-called tongue, which is designed to deepen the tool to certain levels of the water horizon. The rest of the product consists of a main body made of plastic in which, depending on the model of the popper, there may be internal cavities-chambers to accommodate the loading of the bait, balancing the bait when casting and stabilizing the stroke when making retrieves.

Often, several metal balls are introduced into the chambers to create additional noise accompaniment to the bait wiring. The working surface of the bait is a cut of the body in its front part, which is made at a certain angle and often with a deflection of the plane inward of the product. The nuances of making a cut with plane curvatures give the simulator a greater number of properties that contribute to the creation of both sounds from the squelching of water and the volume of splashes with different intensities flying around the bait moving along the surface.

Wobblers of this type can be either sinking or floating. The size of the bait varies from samples that are suitable for ultralight fishing, which allows you to catch small grass, as well as specimens of 12–15 cm intended for trophy fishing. But poppers in lengths of 6–10 cm are more versatile.

The simulator is equipped with tees, of which there can be from 1 to 3 pieces on one product. The fastening eye is located on the cutting surface, which makes it easier to control the wiring of baits. When purchasing, pay special attention to the reliability of gluing the fastening element, on which the quality of the animation depends. Like all wobblers, this type is distinguished by a wide range of product colors.

Important! It is worth noting that color has absolutely no meaning for the fish’s reaction in this case.

From the depths on the surface, all poppers are seen as a dark spot against the sky. The distinct coloring of the product helps the fisherman more carefully track the progress of the bait while visually observing the process of wiring.

How to fish with a popper

The popper for pike has a number of wiring techniques, which differ in the technique of execution, the dotted line of the stroke and the pauses of the stops. Fishing with this surface bait can be safely attributed to the twitching orientation of spinning techniques for animating fishing tools.

The popper works ideally on rigs assembled on spinning rods with fast and semi-fast action. The jerky, distinct pace of the stroke helps ensure the use of rigid braided cords. Fishing correctly with a popper is not difficult; the main thing in this matter is following a simple algorithm of actions, which begins with the precise delivery of the tool to the fishing zone and the actual beginning of the animation itself.

Animations are made by moving the tip of the rod, pulling the cord and moving the wobbler a short distance and then stopping. The length of the stroke does not exceed distances of 10–30 cm. During a pause, reel in the slack cord, achieving clear contact with the bait, which is tactilely felt as its slowing down due to water resistance. Depending on how long the pause is made, the necessary rhythm of movement is selected to which the predator responds.

Important! An active pike takes a surface wobbler for a short pause of 1–3 seconds. If the predator behaves passively, the pause can reach 10 seconds.

Surface fishing is distinguished by the ability to visually observe the bite of a predator. While retrieving, the angler sees the movements of the fish in the direction of the bait and sometimes it happens that the fish that comes out to attack does not rush to the popper, but stops and moves away from the retrieving path. In this case, experiment with the dotted line of the move, decreasing or increasing the step of movement.

After the wobbler is captured by a predator, they hook it and begin fishing. Fishing when hunting with a surface popper is distinguished by the special tenacity of the resistance of the caught trophy. A pike that has taken a breath of air becomes especially aggressive and actively tries to spit out the imitation fish, turning its head, jumping out of the water and making spectacular candles. In such situations, the spinner needs to try to keep the cord constantly in a taut position, restraining the freedom of action of the fish and, when pulling it to the shore or boat, take the trophy into the landing net.

10 best poppers for pike

At the end of the article, we will offer the reader a list of catchy models of poppers for pike, which will provide an example for selecting working options for surface wobblers in your pike fishing arsenal.

Pontoon 21 Loco Perro 100 DW

The first line of the rating will be given to the model of one of the leaders in the production of high-quality fishing wobblers, Pontoon 21 Loco Perro 100 DW. Working with fast jerking movements of this universal-sized bait helps not only catch famous places parking, but also helps to identify pike places in the process of exploring new and promising territories.

Pontoon 21 Loco Perro 100 DW

Megabass Pop-X

Next, on the second line, was a representative from Megabass Pop-X. The product, positioned by the manufacturer as a model for bass fishing, has caught on among our spinning anglers as an ideal tool for catching pike. Specializes in passive fish. Attracts with its low price.

