Guppy Pencil Poppers

Posted on October 31, 2016November 2, 2016 by Julio Silva

A pencil popper is the most versatile top water plug. A pencil popper can be fished in the surf, in inlets, in clam conditions, in rough conditions, during the day, and at night. I fish Guppy pencil poppers because they are well built, field tested, and optimized for casting distance and action.

Fish360 Guppy Pencil Popper

Wayne Hess, the owner of Guppy Lures, makes five different pencil poppers that range from 1 1/4 oz to 3 1/2 oz. Each Guppy pencil popper is hand built with through-wire construction. A 1/16″ diameter stainless steel wire is passed through the center of the plug. The belly hook is a VMC 4X treble hook (1/0 to 4/0) that is secured to a Krok stainless steel barrel swivel (220 lb to 500 lbs) via Wolverine split ring. The tail hook is also a VMC 4X treble hook (1/0 to 4/0) that is secured to through-wire via Wolverine split ring. Each plug is painted in one of 19 different color patterns using a complex process that incorporates a sealer to eliminate water intrusion, primer, and a clear coat.

I have caught fish in inlets with a round bottom pencil popper. I have caught fish in the surf with a flat bottom pencil popper. Both styles catch fish in the surf and in inlets. But! If I have room for only one pencil popper in my plug bag, it’s going to a Guppy flat bottom (a.k.a. “Canal Special”) pencil popper. Why? Because they casts farther. Their flat bottoms allow the plug to rise to the surf quickly after they sink into the water at the end of the cast.

Some pencil poppers on the market require some modifications before use. For example, replacing weak split rings and fragile hooks. The only modification that I make to my Guppy pencil poppers is to replace the rear treble hook with a custom tied VMC siwash hook. I tie my own tails in matching colors using a multi-layered threading and epoxy process. This small modification enhances the action and extends the color profile of the plug.

Fish360 Tails

Do you own a Guppy pencil popper? If you do not, buy one! If you do, but another one!! Fish them in inlets. Fish them in the surf. Be sure to hold onto your rod….the strikes are explosive!!!

Striper Pursuit

Posted on October 20, 2016October 20, 2016 by Julio Silva

Striper Pursuit is John Skinner’s latest book on surfcasting. Like his other books (Season on the Edge and Fishing Bucktails), Striper Pursuit is well written and overflowing with knowledge.

Fish360 Striper Pursuit

The breath and depth of the topics that John Skinner covers is extensive:

How to fish artificial lures: poppers, swimmers, needles, darters, bucktails, metals, and soft plastics.
How to keep eels alive, how to fish them, and how to rig them after they die.
How to read the water to identify structure.
How to fish under various weather conditions.
Striped bass migrations, tide, time of day, and moon phase.
The bait fish targeted by striped bass and their and migrations.

John Skinner extends the knowledge in his chapters via 46 QR codes that navigate you to videos related to the respective content. Learning the knowledge in these chapters will make you a good surfcaster. But! To become a great surfcaster, you must learn how all of this information integrates together. John Skinner’s chapter “Pattern Fishing and Large Stripers” will help you with the theory. In practice, you must keep a fishing journal to identifying patterns. Patterns will not only help you catch more fish; they will help you catch more quality fish consistently!

Are you a seasoned surfcaster? Do you want to take your surfcasting to the next level? Then buy and read Striper Pursuit. Page for page, you will get you money’s worth from this book.

Scotty Kayak Sea Light Pole

Posted on October 7, 2016October 9, 2016 by Julio Silva

Fishing during dark hours is one of the most productive times to fish. But, fishing at night from a kayak increases risk. Safety is first on my list. That is why I use the Scotty Kayak Sea Light Pole when fishing at night.

Fish360 Scotty Sea Light

The Scotty Kayak Sea Light Pole has an overall height of 42″. It can be removed from the base and can be adjusted to any angle across a 180 degree range. The highly visible light is water proof and can run for 8 hours on two AA batteries. The bright orange flag provides additional visibility.

If you fish or are planning to fish at night in saltwater or freshwater, then pick up a Scotty Kayak Sea light. Why? To see and be seen by seen by other boats! 😉

Surf Conditions

Posted on October 1, 2016October 9, 2016 by Julio Silva

On my last surfcasting trip, I got up a 4:00 AM. I put on my wet suit and drove my pre-packed Suburban to a sandy beach with points, bars, and troughs. I got to the my spot at 5:45 AM. While putting on my surf belt and grabbing my rod, a ranger came up to me. I thought he was going to point out the “No Parking” signs to the left and right of my Suburban. To my pleasant surprise, he offered me a parking spot in a restricted area. There is a special place is heaven for people like him!

Fish360 ZeeBaaS

After a short walk, I reached the water’s edge in record time. The sky was still dark. I read the water. I casted over sand bars. Nothing. I casted into troughs. Nothing. So I decided to trek a mile over soft sand to a point. When I reached the distant point, the tidal current was colliding with the wind induced current. The cross product of these two force vectors was whitewater! Whitewater!! Whitewater everywhere!!! I waded out on the sandy point until the water reached my surf belt. The waves were crashing on my chest. I had to cast between incoming waves. Not a safe place for waders! My ZeeBaaS reel cranked through it all without fail. My 7mm Neosport wetsuit kept me warm. I fished every plug in my surf bag. The Guppy pencil popper penetrated the onshore wind and out casted all the plugs in my surf bag. The “wind-shield-wiper” action in the rough surf was amazing. I fan casted the point. When the sun started to rise in the horizon, a fish engulf my Guppy pencil popper when it was only 20 yards away from my boots. The fish pulled drag against the tidal current! Bluefish? No!! It was a keeper striped bass with shoulders!!!

Fish360 Guppy Pencil Popper

Surf conditions are difficult to forecast. Weather apps give me an indication of what I will face when I reach the water’s edge. But, when I am on my sandbar or rock, the conditions can change (and often do) without warning. Hence, I carry an array of plugs to fish the entire water column under all conditions. The Guppy pencil popper is now a permanent tenant in my surf bag.