Surface Poppers - Part 1: The Origins
Top Water Lures Before 1980
Back in the 50s when I was fishing the oyster bars off Sarasota, Florida, the lure of choice for jack trevally and snook (rabalo) was the Zara Spook. The wooden Spook was a top water swimming lure that could “walk the dog.” That is, it could be made to dart back and forth across the line of retrieve. When I came to Hawai i in 1965 I brought a half dozen Zara Spooks with me. In Yap, Micronesia, I lost all the lures I had on two weekends. Omilu, ulua and white tip sharks made a picnic out of the Heddon Spooks. Offerings of Dillingers were stripped of their hooks. Rapala was a good lure but, it had to dive to wobble and to be effective. It was mainly used for trolling.
The Early Surface Poppers
In Hawai i, slide bait casting rigs with and applied this technique to creating resin casting lures. His lures were made in a glass mold with a tail hook and planed face. These lures had to be picked up quickly so as not to get stuck in the coral reef.