Daiwa TD Popper Zero

Among the top poppers for pike, the Japanese bait Daiwa TD Popper Zero continues on the third line. The model with noise chambers that additionally attract predators is distinguished by high aerodynamic qualities and color fastness of its surface. Has an average price range.

Daiwa TD Popper Zero

Fishycat Popcat 85F

Another Japanese with an extraordinary sound effect during the wiring process, the Fishycat Popcat 85F model settled in fourth place. The tool works well on low-active fish. The large size of the bait allows you to count on a significant trophy in your catches.

Fishycat Popcat 85F

Giant Pop 160

The budget Giant Pop 160 from the Taiwanese manufacturer will delight you with high-quality workmanship, a pike-resistant coating and sharp, reliable tees. The model among pike spinners is considered one of the leaders in the exploration of promising catfish sites, capable of bringing a positive result to the score already on the first cast. This representative rightfully closes the top five in the ranking of the best poppers for pike.

Duel/Yo-Zuri

Sixth place went to the nicknamed pike killer Duel/Yo-Zuri. A miniature model with a body ideally balanced for casting, it creates rare splashes when casting, attracting predators with its vibration. Refers to the average price level.

Rapala X-Rap Walk 09

The Finnish Rapala is represented in the top in seventh position by the X-Rap Walk 09 model. The holographic coating and the peculiar game of pulling make fishing without zero even in the most critical moments of no bite. The only disadvantages include the high price level, which does not contribute to the even wider popularity of the product.

River2Sea Bubble Pop

The eighth line is taken by the Australian River2Sea Bubble Pop. The design of the tool with peculiar slots in the working surface perfectly attracts both passive and distant predators into attacks. The model has a variety of colors and three size options.

River2Sea Bubble Pop

Owner Gobo Popper

Owner Gobo Popper is distinguished by the quality of tees, which is what this Japanese brand is especially famous for. In addition, the model has the ability to change the tone of the sound at different pulling speeds, which is clearly useful when fishing for pike reacting to noises that provoke an attack. Ninth place goes to this expensive, but in practice very catchy tool.

Owner Gobo Popper

Berkley Frenzy Popper

The Berkley Frenzy Popper rounds out the top 10 best pike poppers. Wobblers are classified as budget, but fairly high-quality products. This particular popper is considered one of the best in terms of casting range and accuracy. In a spinning player’s arsenal, he certainly won’t be a statistic.

Spinning pike fishing in the fall has its own characteristics depending on the month. The pike bite varies and depends on the water temperature. Let's take a closer look at how the pike's biting activity and its preferences in bait change, respectively.

How pike bite in autumn

With the autumn cooling of the water, algae gradually begin to die off, the water becomes clearer, which accordingly affects the choice of bait for catching pike in the fall. What to fish for pike with will also depend on the fishing depth, what kind of forage fish predominates in the reservoir, and many other factors.

• Pike fishing in September

In September, the juveniles of various fish have already grown significantly and, like a predator, are actively feeding in anticipation of winter. Until various food organisms burrow into the silt, small fish feed mainly on them in shallow areas of reservoirs, shallow edges and near algae. A pike will also stay nearby, keeping watch.

• Pike fishing in October

Later, by the beginning of October, when the water temperature drops to 7-10 degrees, forage fish will begin to slide onto deep edges, holes and underwater tables with a depth of 4 to 8 m, and then to catch pike in the fall it will be necessary to use different tactics and, accordingly, , other baits for pike.

• Pike fishing in November

Further, a pattern can be traced in the behavior of pike: the colder the water, the more passive the pike becomes. Therefore, from the end of October and in November, you again need to switch to a different tactic for catching pike and, therefore, a different assortment of baits. This is, in general terms, the picture of changes in the nature of pike biting in the autumn.

Translated from English, wobbler means one who is lame or staggers. When used, the wobbler imitates a wounded or sick fish with its play, which attracts a predator

Catching pike with a wobbler in autumn

Catching pike with a wobbler should be done in places where the predator’s food supply is collected. In autumn, small fish, which are hunted by pike, accumulate in schools on various underwater spits or edges. A school of fish can stand near the surf shore, where various food is washed up by the wind. Well, we must not forget about guiding through clear water along the border of algae.

