Popper fishing in the fall. Pike in autumn

24.10.201927.05.2017

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. The troubled Soviet times are 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 launched the production of a 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 feathers. 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 you that this is 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 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 put into words: using this bait, you will see the attack of the pike with your own eyes and that is 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” itself 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 short time get a rich catch. 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.

Popper is a surface bait that looks like a classic wobbler, but instead of a deepening blade in the bow, it has a special recess, which is its main difference. Actually, the attractiveness of the bait largely depends on the front “patch”, because it is this recess that contributes to the formation of water splashes and sounds that attract the attention of predators. One of these predators is pike, the fishing of which will be discussed further.

The summer season is a great time to catch pike with poppers. However, the best period is not strictly limited to three months of summer, but begins after spawning and continues until approximately the end of October, when the temperature drops significantly and all the fish gradually begin to leave the upper horizon.

By mid-summer, the pike becomes quite passive and stops actively hunting, feeding mainly only on what swims near its shelter. Popper, with his play, is able to lure and provoke even such a sluggish predator.

As a rule, pike are well caught close to the stream, hiding near snags or underwater vegetation. From her hiding place she observes the current and, when a victim is detected, attacks with lightning speed.

When the water is clear and the river level is low, pike may stand directly in the riverbed behind rocks, fallen trees or other high ground.

In such a situation, you need to fish with a popper past the pike’s parking lot, then make a small jerk so that the popper makes a characteristic sound and splashes appear, and pause. The predator reacts primarily to the sound and begins to look for its source, detects the bait and attacks it.

In the summer, poppers catch pike better in evening or morning twilight, as well as in cloudy weather. However, you shouldn’t give up daytime fishing in good light; it can also be very effective if you find a place and choose the right gear.

The length and weight of poppers for pike can vary greatly. For example, in the Rebel collection of poppers there is a Pop-R model with a weight of 3.5 g and a length of 5 cm, and Lucky Craft offers fishermen a catchy popper Bevy Popper, weighing 5 g. On the other hand, for example, the model is sold Big Bug from Storm. The weight of this bait is 25 g, and the length reaches 13 cm. Yo-Zuri even has a thirty-gram Mag Popper model.

Of course, average and large pike prefers baits of a certain size, but in this case you need to point out a couple of nuances.

Firstly, poppers of almost any size can also catch small pike, only slightly longer than the bait itself.

Secondly, in addition to pike, other fish can be caught with a popper, including even large roach or rudd, which can mistake the bait for a large insect. With its gurgling, the popper can also attract the attention of fish that are located at a fairly large depth, and not at the surface.

In general optimal popper weight for pike fishingfluctuates around 8-12 g, and length - 7-10 cm. The larger the bait, the larger the predator, as a rule, is caught, however, there are exceptions to the rules here too. When choosing a popper, also take into account the fishing conditions themselves, the characteristics of the reservoir, and the time of day.

There is nothing complicated about wiring a popper. The classic option involves the following actions: we cast the bait, wait a few seconds until the water around the popper calms down, and then move the bait near the desired location of the reservoir, making rhythmic jerks with the rod. When wired correctly, the popper emits gurgling sounds and creates small splashes in front of itself.

At this time, a pike standing nearby hears a noise at the surface and feels vibrations in the water, which could well be caused by the intense movements of a wounded fish or a frog falling into the water. Naturally, the pike will not refuse such an easy prey, and therefore heads towards the source of the sounds.

When fishing is carried out in areas with steep slopes and holes, the predator can be located at quite great depths. In such cases, the volume of the sounds made by the popper is especially important, otherwise the pike may simply not hear them.

In the summer, a wiring method that involves uniform, quick pulls of the popper is also good. We advise you to try different wiring techniques and experiment with combinations of jerks and pauses to find best option for specific fishing conditions.

Also read our previous review - spring pike fishing, there we talked about catching a toothy hunter with various baits.

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Catching pike with a popper is a very exciting, exciting and spectacular activity. All bites of the toothy beast are visible visually, and the dynamics of such fishing will not allow you to get bored even if the fish behaves sluggishly. The effectiveness of hunting predators with these surface baits is also impressive. In skillful hands, they can work wonders, forcing underwater inhabitants to certainly react to an object floating by.

