• Registered: 2010-05-03
  • Posts: 40

Topic: Finally got after some reds

My friend took me out of Myrtle Grove today as the last few Wednesdays he has been putting a hurt on'em with poppers and he knows how much I like fishing reds with poppers - notice I didn't say catching reds. That's cause I come unglued and usually pull the popper away or set the hook the ole' bass way by yanking back on the rod.
Anyway, as luck would have it, this past week must have brought some high tides or wind or both that pushed up and beached in the marsh grass all the bright green filamentous algae that had been keeping the ponds crystal clear and making for superb sight casting. Anyway, the water was not that bad but with no grass a little chop and overcast skies, we had to blind cast. I had 5 fish take my popper and I hooked and boated two that went in the chest for my friend to make redfish ceviche. He caught one blind casting with a spoon and we quit at noon.
The marina is a circus down there with most of the area fenced off for the oil cleanup staging area.
Man, it was hot as hell but sure was fun having some reds chase my popper!! Its been way to long - December 2009.

Kirk

  • From: Lafayette, LA
  • Registered: 2009-04-06
  • Posts: 213

Re: Finally got after some reds

Thanks for the report, Kirk.  I've had my eye on that area for some time, and I pictured it to be a duck grass / redfish paradise. On my last visit down hwy 23, I stopped at the marina to get fuel and noticed that the marina was a zoo! After fueling up, I continued down to magnolia and found tons of grass/ clear water / redfish. After reading your report, I'm glad that I fishing magnolia instead. Wonder what the deal is with Mytrle Grove?

-can we see a pic of the popper you used? I threw one last time I was out, but didn't have any luck. In fact, it seemed to do more harm than good!

  • Registered: 2010-05-03
  • Posts: 40

Re: Finally got after some reds

Well, in to shallow or to calm of water, a popper will quickly send fish scurring or just flat out ignoring your bug, your best chance in those conditions is to work the popper like a slider. If they aren't looking up and still refusing, go below the surface to get a strike. This was the case with us in water less than a foot when the sun came out, we would sight cast the popper to cruising fish and they just ignored it. Fishing the edges of the broken marsh with water over a foot and a little chop and blind casting is when/where I got the strikes. I missed the best fish in about 24 - 36" of water and that fish looked to be about 24" long.
BTW, this is an experiment of scaling back on my epoxy coated acrylic painted poppers and is just a simple perch float popper with a single coat of enamel model paint, super glued to the hook and a EP fiber tail. Well, it is a quick popper to throw together but after one fish, the paint was mostly scraped off and after 5 fish strikes, 2 boated, the foam head broke around the glue bond (foam from the head was still glued to the hook). Also, those EP fibers had to be trimmed shorter to prevent fouling; bucktail and kinky fibers make a much better popper tail. The EP stuff is so soft.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q195/kirkdiet/KED_8136-2.jpg

  • Registered: 2008-12-11
  • Posts: 500

Re: Finally got after some reds

Hey Kirk!
You got most of that right, but what's with the weed-guard?
How do you keep the widgeongrass off the front of your popper, the knot, the stagings on your leader, out of your eyes, off your rod's guides, and so forth? emot_lol
Whatever, glad you got to go fishing. It's good for the soul, besides the skillet, as you get older. emot_fishing
Stay in touch Cher!
Pete

  • Registered: 2010-05-03
  • Posts: 40

Re: Finally got after some reds

Hey Pete, I was hoping you would comment but please feel free to add more of your popper experience to what I experienced Wednesday. Aside from Capt Bubby and Mark, I don't know anyone else with more knowledge and experience and love of fishing poppers for reds than you. I would certainly welcome your guidelines for popper  redfishing to what I've written.
You're right about most of what I said about that day as being right; I was a little off on the cruising fish I mentioned ignoring our popper offerings. Those fish were really casually moving off from the shock waves from our skiff in the shallow water, which are still catchable but usually require a fly down on their level to induce a reactionary strike.
I have experienced success on poppers in skinny calm water with poppers and cruising redfish that were actively feeding and/or cruising for breakfast unaware of my boat. I just wish I'd run into those conditions more often!
As you know though, most of fly selection depends on the conditions you are handed and are very tough to spell out exact guidelines in text. You being an outdoor writer, it may come easier to you than me. I've always found there are usually exceptions to the rules and general parameters are usually the best one can offer as a starting point to the uninitiated.
As for the weedguard, its an old habit from tying flies for Capt Bubby and Mark and personal experience in fishing the weedy ponds of Myrtle Grove. I've never had any problems with Widgeon grass sticking to my poppers with weedguards or other flies with the same weedguards and even the double post ones but that algae stuff is hard to get a slick piece of mono through without getting hitchhiking filaments. Then again, what we are both calling widgeon grass could be two different things.
I need to get out more often for sure!

Kirk