In September - early October, pike is most active. At this time, pike fishing is effective and exciting, especially if it is pike fishing with a wobbler. In still fairly warm water, the rate of digestion of food by the predator is fast. Hungry pike are not so cautious and respond well to wobblers with a sweeping action. But this is provided that the weather is stable. During sudden cold snaps and changes in pressure, the pike can become capricious, then you need to use different, sometimes very delicate, options for placing the bait on the pike.

In general, in September, under various fishing conditions, a variety of wobblers for pike work well. I often, knowing that I have to catch pike, make a choice in the direction of minnow class wobblers. It’s good to find areas with scattered snags or use a wobbler near algae. When catching pike with a wobbler, different wiring options are selected. It can be uniform, with frequent jerks, or jerky with long pauses.

When choosing the color of a pike bait, you must follow the following rules for choosing a wobbler for fishing:

• if the predator has a poor appetite, then the color should be as close as possible to the color of the forage fish that the predator mainly feeds on: perch, roach, crucian carp, gudgeon, etc.;
• when the pike is most active, it is better to take brightly colored baits that will be visible to the predator from long distance- among aggressive colors, red and white are often the most catchy.

The range of choice for the length of wobblers for pike for September is wide - from 3.5 to 18 cm, it all depends on the circumstances. They can be one- or two-part. Wobblers with replaceable petals can be convenient, which allows you to adjust the depth of the wiring. If the pike is reluctant to bite, you can opt for baits that produce sound effects. Of course, when fishing remote spots, you need to be guided by the mass of the bait so that it falls exactly in the right place.

When choosing a wobbler for pike fishing, you need to be guided by its characteristics. Wobblers are divided into:

Floating;
- drowning;
- with neutral buoyancy (suspenders).

• Floating wobbler for pike fishing moves in the upper layers of water, and when it stops it floats up. Floating wobblers are divided into two groups: surface-floating and diving. The length of surface-floating models is usually up to 10-12 cm, and the depth of their wiring is up to 2 m. With uniform wiring, the trajectory of the wobbler’s movement is close to a straight line, with jerking it is similar to a sinusoid. Diving models of wobblers work at depths of up to 6 m and deeper. They respond better to jerking (or reeling with pauses) wiring and have a wider sinusoid of movements.
• Sinking wobblers for pike fishing used for conducting in different layers of water, including near the bottom. They either have no blade at all or are very small, since the mass of the wobbler itself is enough to deepen it. Jerk (step) wiring is effective because the pace of the wobbler changes.
• Neutral wobbler (suspender) for catching pike in autumn. After mid-October, wobblers with neutral buoyancy come first among baits, which allow you to make long pauses in the water column. Sinking and floating wobblers do not have this opportunity. After casting, a neutral wobbler practically does not change its location in the water, due to which it has a large working area. When jerking, the trajectory of its movement is a short jump-detention, which greatly excites the predator’s appetite.

When fishing for pike in the fall at night or in muddy water and at depths with poor lighting, you should often try lures in bright colors: red, yellow, orange. And one more note. Fishermen to some extent followed the pattern and found that warm shades work better in warm water, and cold shades in cold water.

The head of the bait has a bevel, semi-ellipse or cutout. The popper is usually equipped with two tees and a tail unit of various shapes, sizes and colors

Fishing for pike in autumn in overgrown areas of the reservoir

At the same time, near the algae and in the windows between them in September, pike can take well on poppers, swim baits, and walkers. If the predator has a poor appetite, then the color of the pike bait should be as close as possible to the color of the forage fish that the predator mainly feeds on: perch, roach, crucian carp, gudgeon.

Let's briefly look at each of the pike lures.

• Fishing for pike with a popper in the fall

By and large, a popper is a shallow-running wobbler that imitates a fish or a frog, which moves away from the predator with splashes and splashes. When catching pike in the fall with a popper, you need to remember that this bait is selective: sometimes the pike reacts to it immediately, sometimes it doesn’t seem to notice. Poppers, making a gurgling sound when jerked, irritate the predator, provoking it to lunge. However, when using large poppers in shallow water, you may not even see a bite. Adult pike are especially suspicious of the gurgling of large poppers. If you catch pike with a large popper, then play with it more delicately than with a small one, take long pauses more often, and the twitching should not be too sharp. With a small popper you can play sharper and more often. When choosing a rod for pike fishing in the fall, remember that it is better to use a short, rigid spinning rod for jerking. For such fishing, a “stick” of 2.2-2.5 m with a test characteristic of no more than 17 g is suitable.

