My oama fishing buddy, David, has a wealth of fishing experience and knowledge and I’m constantly learning new things from him. He surprised me with this comparison to my jointed lure fishing outing.

David: Scott recently fished the incoming tide at a well known stretch of beach, casting some newly acquired, jointed, shallow running lures that had tremendous side-to-side action; these lures look irresistible (to me, but who knows what a fish thinks). Having described his whipping episode, I thought that I would conduct a crude experiment to compare underwater lures to top water poppers.  I have this mild, unsupported theory that poppers have an edge over underwater lures in shallow water when it comes to Kaku and Papio because I think the splashing and chugging turmoil initiate predator instincts. Of course, logic doesn’t always apply to the habits of fish, but my reasoning is that if a fish is not overly hungry and sees bait swimming by (in this case, a swiveled-body lure), it’s sort of “ho-hum”, just another fish, but maybe not worth expending the energy to chase and grab the bait.  On the other hand, I’ve always felt that fish are opportunistic feeders, and since splashing is usually associated with distress, it would seem that a  splashing  popper might trigger a reflex attack action. So I thought that I would try a comparison test.

I knew what time he had started fishing, so I started 1/2 hour later the next day, to mimic the same tide conditions. Scott said he had about 5 or 6 Kaku follow the bait, but only one missed strike. I basically fished the same waters with approximately the same tidal conditions, but threw poppers instead of underwater lures. There are of course a zillion environmental conditions that were different and obviously any fish that lived in the area had moved around or left completely, but since Kaku are somewhat territorial, it seemed likely that unless someone else had caught all the Kaku in the area, that they were probably still in the general vicinity.  At this beach, there is a beginning and an end, so the grounds are finite.

In any case, I tried to duplicate his path and tossed poppers the entire stretch of the beach. The tide was rising quickly and it was a perfect day with little wind. Would the poppers make a difference ? I walked and threw my favorite popper, hardly pausing at all. The entire length of my trek, about 4 or 5 Kaku chased, but none hit. At the end of the beach is an area where bait fish sometimes congregate. I got to the end, and there were small schools of bait swimming around. I threw 5 or 6 times and bang ! A solid strike, my pole arched, followed by the sweet sound of the drag. I was using 6# test and a semi-noodle rod. The fish jumped twice, then it was over. Attached is a photo of the 18″ Kaku.

Scott had several chases but only one soft bite, but no hookups. I had a similar amount of chases and one hookup. Was there a pronounced difference ? No. Are poppers better than shallow runners ? Probably not. The only difference was luck. The fish just happened to be where I randomly threw. Pure luck. But hey, I had a good time and got a fish. I happen to love to eat Kaku; most don’t.

My mother was a fantastic cook, and my father was her greatest fan. Anytime I visited them and he was eating, I’d ask if the dish was good. He’s always reply with a grin, “nah, junk, no eat”. The stronger his insistence, the better the dish. So, to those who don’t favor Kaku, eh, “junk, no eat”.    🙂

I’ve tried barracuda a couple of different ways, steamed Chinese style, fried, etc. My favorite is tempura. Normally I’d cut the body into steaks then batter and deep fry them. But I filleted this one then my wife deep fried the tempura and made Tartar sauce. When it’s cut up into steaks, there are bone fragments left in the meat; but when filleted, it’s much easier eating. Goes good with Takuwan or Sanbai-zuke. I also like the center bone salted and dusted with flour, then fried like Aku or Ahi, or salmon bones in the local style. A good friend of mine makes his dip with julienned onions and mayonnaise. Both are good. I’m sure Ponzu would work well. Sometimes I use Chick Fillet sauce for the dip; of course, that makes anything taste great. Really junk, no eat……   🙂