When it comes to casting plugs for tuna, think of meticulously balanced and beautifully designed stickbaits, like the ones made by Siren and Strategic Anglers, as a sniper rifle. Designed to be cast at a specific target—in front of a pack of feeding fish—and worked precisely like a frightened or wounded baitfish to pull a tuna out of a feed and onto your line. A popper, on the other hand, is more like a sawed-off shotgun, intended to create maximum disturbance over a wider area to draw a tuna’s attention from a distance. While poppers may not always be the right lure to cast at tuna, when fish are spread out or hanging 20 to 50 feet below the surface, they are tough to beat.
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Tuna-Grade Topwaters
For recreational-sized tuna, look for poppers in the 5- to 8-inch range with a wide, cupped mouth to throw water and create a splash. Most anglers favor heavier models that won’t skip out of the water during the retrieve, especially in choppy conditions, but because long pauses are often key, the popper must float. And, tuna poppers must be through-wired and be equipped with strong split rings and hooks.
For colors, white, green, and pink are the most popular, but a growing number of Northeast anglers are enjoying the effectiveness of translucent poppers on finicky tuna.
For recreational-sized tuna, look for poppers in the 5- to 8-inch range with a wide, cupped mouth to throw water and create a splash. (Photo by Robbie Tartaglia)
The rod is the most important piece of equipment for popping tuna. A longer spinning rod of 7- to 8.5-feet will help cover water when blind-casting and create the long sweeps needed to get the lure popping.
Spinning reels in the 10000 to 14000 size with a fast retrieve speed are best for quickly picking up slack line and burning in the lure to cast at breaking fish.
A longer spinning rod of 7- to 8.5-feet will help cover water when blind-casting and create the long sweeps needed to get the lure popping. (Photo by Robbie Tartaglia)
Braided line of 65-pound test offers plenty of strength, is easy to cast, and allows for ample line capacity on a 14000-size reel. Attach a 10-foot leader of 80-pound-test fluorocarbon to the braid with an FG knot. At the end of the leader, add a barrel swivel with a split ring to create a secure connection that reduces line twist and allows for fast lure changes.
How to Work the Popper
Tuna are fast, but their food is not. Keep this in mind to avoid over-working the popper. Slow, deliberate sweeps of the rod tip that allow the lure to create a strong bubble trail work best to attract tuna from depths to 50 feet. Pause for one to five seconds between sweeps. This may feel like a long time, but the tuna may be swimming from a distance to attack your bait. Adjust the length of the pause to the conditions and the behavior of the fish. On calm days or when blind-casting, longer pauses help fish lock in. If tuna are aggressively feeding on top, shorten the pause to keep them engaged.
