Poppers fishing rod

[Hyles]

Hey everyone, I recently got interested in fishing with poppers - to target tailors and salmons in the harbour. I've got a medium rod at home and was wondering if anyone can take at a look at it , and suggest whether it would be suitable for poppers. IMG_2848.HEIC

IMG_2851.HEIC IMG_2850.HEIC

[DerekD]

Sorry mate. Couldn't view it. Seems I need to download some additional Codecs from the Microsoft store to view it. Can you load it as a JPG.

Edited February 4, 2022 by DerekD

[mrsswordfisherman]

1 hour ago, Hyles said:

Hey everyone, I recently got interested in fishing with poppers - to target tailors and salmons in the harbour. I've got a medium rod at home and was wondering if anyone can take at a look at it , and suggest whether it would be suitable for poppers. IMG_2848.HEIC

IMG_2851.HEIC 770.08 kB · 6 downloads IMG_2850.HEIC 807.73 kB · 5 downloads

@Hyles please use the fishraider attachment system so members do not need to download pics. 

If not sure how to use please pm me 

[Niall]

On 2/4/2022 at 12:30 PM, Hyles said:

Hey everyone, I recently got interested in fishing with poppers - to target tailors and salmons in the harbour. I've got a medium rod at home and was wondering if anyone can take at a look at it , and suggest whether it would be suitable for poppers. IMG_2848.HEIC

IMG_2851.HEIC 770.08 kB · 16 downloads IMG_2850.HEIC 807.73 kB · 11 downloads

Hey Mate, 

I'd say that rod and reel are bit heavy for casting anything but the biggest poppers.  Your casting distance will be hindered massively by using mono as well.

If you're into the idea of a a new rod/reel setup then have a look around at something in the 1-4kg or 2-5kg range.  You want something that can cast stuff as light as 4-5g.  Pair it up with a 2500 reel and spool it with 4-6lb braid.  Tie a short leader to the braid - can use mono or fluorocarbon for this.  You'd be amazed at how far you can cast such light lures with light braid.

With this setup you'll be able to cast light poppers with ease and you'll have a tonne of fun fighting salmon and any decent tailor.

[Little_Flatty]

Sorry to go off topic, but just a little (perhaps oft-repeated) rant. So many fishos get sucked into buying a 'medium' or 'general purpose' rod thinking they will cover more bases, only to get a bit of experience and realise those outfits don't cover very many bases at all! Over-gunned for bream/flathead and under-gunned for larger fish.

I think the fishing tackle marketers have a lot to answer for in that respect. 99% of the fishing that would be accessible to a beginner and make them happy is on the bread and butter end, where a 2-4kg outfit is plenty. So why are they selling people 3-6kg and 4-8kg rods?

I guess beginners also need to support the local tackle shops, so that they don't end up buying inappropriate gear. Also they need to ask the right questions, like what gear for a certain species, or even "I'm a beginner, what should I target?", rather than "I need a 3-6kg rod".

Ok rant over, listen to @Niall's advice, he's the topwater king.

Another option is to cast metals matching the cast weight rating of your rod (should be written on the rod). Though metals sink, the retrieve is often so fast that you are pretty much fishing the surface anyway.

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by Little_Flatty

[Rob81]

6 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Sorry to go off topic, but just a little (perhaps oft-repeated) rant. So many fishos get sucked into buying a 'medium' or 'general purpose' rod thinking they will cover more bases, only to get a bit of experience and realise those outfits don't cover very many bases at all! Over-gunned for bream/flathead and under-gunned for larger fish.

I think the fishing tackle marketers have a lot to answer for in that respect. 99% of the fishing that would be accessible to a beginner and make them happy is on the bread and butter end, where a 2-4kg outfit is plenty. So why are they selling people 3-6kg and 4-8kg rods?

I guess beginners also need to support the local tackle shops, so that they don't end up buying inappropriate gear. Also they need to ask the right questions, like what gear for a certain species, or even "I'm a beginner, what should I target?", rather than "I need a 3-6kg rod".

Ok rant over, listen to @Niall's advice, he's the topwater king.

Another option is to cast metals matching the cast weight rating of your rod (should be written on the rod). Though metals sink, the retrieve is often so fast that you are pretty much fishing the surface anyway.

 

I would consider "General Purpose" gear as middle ground gear. But you would have different levels of middle ground. Eg, Light, medium or heavy. Middle ground gear is something Id say, has no true belonging to a set of specific task or role. .

Myself, I have target specific gear, as well as gear for certain types of environment chasing certain types of species, but above all that, there is a set of side gear that I would consider general purpose in my lot, in both light and medium range. This is also the stuff I don't bring out as often these days, and I considered my "bash setup" (gear that if the fish takes it or is broken, I am not heartbroken nor will I suffer any form of mourning period of my life).

Most people starting off usually buy cheap gear anyways (or so I would recommend anyways). Loss is kept to the minimum. Some might spend a little more, but I find those same ppl wouldn't listen to advice of spend cheap to start off with either way as they always want the "Good stuff" or "pretty items".

Back to topic, you could slug out mid-weighted metals for your 2 targets you mentioned on your gear. I don't own any Penn gear myself but have played with some of my mates. But I do find the reels tend to be heavier and also the tip of the rods in the lower ranges to be extra soft, but I couldnt be sure on your specific rod. This might impede the idea of using heavier slugs. The other thing is, you're most likely going to get really tired quickly, as I also noticed the gear ratio you're running 4.1:1, which is more power in crank and less speed. For top water, ideally you want a little more speed over power. But that just my opinion, some people like the slower speeds.

Edited February 11, 2022 by Rob81

[Niall]

On 2/4/2022 at 12:30 PM, Hyles said:

Hey everyone, I recently got interested in fishing with poppers - to target tailors and salmons in the harbour. I've got a medium rod at home and was wondering if anyone can take at a look at it , and suggest whether it would be suitable for poppers. IMG_2848.HEIC

IMG_2851.HEIC 770.08 kB · 21 downloads IMG_2850.HEIC 807.73 kB · 14 downloads

Another thing I just noticed with your reel - I think the bail arm has pretty well had it mate.  Looking at all that gnarly scuffing right where the line rolls through, I'd say you're not far off losing fish or losing your rig on the cast just from the abrasion of that part on the line.

Just in case you're looking for an excuse to treat yourself to some new gear 😂