The popper and stickbait rig
A popper or stickbait is a big surface lure cast on heavy braid and a heavy fluorocarbon leader, worked across the top so it splashes or darts and draws a fish up to smash it. The braid joins the leader with an FG knot, and the lure hangs from strong rings. It is the surface rig for giant trevally and kingfish.
| Component | Spec |
|---|---|
| Main line | Heavy braid (8-strand), PE 8 to PE 10 (around 80 to 100 lb) for giant trevally; PE 6 to PE 8 (around 50 to 80 lb) for kingfish |
| Leader | Heavy fluorocarbon, around 130 to 170 lb for giant trevally, 60 to 100 lb for kingfish, a rod-length or so |
| Connectors | A solid ring (tied to the leader) and heavy-duty split rings (rated 200 lb plus for giant trevally), linking the ring to the lure |
| Lure | Popper (cupped face, splashes) or stickbait (slim, darts), 80 to 200 g and around 15 to 25 cm: heavier for distance and big seas |
| Hooks | Strong trebles or inline single hooks on rated split rings, sized to the lure |
What it's for
Giant trevally and kingfish that hunt near the surface, over reef and bommies and along the edges of structure. This is the rig you cast and work on top, so the fish comes up and takes the lure where you can see it, which is the most exciting way to catch them. There are two surface lures on the same rig. A popper has a cupped face that throws a splash and a bloop when you sweep the rod, calling fish up from below. A stickbait is a long, slim lure with no face that you work to swim and dart side to side just under the surface, which often fools a fish that has refused a popper. Both ride on heavy gear because a giant trevally fights straight back into the reef and will break light tackle. It fishes off Exmouth and Cairns for giant trevally, and in Sydney Harbour for surface kingfish.
The rig at a glance
Read from the rod down to the lure. The main line is heavy braid, PE 8 to PE 10 (around 80 to 100 lb), off a big spinning reel. It joins the leader with an FG knot, the slim braid-to-leader join. The leader is heavy fluorocarbon, around 130 to 170 lb, a rod-length or so, for abrasion resistance against coral and a hard-mouthed fish. The leader ties to a solid ring with a Palomar knot, and a heavy-duty split ring links the solid ring to the lure. The lure is a popper or a stickbait, 80 to 200 g and 15 to 25 cm long, armed with strong trebles or inline single hooks on rated split rings. The defining detail is that everything is rated heavier than the fish, the FG join, the heavy leader, the solid and split rings and the strong hooks, because a giant trevally fights straight into the reef.
How to build it
- Tie the heavy braid main line to the heavy fluorocarbon leader with an FG knot. It is the slimmest, strongest braid-to-leader join, so it clears the rod rings on every long cast and holds a giant trevally that loads it to the limit. Keep the leader about a rod-length so the join sits outside the rod tip when you cast.
- Tie the end of the leader to a solid ring with a Palomar knot. Then open a heavy-duty split ring and link it through the solid ring and onto the lure's tow point. The solid ring takes the knot and the split ring lets the lure move and swing on the retrieve.
- Make sure the lure is armed with strong trebles or inline single hooks on rated split rings, sized to the lure. On heavy ground for giant trevally, upgrade weak factory rings and hooks to rated ones before you fish, because the factory fittings on some lures are the first thing to fail. You are ready to cast.
How to fish it
Cast the lure toward the structure: the edge of a reef, a bommie, a current line, a bait school. Then the action depends on the lure. Work a popper with a sweep of the rod and a wind of the reel, so the cupped face digs in and throws a splash and a bloop, then pause, then sweep again, calling fish up from below. Work a stickbait with a steady sweep-and-wind that makes it swim and dart side to side just under the surface, with pauses, so it looks like a fleeing baitfish. Watch the lure the whole way in, because the take is a sudden boil or a fish coming clean out of the water on it. When a fish hits, do not strike on the splash. Keep winding until the rod loads and the weight comes on, then lift hard, because a giant trevally turns for the reef the instant it is hooked and you have to stop it. Hold on and keep the rod up.
Where this rig works
The popper and stickbait rig is cast wherever giant trevally and kingfish hunt on the surface over structure. Across the atlas it is fished off Exmouth and the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, where giant trevally crash poppers on the reef edges; off Cairns in Far North Queensland, on the inshore reefs and headlands for giant trevally and queenfish; and in Sydney Harbour for kingfish busting up on the surface in summer. As the atlas grows, every new water that uses a popper or stickbait will link to this same page.
Popper and stickbait rig questions
Both are big surface lures cast on the same rig. A popper has a cupped face that throws a splash and a bloop when you sweep the rod, calling fish up. A stickbait is a long, slim lure with no face that you work to swim and dart side to side just under the surface, which often fools a fish that has refused a popper.
Heavy braid of PE 8 to PE 10 (around 80 to 100 lb) joined to a heavy fluorocarbon leader of around 130 to 170 lb with an FG knot. For kingfish you can drop to PE 6 to PE 8 braid and 60 to 100 lb leader. Use about a rod-length of leader for abrasion resistance against the reef.
Most surface lures for giant trevally and kingfish run 80 to 200 g and around 15 to 25 cm long. Go heavier for distance and big seas, lighter on calmer days. Match the lure weight to the rod's casting rating so it loads and casts cleanly.
Two. An FG knot joins the heavy braid to the heavy fluorocarbon leader, the slim, strong join that clears the rod rings on a long cast. A Palomar knot ties the leader to a solid ring, and a heavy-duty split ring links that to the lure. Wet both knots before you pull them tight.
Because a giant trevally fights straight back into the reef the instant it is hooked, and it finds the weak link. The braid, the FG join, the heavy leader, the solid and split rings and the hooks are all rated above the fish, and the drag is set heavy, so you can stop that first run before it reaches the coral.