Among the variety of surface baits, poppers can be called the main ones in this category. They are versatile and extremely catchy. They can be used in any reservoir when the predator is mobile and occupies the upper horizons.

Pike poppers are a fairly diverse category of surface baits. Among them there are many universal models that work almost everywhere. There are highly targeted topwaters that should be used in special conditions.

Designed specifically for situations where fish feed near the surface of the water. In our area this period falls in the summer months. At this time the fry is large quantities concentrated in shallow water. Here he has all the conditions necessary for a full life - a rich food supply and shelter from predators.

Naturally, to similar areas. For her, in such places also appear good conditions for a successful hunt. The toothy one can easily camouflage itself among the stems of aquatic vegetation, hide in their shade from the scorching sun and periodically attack a gaping or wounded fry.

So, the best places For pike hunting, poppers will be:

bays and oxbows with aquatic vegetation;
shallow channels and branches large rivers and reservoirs;
extensive shallow areas with bottom algae and relatively uniform bottom topography;
small rivers with shallow depths;
toad fields, peat quarries, swamps and other enclosed bodies of water.

Productive fishing for pike with popper begins at the end of May, when the water in shallow areas warms up well and the aquatic flora covers large areas of reservoirs. Topwater fishing continues until the second half of September. Then these baits cease to be so effective, since the cooling water and “sinking” algae force the fry to move to the depths and, therefore, leave the summer promising zones and the toothy predator.

Photo 1. The end of summer, poppers will soon fade into the background.

Features of poppers for pike

The toothy beast can be caught on any topwater of this class, but not every model will consistently produce catches on different bodies of water. Every spinning player must have his own 10 best poppers for pike, which are always able to find the predator and force it to grab the bait.

In general, the question of how to choose a popper for pike is quite simple, and any beginner will quickly understand what criteria a bait must meet in order to be successful in the hunt for a toothy predator.

The optimal size of a pike popper should be about 6–10 cm. Such a topwater will be effective in any conditions and will be able to seduce predators of various sizes. Larger baits will target trophy fish, and these are not found in every body of water. Small ones mean catching underwater representatives up to a kilogram in weight.

All poppers are conventionally divided into sinking and floating. There are much fewer of the former, but you should not completely abandon their use. They are needed when searching for predators in large areas, when it is visually difficult to identify promising areas. This bait allows you to quickly, and most importantly productively, fish an area and detect active fish.

In all other cases, it is better to use floating types of poppers. They open up much wider possibilities for spot fishing, but can also be used as search engines. Such topwaters are universal and suitable for different animation options.

The color of the popper does not play a special role when fishing for pike. The main thing is that the bait should be clearly visible to the fisherman. Regardless of weather conditions, it must be constantly monitored visually. Therefore, bright colors are often chosen: red, green or yellow.

Important! For pike, it doesn’t matter what color the popper is. She looks up at it, so all the baits against the sky will have a dark color for her.

Particular attention should be paid to the quality of fittings and tees used. Pike is an aggressive and sharp fish, so the requirements for their reliability and power are severe. If after purchasing a popper there are any doubts about their quality, then it would be advisable to replace them with products from trusted manufacturers.

All pike poppers manufactured by renowned manufacturers are coated with a durable and long-lasting paint coating. Inexpensive topwaters, unfortunately, quickly lose their presentation. However, in this situation you should not be upset, since even a completely shabby bait will catch a predator no worse than a new one.

Photo 2. Pike poppers.

How to catch pike with a popper?

The predator does not particularly like fast retrieves, so the feed speed of the topwater should be moderate. She also prefers rhythmic animation, and chaotic twitches and pauses work much worse for pike. It is better to drive any catchy poppers with equal single jerks, pausing for 3–5 seconds.

Often the basic animation described above is enough for the predator to respond to the offered bait. But if she ignores even best poppers for pike, then you can try one of the following options:

Classic wiring, but we increase the duration of stops to 10 seconds. This option is only possible with floating poppers.
A series of jerks, followed by a pause. We select its duration to suit the mood of the pike.
Uniform slow feed. However, it is worth remembering that not all poppers allow such wiring.