• Catching pike on a walker in the fall

An alternative to a popper in catching pike in the fall can be a walker (translated into Russian as walking, wandering). At its core, it is a surface wobbler that does not have a blade, and due to its streamlined head, it has low drag. But with a careful jerk, he begins to deviate to the side, making a zigzag movement and nodding his head. At the same time, it leaves a kind of mustache on the surface of the water. Americans jokingly nicknamed fishing with this bait “walking the dog.” When fishing for pike in autumn, walkers with a length of 5 to 12 cm are used.

• Catching pike with a swimbait in autumn

Another type of bait for surface fishing for pike in the fall is swimbaits. Bladeless swimbaits catch less grass when fishing through windows. They can be floating, sinking, neutral, and in design - one-piece, two- and three-piece. During the autumn testing of sinking swimbaits at one of the quarries, the cast was made into the windows of algae, and when the tip of the rod was raised high, the bait came to the surface of the water. The jerky retrieve made the swimbait's movements more attractive. The pike immediately reacted to this style of play.

Even with a very bad pike bite in the fall, a careful choice of bait, its delicate play with stopping and shaking in place usually always gives a positive result.

The main feature of a swimbait is its components; the presence of a blade is not necessary.

Fishing for pike in autumn

As in summer, pike often exhibit active biting during the day in warm, windy weather. Then, when moving along a body of water in a boat, you need to anchor on the windward side and throw in the wind so that the bait flies more accurately.

On reservoirs there are sometimes bays and shallow watering areas with stumps, snags, and underwater mounds. Sometimes the pike lives in areas free from vegetation, but always chooses a place near some bush of algae or snags. It is important to choose the right level of fishing for the bait, because sometimes the autumn pike does not react at all to a bait coming at a considerable distance from the ground, but immediately rushes to one that moves close to it, and even with attractive stops and twitches.

In September, with stable warm weather, you need to pay more attention to fishing irrigation with a depth of 1.5 to 4 m. When you find mounds in such areas, you need to cast bait so that the wiring crosses its surface in different directions. Wobblers with a depth of 2-4 m are well suited here so that they pass over the very top of the mound.

When long-range fishing with a spinning rod in the bottom areas of a reservoir, various jig baits can be unrivaled. Depending on the activity of the predator in a particular autumn season, you can make the jig bait high-frequency or low-frequency - by cutting the blade of a vibrotail or twister in a certain way. An active pike is successfully caught with an intensely playing vibrotail or twister, while a passive pike is given a quiet bait. The wiring remains stepwise, but not abrupt. In the first stages of searching for pike, you need to alternate fast and slow retrieves.

Many fishermen are accustomed to the idea that on rivers pike invariably occupy areas with slow currents and avoid fast ones, and therefore surface spinning baits are of little use for catching them. But actually it is not.

On fast rivers, pike very often, almost constantly, coexists with asp on the rifts, sits in the run behind the underwater dunes of sand spits, and goes out to hunt at the border of the rip current and the reverse current. Moreover, often the pike hunt is accompanied by a noisy fight, which is often mistaken for asp fighting. We can say that when using any asp popper or similar surface bait in places typical for this fish, there is a very high probability of catching a pike, and if you are not prepared for this, then the bite of a toothy predator in most cases ends with a lifelessly sagging cord and remaining in the pike mouth the bitten bait. Therefore, you need to take appropriate measures, which we will talk about in this article.

Time of active pike biting on surface baits

With pike, in this regard, everything is more or less simple, since its surface activity can be observed almost all day with two peaks - in the morning and in the evening. Therefore, if you want to catch a trophy specimen, then you need to arrive at the reservoir before dawn. Let's put it this way: the tackle should be ready for fishing at the first rays of the sun.

It is at this moment that you will most likely hear the first bursts. Depending on the circumstances, the zhor may continue different time. Sometimes it subsides even before full dawn, and sometimes you can catch it longer. Fishing at sunset can also be successful. At this time, medium-sized pike are often especially active, so if you go out for a one-day fishing trip at night, you can fish at dawn, then take a day’s rest (after all, you still have to return home), and then repeat your fishing trip, but in the evening.

