GTPopping.com - Giant Trevally, GTPopping, Topwater & GT Fly-Fishing Resource
Topwater Caranx Ignobilis: Giant Trevally (GT) => Tackle & Techniques => Topic started by: dante green on December 14, 2012, 05:28:19 PM
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Any suggestions on what's the easiest popper (130gr + range) to work? How are those buffalo lures?
Thanks
Dante
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Craftbait GT3 150g is my favourite in that range ;) or slightly below 130g I really like the GT2.
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It sort of depends on what is meant by "easiest", and also upon the conditions, the rod used etc.
But as an all-rounder in most conditions and with most popping rods, I would put a vote in for the Heru Cubera 125. A beautifully balanced little popper which is very easy to get a good chug out of.
A mention should also be given to the WCP Delambre 120 - a lure I have been using a lot recently. Incredibly easy to a big chug out of, and it moves a LOT of water for a 120 gram lure.
Going up to 150 grams and I am right with Jay - Craftbait GT3.
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I vote for Carpenter Seafrog Twinhook 120g for the easiest. Also Craftbait GT2 150. Biggest for me is 160g Orion Cono Cono.
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Thanks fellas!
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In terms of presence in the water and ease of chugging, the Sea Frog 120 Twin Hook is about as good as it gets. Good luck finding one though!
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why is it called "twin hook"? and what's the difference with "regular" seafrog?
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Dante, the old Seafrogs were designed to be fished with a single treble on the belly only.
The new Seafrog Twinhook 120 which Izhan and Brandon mentions is of a more standard design with hooks intended on the belly and at the rear.
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The Heru Cubera 125 gm would have to be up there as Mark suggests with the Huge advantage in that it is easily replaceable at a modest cost. As Brendon suggests the availability of the Sea Frog is a problem.The Hammer Head "C" cup is worth a mention also but harder to work than the Heru.
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for sure the heru cubera is one of the best fishing quality/price popper. it"s the one I use the most. but the big problem is that when you use good drag in fishing action, the belly swissel breaks regularly; and when the GT is caught only by the belly hook, we loose it. think that it yet arrives 7 or 8 times for me.(with cubera 150 and 180)
bruno
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Another one i am really happy with is Orion T-rex. Reminds alot of the craft bait. Another one that casts a mile is Adhek lures "venus"
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Hey Bruno,
That's the first time I've heard of the belly swivel breaking-on these poppers.! Where exactly is it Failing???
Which split ring are you using ? I'm wondering if the split ring is "choking" the eye of the hook because it is too big which means all this addition stress is going onto the swivel and not the split ring.There has to be some float in the system.Also what centre hook arrangement are you using ,a treble or two singles back to back.?Just trying to help.
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Hi Neville,
I am using varivas or owner split ring 250 or 300L and decoy GT 8/0 treble. perhaps trying to put a second split ring or best a kevlar assist as for jigging. that could put less strenght on the belly swissel
Bruno
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The swivel breaking on the Heru lures is a well known problem which have been discussed on this forum before. I have rewired all my Heru's with NT Power swivel 5/0.
I had a fellow angler cast 10 times with a completely new Cubera 180. Without hookup or any strain what so ever, the belly swivel suddenly had broken into two pieces!
By the way: Another vote for the GT3 150.
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If you are concerned about the belly swivel on any chugger, hang a single assist off the towing point. It will have no effect on the action of a chugger.
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The swivel breaking on the Heru lures is a well known problem which have been discussed on this forum before. I have rewired all my Heru's with NT Power swivel 5/0.
I had a fellow angler cast 10 times with a completely new Cubera 180. Without hookup or any strain what so ever, the belly swivel suddenly had broken into two pieces!
By the way: Another vote for the GT3 150.
All Heru lures shipped after July 2012 have NT swivels on them .
Jon .
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Mark, my experience on the assist rigged single off the head is very different from yours. Part of the very exhaustive testing I did with every model of the Kongs from Fullscale was to test them with the hook configurations which we see used locally here which is trebles, single and baker, treble and single, assist and single and assist on its own.
I don't use the assist rigged single off the head because I don't like its impact on the action on the lure. I have since tested the same on a prototype of the Sea Frog and the SF dislikes this rig even more. When we test a lure properly, it means we test them in all sorts of ways - different hooks configurations, different conditions and even different types of boats. Fishing off the front of a gameboat is very different from fishing off the front of a small dory in terms of height. The lure has to perform at all levels before it passes the necessary tests.