In limited point areas, jerks can be made with the rod kicking back. In this case, the bait practically “stomps” in one place and remains in the pike’s field of vision for a long time.

Photo 3. Choosing a spinning rod is an important matter.

Review of some models of poppers for pike fishing

Today, poppers are represented quite widely on the fishing market. They are produced by Japanese, European, American, and Chinese companies. Of course, expensive baits are in great demand. They are more stable and show best results. Let's look at some popular models of these topwaters.

Photo 4. Yo-Zuri 3D Popper color palette.

Perhaps the most famous popper, which has been produced for about ten years. This topwater simply has to be in the box of a lover of pike fishing with surface lures, since its extraordinary catchability has been tested by many anglers everywhere. It has a size of only 60 mm and weighs exactly 7 grams, but it flies quite far and accurately. Floating. It is good both as a “search engine” and in limited places.

Megabass PopX

Expensive, but high-quality and catchable surface bait, which also allows you to seduce a toothy predator in almost any conditions. It has an original notch with two slits on the sides, thanks to which it makes a more attractive sound and is visible to fish from a long distance. The popper flies well and is stable on different retrieves.

Rapala Skitter Pop

Another legendary popper that has been in production for a long time. It is available in several sizes, so choosing the optimal model for a specific case is not a problem. Very noisy on the fly, good at collecting predators over large areas. Allows you to effectively search for fish in unfamiliar bodies of water.

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 mud, small fish feeds 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 the wind washes up various food. 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 different conditions A variety of wobblers for pike work well for fishing. 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 selecting the color of the bait for pike, you must follow following rules 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 as active as possible, it is better to take brightly colored baits that will be visible to the predator from a long distance - among aggressive colors, red and white are often the most catchy ones.

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 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 often need to try baits of bright colors: red, yellow, orange. And one more note. Fishermen have 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

Catching 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 surface-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.” At autumn fishing pike use walkers from 5 to 12 cm long.

Catching pike with a swimbait in autumn

Another type of bait for surface fishing pike in the fall - 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 bait movement, because sometimes the autumn pike does not react at all to a bait coming at a considerable distance from the ground, but to one that moves close to it, and even with attractive stops and twitches, it rushes immediately.

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 wire 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.

Popper is a surface bait that is used for fishing in shallow or shallow water bodies.

The popper does not have a blade, but has a special recess in the front part, which creates a sound when inserted.

In this article we will look in detail at many aspects of fishing with poppers, namely: gear, wiring, fishing technique, finding a place, weather, etc.

What kind of fish can be caught with a popper?

Perch and pike are the main fish caught on poppers, and chub can also be caught well. It is also possible to catch asp and ide with a popper, but this is very rare since these types of fish are very careful and catching them at a fishing distance with a popper is problematic.

All poppers can be divided into sinking and floating. The latter win in sinking poppers both in terms of variety of assortment and popularity among fishermen. Sinking poppers have more weight compared to floating poppers, and therefore fly better, that is, a longer cast is obtained.

However, on the other hand, those baits that sink in water necessarily require sharp, aggressive retrieval.

Experienced fishermen most often act according to the following scheme: using a sinking popper they only look for predators in a body of water, and directly catch them using floating baits.

Popper fishing gear

Spinning

For popper fishing you need a short, light, stiff carbon fiber rod with a fast action. A rigid spinning rod allows you to make a more accurate cast, which is important when fishing with a popper.

Build fast
The optimal length is 1.8-2.4 meters.
Spinning rod test up to 20 grams.
The center of gravity of the rod and reel should be in the grip area of the reel.

fishing line

As for fishing line, you can use either monofilament or braided line.

If the rod has a super-fast action, use monofilament.
If the rod is parabolic, use braid.

Monoline has less friction on the guides, which increases casting distance.

Coil

The optimal reel size for popper fishing is from 2000 to 3000.
The gear ratio of the coil is at least 1:5.
An instant stop is required.
The reel must have good line lay.

Good laying is observed in reels with an endless screw; such a system makes the line lay “cross to cross”, which will reduce the likelihood of a beard on the reel.

