When Popping Goes Wrong

[Luke Wyrsta]

I thought it would be interesting to hear of any funny/strange or dangerous stories that may have happened when popper fishing.

One such one that i experienced was recently on my trip Abaiang - hooked a massive Red Bass only to have a fellow anglers leader that was blowing in the wind get caught in the Stella's bail arm, then proceeding to be wrapped around the spool just until the tip was bending around to be destroyed! Needless to say i stopped winding, albeit a little disgruntled

Share you stories....

[Stephen Polzin]

I was fishing with a mate out of my boat, throwing poppers over some real nasty, rediculously shallow country when I hooked a reasonable trev around 10kg.  The fish tore off towards some shallow bommies so my mate got the motor running and took off after it with me on the bow.  Chased it all over the place, around bommies etc and managed to land it but didn't realise just how shallow we had gone.  No more than three feet in places.   Pure luck the prop didn't hit some reef and we would have been rowing home!

In the pic you can see the sort of country we were in

[Brandon Khoo]

The funniest experience I have had was when I was fishing with a mate in the Solomons a few years ago. We were throwing poppers around when a huge GT smashed his popper not much more than some six feet from the boat. It all happened so quickly that i don't know whether he struck, the fish was hooked momentarily and then the hooks pulled or that the fish simply headbutted the lure but the popper flew out of the water and smacked him in the head.

He staggered around like a drunk for about a second and then he fell over. I thought he was seriously hurt but when he got up, he had this spaced out look and was bleeding from a cut on his forehead. He then asks "@##@! what  happpened?" I collapsed laughing as did the guy driving the canoe.

[Jon Li]

The funniest experience I have had was when I was fishing with a mate in the Solomons a few years ago. We were throwing poppers around when a huge GT smashed his popper not much more than some six feet from the boat. It all happened so quickly that i don't know whether he struck, the fish was hooked momentarily and then the hooks pulled or that the fish simply headbutted the lure but the popper flew out of the water and smacked him in the head.

He staggered around like a drunk for about a second and then he fell over. I thought he was seriously hurt but when he got up, he had this spaced out look and was bleeding from a cut on his forehead. He then asks "@##@! what  happpened?" I collapsed laughing as did the guy driving the canoe.

Brandon ,

Could have been a more serious incidence there with those trebles , had a treble pierced my head courtesy one of the top freshwater angler from Thailand , had to go to a clinic in a small town nearby the lake we were fishing to get it removed and a few stitches too .

Jon .

[Greg Burt]

They charge a lot these days for body piecing, you could have left it there and hung a chain off it!

[Jon Li]

Greg ,

I am not that trendy !

Jon .

[Brandon Khoo]

Jon - he was actually very lucky because the popper broke his sunglasses. he could have lost an eye in such an incident. The popper with trebles would have weighed 180grams so it wasn't light either!

I've been hooked on numerous occasions by other anglers. Once with a big GT treble but it came out easily because it was barbless. It still hurt like the devil!!

[Jon Li]

Brandon ,

That is a close call ! Don't want to lose eyesight for any price , should they make it compulsory for us to wear goggle n safety helmet for GT popping then ?

Jon .

[Brandon Khoo]

gees, with goggles and helmet - we could add some really serious bling to our outfits!!

[Hal Harvey]

Jon Li goes popper fishing...

[Brandon Khoo]

now that is some serious bling!!! 

Jon Li goes popper fishing...

[Cy and Kerrin Taylor]

We were fishing out of a small tinny with 3 people casting large topwaters as far as we could along a reef edge.

I was standing up the front looking for fish when our friend slammed a big Roosta into my head on his strong backcast.

Everytime I moved it hurt, and we had to travel over 15km in rough seas to get back to the hospital.

Cy Taylor
Whitsundays QLD

[Peter Lowe]

I think the pics speak for themselves..........     


 

[Peter Lowe]

  another