Stickbait / Popper hooks
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Popper and Topwater Fishing
Forum Description: If you're into a bit of action on top, this is the forum for you
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=50611
Printed Date: 29 Jan 2026 at 11:15am
Topic: Stickbait / Popper hooks
Posted By: jamesdaulton
Subject: Stickbait / Popper hooks
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2010 at 3:22pm
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I have been following a lot of the threads on here about the best way to rigg stick baits and poppers...and also I have now seen how bad a combo of trebble hooks can be when releasing Kingies. So I want to re rig all of my lures, poppers and sticks to single hooks and I think I will probably start with two singles on the middle (cable tied back to back) with one at the
rear
keeping in mind I am not fishing the troppics - just for NZ kingies... so here my the questions....
1) what type of hooks are the best - for the mid / belly and rear.
2) Is there any sort of rule of thumb that tells you how big the hooks should be for the size of lure - or does it not matter that much?
3) One of the youtube clips I have watched reciently had a swivel on each of the connections to allow the fis to rotate freely from the stickbait.... anyone tried it - does it work???
4) Is anyone fishing assist hooks from the front of a popper??? does it work???
input appreciated
thanks
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Replies:
Posted By: Capt Asparagus
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2010 at 3:32pm
Just what I was thinking of doing... except I think I'll use just a single (maybe two) assist hooks attached at the belly position.... as per... I think it is not so important to have multiple hooks, kingies seldom come up and just have one slash at a popper, they normally climb all over the damn thing until they hook up (often in packs), so the need for gangs of trebles is a little less than for say GTs in the tropics, which often are one-shot wonders cheers, Stu. |
Posted By: Moocha
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2010 at 3:40pm
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Nice one Stu, so that belly hook on the popper will trail as a tail hook on the retrieve huh, will you rig a shorter one that sits in the belly section to cover non tail strikes ?
I had an idea of rigging the assists similar to a double on game lures and rigged off the belly of the popper/stick bait, wonder what the pros and cons of that would be ?
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Posted By: JonnyBlaze
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2010 at 4:02pm
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I have good success recently with singles. I put up a few pics in the reports section but since then I have changed all my trebles out so I have all sorts of configerations now. Will let you know how they work once I give them a cast. Here are some I’m taking away this weekend for a flick.  Middle right already is a proven winner. Those singles are Owner jobu's and the other are VMC Dynamic live bait 7360.
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Posted By: Nirai
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2010 at 4:23pm
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I am just heading out for a fish so this will be short and sweet. Singles are a good idea here in NZ. IMO Trebles still have there place in the Pacific.
What ever hook you choose to rig up with it must be as big as possible WITHOUT killing the action of the lure, this single fact is the most over looked when throwing top waters. mid sized poppers with huge Jobu on its arse lifts its cup face clear of the water I.E. not a lot of pop like it could do if balanced with the right hooks. To many anglers throw hooks on there top waters and never throw them until they get an opportunity, finding out then they don't swim as they should and missing hookup. Take them to the beach with a selection of hooks and swim them so when you get a chance to throw them in the heat of battle your lures swim. One other thing to try at the beach is how to work your rod to gets the best swimming action from each lure type they do not all work the same, so knowing what works for the lures you have will put you out in front also. Lots of 200+lb BFT fall to little Owner 3/0 trebles. Tight Lines ------------- "Gunrunner" Surtees 610 Game Fisher current *"Double Barrel" Seacat 635 "Good Riddance!" *"Seriola" Surtees 485 CC Retired with honours! |
Posted By: Gruntled
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2010 at 5:33pm
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The nomad fishing guys in Oz seem to know how these things work. They have rigging videos on their website (really good) and use Owner SJ 41 and 51 hooks doubled on the belly and Jobu on the tail. I have rigged my stickbaits using their method, same as Tony from Yeehaa recommends. http://www.nomadsportfishing.com.au/ ------------- I might have Alzheimer's, but at least I don't have Alzheimer's. |
Posted By: kIWir
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 3:27am
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no rule really....as long as the combination does not effect the movement of the popper or stickbait...especially stickbaits....
Nomad don't want the treble simply because to maintain sustainability of the fish in the area they operate....trebles does often damage your catch more than singles....
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Posted By: Capt Asparagus
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 9:16am
Think I may give this a whirl.... |
Posted By: Kezza
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 9:28am
why not just have a single coming off the back of the lure CA?......not sure what you are hoping to achieve with all that hoopla?....  ......