Popper rating

Pontoon 21 Loco Perro 100DW
Chug Bug by Storm
Owner Gobo
Yo-zuri Arms Popper 70
Excalibur Super Pop-R
DaMiKi Milo
Rebel Small Pop-R 50

First of all, you should try fishing with poppers in shallow areas with grass and algae, with a weak current or no current at all. In such places there is often a predator waiting for its main food - small fish.

Look for calm creeks and bays, lakes with shallow depths and plenty of vegetation, where efficient use using other baits is difficult.

Sometimes the popper is carried out at the very surface, at a depth of 10-15 cm. And it is worth noting that pike often stand at the same depth under the shore. Fish places with ledges near the shore, river turns, islands with grass or reeds.

When to fish with a popper? (time of year)

Poppers are fished throughout the entire period of open water, that is, from early spring until about mid-November. In the spring, try fishing in flooded areas where pike often live. The latter at this time already begins to actively feed on small fish.

Best time The best time to use poppers as bait is, of course, the summer season. In summer, aquatic vegetation grows, the water is already warmed up. Pike, perch and ide chase small fish at shallow depths.

Closer to autumn, the water level drops noticeably, and it becomes possible to fish those places where the use of other baits (spinners, wobblers) was previously relevant.

By mid-autumn, lush aquatic vegetation dies off and the water becomes cleaner and more transparent, which improves visibility for predators. Subsequently, the fish misses less often, and it is easier to provoke it into an attack in the pre-winter period.

What time of day should you fish with a popper?

The time of day at which it is better to fish with poppers can be called more or less standard: early morning and evening twilight. If the weather is good during these hours, the wind completely subsides, there is silence on the reservoir and the gurgling of the bait is clearly audible to the fish, which swim closer to the surface for the purpose of feeding.

The ideal conditions for popper fishing are calm, windless weather. However, the presence of a light breeze and light rain is also not critical.

If there is a strong wind raging on the reservoir, forming waves, the specific gurgling of the popper will be hard to hear in the water, and because of this, the chances of fishing success will naturally decrease.

Also, strong wind makes it difficult to cast light baits, blowing them to the side. In bad weather conditions with wind and precipitation, the fish tend to go deeper, and fishing with surface poppers becomes a futile exercise.

Availability of watercraft will be big advantage when fishing with poppers. By boat you can easily get to almost any promising place and from the right direction.

Fishing from the shore is not so convenient; almost always, when retrieving bait, you have to overcome a coastal area with algae.

In addition, when fishing from the shore, only when approaching the desired place, there is a risk of scaring away a predator standing nearby in shallow water.

When fishing from a boat, it is appropriate to cast a popper along the shoreline and lead the bait in close proximity to the grass thickets.

Popper fishing from a boat in the fall (video)

The effectiveness of fishing with poppers also depends on proper fishing. Having purchased several poppers, you must first adapt to them, learn how to do the correct wiring, in which the popper jumps on the surface, creates small splashes and makes peculiar sounds, “gurgles”.

At first, try casting the bait nearby and watch it play, making the necessary adjustments to the wiring technique.

Popper wiring technique

After throwing the equipment, you need to make a short pause of 2-3 seconds so that the bait takes correct position, after which we remove the slack in the fishing line. Raising the tip of the rod slightly, we make a light jerk of 10-15 cm. Since non-stretchable braid is used, the bait will immediately react to this action and make a slight movement forward.

During this movement, the popper will grab air and water with its front recess, subsequently creating that characteristic gurgling sound and splash of water. Next, we pause and use the reel to pick up the slack in the fishing line, and again make a light jerk with the tip of the spinning rod. It is this alternation of jerks and pauses with winding of the fishing line that represents the wiring of the popper.

Spinning rod rigs (Texas, Carolina, dropshot)

Fishing knots and leashes, knot strength

Fishing with surface baits (gliders)

Propbait fishing (lure with a propeller)

How to choose a popper, what to look for when choosing

Devon fishing (unique spinner with a propeller)

Do-it-yourself spinnerbait (making and fishing)

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Popper fishing in the fall. Pike in autumn