Our brand new inshore popper boat 'Tease Me' just had her first popper casting bash taking visiting anglers Sam Cheadle and Dave Olson out for a couple of popper casting sessions along Kadavu Island's Great Astrolabe Barrier Reef. Sam and Dave are new to heavy tackle poppering but came well prepared with Stellas, Dogfights and Shimano GT Specials.
A couple of sessons on Tease Me followed by a day on Bite Me and some nice GTs hit the deck (gently of course !)
Dave with a GT caught on a Buffalo PrototypeTease Me performed perfectly and proved to be an excellent platform for popper casting, despite the day being a little breezy.
Dave Christens 'Tease Me' with a crackerBest fish of the first day aboard 'Tease Me' was this excellent 46 Inch (short length) GT above for Dave that would have weighed in around 40kg had we not released.
Sam with some sensible protection from the Tropical sun
Dave seems happy !
Dave with yet another GT - this one measuring 43" short lengthSam hooked up to a dinosaur on a black Buffalo prototype that probably would have gone 40+kg but despite upwards of 20kg of drag the fish peeled line off Sam's Dogfight and made it to the shallow breakers to bust us off.
Sam knocks off another GT - this one measuring 38" short lengthSam and Dave were a lot of fun and a pleasure to have aboard. Thanks for Christening Tease Me and hope you guys had fun with the Kadavu Island GTs.
3 comments:
Adrian
Bit cheeky and rich of you to be calling the Buffalo poppers prototypes.
These are ripoff GT2's and GT3's
made by guys in Vietnam who have never even seen the ocean or caught a fish lrt alone a GT.
Shame on you
David
Hi David,
Thank you for your comment.
As far as I am aware these are new models.
The maker is a manufacturer who used to make lures for other companies such as Weasle (I believe) for example but is now making his own range.
I am testing his own newly manufactured range. Given that these lures are brand new, not on sale to the public and still in developement, I would suggest they can reasonably be described as 'prototypes', whether they look a bit like a GT2 or GT3 or any other similar popper.
Given the limited scope and dimensions of poppers, any new model will inevitable be compared to one or more existing models and accused of being a 'copy'.
I don't see the Ford Motor Company complaining about the latest Toyota because it has 4 wheels, 4 doors and an engine just like their models.
Rapid advancement in popper design, much like 4 door saloon cars for example, means that most are starting to look similar as manufacturers perfect designs.
I would say that any luremaker nowadays, designing his own range, would be hard pressed to find a shape or size/weight that is largely different to one that somebody else has already tried.
I am a charterboat skipper and have been asked to try out some lures. I am doing so and giving the manufacturer an honest opinion of how they perform.
You imply that a few lure manufacturers should have a monopoly on making and selling poppers. I would suggest competition promotes innovation.
If, as you suggest, these new poppers are 'rip-offs' of an existing design then their relative performances can be easily compared and anglers will make up their own mind about price, quality, finish, strength and fish catching ability.
Welcome to Capitalism, competition and freedom of choice.
I suggest you consider your own tackle. How much of it is stamped "Made in China" ?
Start with the tackle box....
So...nobody else should ever build a tackle box because Plano already do.....Nobody else should ever make a T-shirt because somebody else already does...
Hi Adrian,
I want to send you my best wishes to your new boat "Tease Me".
I think it is the right step. Popper Fishing is the future!
In my country (Germany) there grows a real "Popper hype" and I think this will continue because it´s one of the best kind of fishing.
An interesting poll to this you can find under http://www.big-game-board.info/english-spoken-section/general-discussions/3170-fishing-hype-2010/
I think the "Tease Me" is perfect for popping and will bring a good success in fiji.
Good quality here on your blog!
Best wishes,
Uwe
Post a Comment