Dependence of predator activity on fishing season

Each year, of course, has its own differences: when spring is late and when autumn comes too early. But on average, you can count on good results when catching pike with surface baits during the season of relatively warm water - from approximately the second half of May to the first half of September. If we digress a little from the immediate topic - that is, from fishing in rivers, then it is worth noting that in shallow bays and lakes when fishing for pike and perch, the season lasts even longer. Weather can have a significant impact. In addition to the weather, a significant factor influencing the bite is the water level. On regulated rivers it can vary widely, having, depending on the location, different effects on the bite.

Top 5 surface lures for pike

Lures play an important role in achieving a good result in such fishing. And their choice is dictated, first of all, by fishing conditions. As mentioned above, fishing spots on the river are sometimes characterized by very strong and multidirectional currents. Along its path, the bait can move across the current, against a very strong current (on a rip current) and even with the current if it is carried back. Therefore, the bait must be adapted to wiring in all these cases.

Of course, a lot depends on the angler’s ability to control surface bait in various conditions, but this does not mean that the choice of surface bait can be taken without due attention, since not all of them are able to adequately play when fishing against a fast current.

It is almost impossible to choose a bait that will meet our requirements “by eye”. The fact is that a lot here depends on balancing, which directly affects the position in the water. Most baits, which without any special tricks are capable of moving in jets of different speeds and directions, have a heavily loaded tail section, and on the surface of the water they are not located horizontally, but with a very strong “trim to the stern”, that is, tilted back , it even happens that their position is very close to vertical. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but if you choose a bait from unfamiliar models, then it is among baits with similar balancing that you are more likely to find something suitable. By choosing such a bait, we automatically receive a bonus of long-distance and accurate casting - the bait flies smoothly and does not tumble in flight.

1. Stickbait Lucky Craft Gunfish

The bait, in my opinion, is a kind of symbiosis between a popper and a walker. This is a very interesting and multifunctional stickbait that allows you to work both in fast currents and in water bodies with standing water. Even in a very fast current, the stickbait’s play does not go into a tailspin, and it continues to play attractively, drawing a snake on the surface (the so-called Walking the Dog retrieve). In areas with no current and calm surfaces, the Lucky Craft Gunfish stickbait leaves an attractive trail of air bubbles behind it. Wiring for pike is constant short and rhythmic jerks with the rod while picking up the slack in the fishing line with the reel. The flight qualities of the bait are simply 5+; in addition to pike, asp and perch take well to this bait.

2. Walker Lucky Craft Bevy Pencil

This walker belongs to the category of universal baits that can work in any conditions. It shows excellent results both in currents and in reservoirs with standing water. Despite its small size - length 6 cm and weight 3.7 g - this “pencil” (this is how Pensil literally translates from English) has a very long and accurate cast, since its center of gravity is located closer to the tail. Pike, perch, asp, chub and even pike perch are successfully caught with this surface bait.

3. YO-ZURI Silver Pop

This popper is positioned as a topwater for salt water, but despite this, it is liked by the inhabitants of our reservoirs, such as pike and perch. It should be noted that it is better to replace the triplets on the popper, since the implementation of bites leaves much to be desired - the best choice is the Owner. YO-ZURI Silver Pop has very decent flight qualities of 5+. Another positive quality of this popper: despite the ripples and disturbances, it does not stop gurgling appetizingly and does not lose its play. High-quality and affordable bait.

4. Heddon Spit’n Image Stickbait

Model 7.97 cm, weight 13.3 g. Large cigar-shaped stickbait, which confuses many anglers with its impressive dimensions and simple contours. At the same time, this is a very catchy bait for pike, which, despite its size, perfectly attracts even small fish. In addition, Spit’n Image has advantages that affect the result not even indirectly, but completely directly:

1. Thanks to its heavy weight and heavily weighted tail section, this walker flies simply excellent - very far and extremely accurately.
2. The stickbait has an exceptionally stable game, which is not affected by the current, the wave, or the distance where the bait was thrown.
3. This is a pretty noisy bait.

The “ringing” plastic of the body and the massive metal ball with which the tail section is enclosed create a clearly audible rumble when hooked, which, judging by the results of fishing with this surface bait, the fish really like. It catches well pike and perch, even small ones, as well as asp.