My experience is that the old model SF with the blade off the tail swam like a dog with the assist rigged single.
What I have found is that the bigger poppers are more able to handle the assist rigged single off the head and in relatively calm conditions, you don't notice much difference but if you are using it in heavy conditions, it becomes quite noticeable. The reason for this is very simple - there is not one GT lure manufacturer that I know of that tests its lures to carry an assist rig.
I did have one member arguing strenuously a while back that he could rig stickbaits with an assist off the head and it swam just as well as with trebles :o
It is hardly sensible for an angler to have to compromise their rig because of inadequate terminals being used on a lure but it is good to see that Heru has finally been "persuaded" to upgrade its terminals.
If you are concerned about the belly swivel on any chugger, hang a single assist off the towing point. It will have no effect on the action of a chugger.
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Been thinking a lot about what you say there Brandon and maybe it has something to do with the assist cord size and single hook weight? My standard set up is a Jigging Master 13/0 which I tie myself with a single length of size 20 kevlar. This is a lot less bulky than factory-made Shout assists for example. Just a thought.
I should also add that I have not used assists off the front on any Seafrog model.
Jon, excellent news on the NT swivels and thanks for letting us all know.
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I suspect the JM 13/0 weights more than the base Kudako 7/0 so I can't imagine the whole rig would weigh much more, if anything. Nearly every popper in the market sits cup pointing upwards. The assist off the head changes the balance. As I wrote earlier, you can get away with it if the popper is heavy or conditions are decent but you really start to notice it in rough conditions.
Is this your standard rig, Mark or are you just experimenting?
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Your points are very logical Brandon.
When stationary any lure will certainly have a very different weight balance if the hook is attached to the tow point. I wonder how much that is the case though if you keep the lure moving? There will be some pull on the front for sure but the actual weight is way back where the belly treble would be.
I definitely would not go so far as to say standard, but I am now using it a bit.
I first tried this a while back having seen lots of European anglers in particular using the method, and then left it as I was kind of anti-singles in general for GT fishing. More recently, having seen assists used with great success again on chuggers and also being increasingly concerned about the number of fish I was cutting up by using a belly treble, I started to use it again and have generally been happy.
It is always interesting to hear how different anglers have different experiences and perspectives on matters like this. It might be that you are just more experienced and more in tune with the behaviour of a lure than I am Brandon ;) . In fact, I am sure you are!
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this has nothing to do with the current debate. I am finding that the seven seas big head poppers incredibly easy to work, and they cast really well, contrary to what one would expect from their shape.
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Try it with a Gamma and look at the result!
I am embarrassed to admit that a few years back, Tak had this rig on a Bigfoot to see how it swam and I was continually commenting on just how absolutely terribly the Bigfoot was swimming (you couldn't even call it swimming!) when BANG! Fifteen minutes later, 45kg GT :'(
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Debate? What debate?!
The Sevenseas Big Head is nothing but a copy of a lure Fisherman developed a decade ago, the S-Pop 150 Short. They couldn't even come up with a more original name than what Jai used when he copied the lure.
this has nothing to do with the current debate. I am finding that the seven seas big head poppers incredibly easy to work, and they cast really well, contrary to what one would expect from their shape.
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Try it with a Gamma and look at the result!
I am embarrassed to admit that a few years back, Tak had this rig on a Bigfoot to see how it swam and I was continually commenting on just how absolutely terribly the Bigfoot was swimming (you couldn't even call it swimming!) when BANG! Fifteen minutes later, 45kg GT :'(
Hah! Bigfoots are a law unto themselves for sure :) .
On a sensitive stickbait like a Gamma - definitely forget assists! Your lure doing an impression of random piece of broken wood is not desirable :) .
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Well all of the history on the Heru's is very interesting and much appreciated,thank you .So I guess I can only assume mine haven't failed is because either my GT'S haven't been big enough or lubing the swivels with Inox or a light oil is working.I do this because they rust up so badly.Has anyone had a Metallurgy carried out on a failed swivel ???
This really is a Fantastic website.Well done Brandon.
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Thank you very much for the info Jon
Bruno