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Posted By: Nirai
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 9:46am
Go Kezza 
Decoy Sargent, Owner S-77 split ringed to the tail. KISS theory for me ------------- "Gunrunner" Surtees 610 Game Fisher current *"Double Barrel" Seacat 635 "Good Riddance!" *"Seriola" Surtees 485 CC Retired with honours! |
Kezza wrote:Posted By: Capt Asparagus
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 10:14am
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I don't like split rings, to get a decent sized hook into a split ring, the rings just about always do not handle it well (had enough of them opened by GTs in the tropics), and I think the assist would be stronger. Also, I hope/expect the tiny little ziptie I used to hold the hook at the tail will break under pressure, so the fish will not be able to use the body of the lure as leverage to help work the hook free.... it may flap about a little in the fishes face, which may irritate the fishie a little, but the lure, not being attached to the hook will mean that the fish cannot get any purchase on the lure to lever it out of it's jaw (don't worry, I know what I mean). If I had wanted, I could have just used a shorter assist and looped onto the belly ring, that would have given me a hook in roughly the same place, it is what I did with the popper-caught kingi pic above. That still left the lure in the frame though... I really do like the idea of the line from rod-tip to hook not include a hardbodied lure. Much the same as assists work with jigs, I suspect that if you had a nice single split ringed onto the tail of a long jig, you'd get plenty of hookups on that too, but the length of the jig would pop out the hook pretty quick. I also like having the hook as close as poss to the tail of the lure... if I used an assist just looped onto the tail position, then the hook'd be a couple of inches astern of the lure itself, and then I'd want to have one at the belly just to cover a fish whacking the body of the lure... and I'd be back to having a 2 hooked lure in a kingie, something which I do not like the idea of, having seen how good kingies are at turning a second hook into a flying gaff for catching people with before, and not wanting a repeat of that exercise! :-) (Another excellent reason for not having a tail hook on a long jig). So that is why I thought I'd have a looksee at the assist attached at the lures head. Second choice would have been at the belly. Last choice would be to have multiple hooks on the lure, for me anyhow. Oh, and there's not really all that much "hoop-la"... it uses one cable tie at the back, but then otehr options given here have cable ties used to join twin singles at the belly position as well. There is actually a lot less to go wrong with this rig than there is with a couple of hooks with split rings etc... I don't see that assist braid pulling apart any time in a hurry, and it enabled me to use a very nice large Gammie hook on the lure, so I know it ain't gonna let go either. Well, thems my thoughts anyhow, cheers, Stu. |
Posted By: Kezza
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 10:35am
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choice as...whatever works for you then just keep on truckin' Stu....... obviously one mans ingenious plan is another mans hoopla.
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Posted By: Capt Asparagus
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 11:11am
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No, my Ingenious Plans are always plans of fiendish ingeniousity. Slight amounts of Hoop-lah attend all such acts of supreme ingeniousositiness. Ingenuitity is one thing however, practicalitiness is another, that is why I'd like to play with this rig, just to see if it works as well as I am naturally assuming it will.... being such a fiendishly ingenious plan and all :-) |
Posted By: jamesdaulton
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 3:20pm
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I like the thinking CA.... i've lost a lot of trout spinning with toby's because the lure rolls the hook out - and that was my main resoning for investigating the assist option... I like the break away idea as well - i imagine if you trim the tag really short it would release easily. The only problem I see is upsetting the action of the lure - as mentioned above. I may be wrong but probably a bigger deal with sub-surface sticks than poppers???
ok so next question would be - do you think that hook at the tail should point up or down???
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Posted By: Capt Asparagus
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 4:49pm
| Ideally I would have gone for hook up, but that ain't how it rolled.... |
Posted By: Moocha
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 7:44pm
| what happened to my other post ? re a resemblance to a cedar plug ...wtf ? |
Posted By: Capt Asparagus
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 8:39pm
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Yes, good point Moocha.... I remember reading that post, and it is gone now... as you say, wtf. I will ask on the mod forum.... |
Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 8:45pm
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I can see this one, posted by Moocha
. Is this the one?>>>
"
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Posted By: Wazza(BOP)
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 9:11pm
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Here is how I rig my stick baits and poppers.......................all owner hooks. The lower one, the hook acts as a rudder to stop it rotating on retrieval. It's a light stick bait and with my heavy 250g popper rod it could rotate. 
------------- Stand Fast......... |
Posted By: Moocha
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2010 at 9:26pm
I was paranoid before now that just confirms it   no Uncle it was one after that post.....and no Koro I am about to start drinking I wasn't before in answer to the next question  I know for a fact posts don't 'just vanish' they often have a helping hand although usually I am asking for it when they do to be fair, but not sure why that one would 'suddenly disappear'... ....note to self install anonymous IP scrambler downloaded last week |