5. Heddon Pop’n Image Junior popper

Model 5.92 cm, weight 8.9 g. This medium-sized popper with a large weight also has excellent flight qualities for its size. Like most “Americans”, the form is an example of simplicity and conciseness, but the bait is 100% working. It catches pike, perch, and asp well; chub and ide can also become trophies, and when fishing in overgrown areas, even large rudd. It’s interesting that with this bait you can perform not only a classic popper retrieve, during which it, by the way, deviates considerably to the sides, but also “walk the dog” - just like with a walker. Versatility does not harm catchability - perhaps it is only beneficial.

Of course, some of the baits listed above do not fit into the budget category, or any similar ones either. But in fact, despite the cost of baits, surface fishing cannot be considered particularly expensive. And this is explained by its very specifics.

Techniques for catching pike with surface baits

As a rule, in areas with fast currents, where fishing is, in fact, what we are talking about, there are no obstacles that the bait moving along the surface can catch on. That is, the loss can happen either during the cast or on the fish. To avoid losses while casting, you just need to balance the rigidity of the rod, the strength of the cord and the aggressiveness of your own style. Well, of course, you need to monitor the condition of the cord on the spinning rod. In other words, avoiding them is not so difficult.

Losses on fish can happen, on the one hand, due to flaws in the fishing technique and overtightened clutch spinning reel, on the other hand, when a pike bites the fishing line. As for the first reason, the main thing is not to be nervous and watch the tackle, and everything will be fine. But regarding pike... Many anglers have more than once heard how a beginner proudly declares that he does not use a leash because he does not catch pike. But the pike doesn’t ask us whether we catch it or not. And since, as noted above, it is caught with enviable regularity in asp and perch areas, it definitely makes sense to take measures. When fishing with surface baits, experienced spinning anglers always use a rigid leash made of metal wire, ending in a twist to which the bait is attached. This leash has a light weight, which practically does not affect the balance of the bait, as well as low resistance to water, so it does not impair the game. But in addition to protection from pike teeth, the spinning angler receives a sharp reduction in the number of overlaps. A rigid leash with a twist does not have unlimited freedom of movement, so it is not always able to catch on the tees. Therefore, such a multifunctional addition to the equipment will always be useful, even if for several seasons not a single pike covets the bait.

It cannot be said that fishing with surface baits will always be extremely effective and will give odds to all other methods. It often happens that twitching with a wobbler in the same places gives the best result, especially after dawn or long before sunset. But many fishermen go not for bags of fish, but for impressions. And in terms of the emotional component, fishing with “surface fish” can be put in first place without any twinges of conscience.

By the way, an interesting observation: as in the case of surface baits, as with any others, the pike will definitely take it when for some reason you did not put a leash, and this most often ends with the loss of the bait and, of course, the trophy. Therefore, it is better to be prepared for encounters with pike - nerves and money will be saved.

We will not consider the wiring of surface baits in detail. By and large, it is not too different from standard and generally accepted schemes; the only thing I want to pay attention to is the flow factor. When fishing in areas with currents of different strengths and directions, you should constantly adjust, changing the frequency and intensity of jerks, as well as the speed of reeling - the bait should always remain attractive to fish, right up to the last meters. Don’t forget about the cord, which, when drawn across the stream, is blown into an arc, causing the bait to accelerate. But this is not such a big difficulty - you can get used to it quickly.

Choosing one or another bait for a particular fishing trip is not always easy, especially when it comes to new products in the fishing world. Today we will try to find out in more detail what a popper is and how to choose one. And not only general advice from the Internet will help us with this, but also a live commentary from a professional fisherman on poppers.

Choosing a popper for pike

The effectiveness of popper fishing for pike largely depends on the chosen bait. A popper is a surface bait used to catch predators. The term “popper” itself is derived from the English word “pop”, which in approximate Russian translation means “to gurgle”. In shape, this bait looks like a wobbler, with a small indentation in the nose, thanks to which, when retrieved, the popper makes its characteristic gurgle, thereby attracting predatory fish.

One of the main advantages of a popper is the minimum number of hooks, since it is not afraid of snags on the bottom, because its element is the surface.

Size. Experienced spinning anglers most often choose an average popper size from 5 to 13 centimeters for fishing. In their opinion, the most catchy baits of this type are in this size range.

Color. Let's look at a few rules for choosing the color of a popper for a pike.

