Top Water Lures

Stickbaits

Stickbait lures are generally a long shape with a thin profile designed to imitate the swimming action of a fish in distress, either on the surface of the water or sub-surface. Stickbaits require the angler to create some action through moving the rod, and each lure will impart its own unique action. This action is usually created through long sweeps of the rod combined with pauses and short, sharp sweeps. You can also vary the action by switching between a fast retrieve and slow retrieve. 

Stickbaits are usually broken down into two types: floating and sinking. You can find out more about each type below.

Floating Stickbaits 

Floating stickbaits sit on the surface when paused, and dive under the water when retrieved to impart their unique action. When choosing a floating stickbait there are a couple of things to consider: firstly, what type of fish you are targeting, and secondly the specifications of the rod. Once you have determined that it’s time to think about hook size. Hook size is important because you need the lure to maintain its balance to work correctly and stay inside the parameters of your rod specs. There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to hook type and size, so long as the hook will be sufficiently strong to cleanly hook the fish and not straighten during the fight.  

Sinking Stickbaits

Sinking stickbaits, as the name suggests, sink down the water column. They are heavier than floating stickbaits in order to properly sink. When it comes to sinking stickbaits there are many different varieties available, with the main differences being in sinking speed and action. Some may sink horizontally, while others are designed to impart action while sinking. You should keep these factors in mind when selecting your hooks, however hook size on a sinking stickbait is not as crucial as it is with floating stickbaits— due to the sinking nature of the lure, weight is your friend. Larger hooks can help with sink rate and targeting bigger fish. So long as the lure is still working as designed then you are good to go. We’ve found stickbaits to be particularly lethal when chasing kingfish, Spanish mackerel and dogtooth tuna. If you have any questions about fishing with stickbaits, feel free to get in touch.

Popper Lures 

Poppers tend to be a large profile lure with a cup face which varies in size and depth. The cupped face is the fundamental design feature of the lure; when the popper is worked correctly, water is displaced by the cup face, creating an explosion of water and a distinctive “bloop” sound. This is intended to imitate a surface strike of a smaller fish, waking up bigger predators in the area which are then attracted to the action and sound that the popper makes. 

Pencil Poppers

Pencil poppers have become popular with topwater anglers over the years as this long slender profile lure with a small cup faces imitates the action of a fleeing bait fish. This action is very effective as predatory fish revert to their instincts and don’t want to miss an opportunity for an easy meal.

Diving Poppers

Diving Poppers have a smaller cup face profile are very effective lures for diving deeper when surface bites are shut down. These poppers still create a “bloop” and displace water, but also dive sub-surface, leaving an attention-grabbing bubble trail behind the lure as it imparts action under the water. The diving popper will then float back to the top and sit on the surface. This is a very effective hybrid lure. Like stickbaits, there are many different shapes and sizes of popper to choose from. It’s important to have a selection of big cup-face poppers, pencil poppers and diving poppers. Poppers can be devastating when used correctly and are great for targeting pelagics of all sizes.