• If the selected body of water is muddy water, then it is better to choose a popper in light or bright shades. The fact is that they will be more noticeable under such conditions and it will be easier for the pike to see and attack them.
• If a body of water is transparent and clean water, then you need to choose dark poppers. According to experienced spinning anglers, such a choice of colors will not be too intrusive and will not scare away the pike.
• Another interesting note we found is that during morning fishing, pike prefer poppers in black, red and orange colors.

However, these rules do not always work 100%, just like any other in fishing, therefore, never forget about experiments.

Where to fish with poppers

We have chosen the popper, now we determine where we can catch pike with it. As you already understood, a popper is a surface bait created specifically for situations when a predator feeds at the surface of the water.

In summer, the bulk of the fry go to shallow water to feed. This means that there will be pike nearby. In this regard, experienced spinning anglers have compiled an approximate list of tips on where catching pike with a popper in the summer will be most effective:

• Bays and lakes with a lot of aquatic vegetation;
• Shallow tributaries of large rivers;
• Small rivers with shallow depth;
• Swamps.

How to catch pike with a popper

We bought bait, found a reservoir from the list of recommended ones, it’s time to catch pike with a popper! The toothy fish does not welcome the fast animation of the bait, so the popper feed should be moderate. In addition to speed, pike sometimes respond finickily to chaotic twitches; they are more attracted to rhythmic animation. Therefore, it is better to use any catchy poppers with identical single jerks, pausing for 3–5 seconds.

However, if the toothy one ignores even this standard wiring, then you can try one of the following options:

• The same standard animation, pauses last 10 seconds. This option is only possible with non-sinking poppers;
• A series of gentle jerks, a pause of 3-5 seconds;
• Uniform slow animation.

Just like in choosing a color, when choosing wiring, you shouldn’t get hung up on the advice of professionals. Experiment, match the key to the toothy one, and she will definitely show you what a surface popper attack is.

Expert commentary

Having considered the average advice from the Internet, we did not forget about the advice of experienced fishermen in this matter. Today our expert is Ilya Mikheev (), who, by the way, talked about his collection of pike poppers in one of the episodes of our video blog:

Despite all the external similarities, these surface baits are strikingly different from each other and are tailored for different fishing conditions and different fish, so it is very difficult to determine one best popper for pike. But the favorite one is easy. Below I will list three of my most popular ones.

I'll start with the baby Megabass baby pop-x 4.5g, 50mm.

This is what the perch needs, regardless of its mood. When using this bait, you should not forget about the leash, since grass up to 1.5 kilograms does not let it through. The place and time to use this popper are quiet bodies of water, often with above-water and underwater vegetation, from May to September. As for wiring, this bait can be animated with single jerks, but it gives the best results with soft constant jerks, like when wiring a walker. Then the popper seethes almost on the spot, shaking its head left and right. This wiring attracts a predator, and the plumage on the rear tee determines the point of attack. In water it occupies a position at a slight angle to the surface.

The next popper is Evergreen one's bug 6.8mm 9.8 grams.

This bait has a good range and an expressive, powerful gurgling sound, which is very easily achieved during wiring. There is a peculiarity in the painting of these baits: no matter what color you choose, the bottom of the bait (bottom) will be covered with embossed sparkles, which, together with the tail feathers, perfectly attracts a predator. This is a classic popper for working on tight spots in single bursts. It is located in the water at an angle of 45 degrees, with the spitting surface almost above the water, ideal for beginner fishermen.

I use this bait as a search engine because of its excellent flight data. They can work on both ripples and calm water. The wiring here is suitable for any type, but it is a little difficult to master for beginners, and getting the right splashes from it is not easy. The position in the water is at a slight angle, with the muzzle up. There are no plumage or other bells and whistles.

Pike fishing? I would advise beginners to take classic poppers, without unnecessary bells and whistles. And one more thing - it’s better to take branded baits rather than cheap Chinese duplicates. The popper is not a consumable, which means that it will delight you for many years with its flight range and stable operation, and the quality of the accessories should be high!

Video: catching pike with a popper

The fisherman is an expert. Seven-time world spinning champion Alexey Shanin shares with viewers his secrets on how to properly use poppers for pike.

Video review of surface poppers on our official FishingSib channel.

Dear fans of fishing with poppers, we hope that the facts, secrets and tips described above will help you in catching the long-awaited trophy using a spinning rod.

As always, if you have any additions, tips or personal experience, please share them in the comments, it may be useful for novice surface lure fishermen.