Surf Fishing Poppers & Teasers

Question
Mr. Andrae,

         I like to tie my own rigs/bucktails etc., abd was wondering if in fact it is ok to fish popper plugs with a teaser rig, for Blues & Stripers???

         Also what colors are best at different times of the year??????

Dave

Answer
Hi Dave;

Absolutely!  A bucktail teaser in front of a popper plug often makes the difference between catching fish and getting skunked.  I even know of some guys who rig the teaser a couple of feet behind the popper.  Sort or like the snapper rig with the float and tube.  And of course there are the guys who fish with the teaser alone.  They like to call themselves fly fishermen.  If you have ever taken a close look at most salt water flies that are used inshore for bass and blues, you will see what I am getting at.  For all practical considerations, those flies are nothing more than fancy and expensive teasers.

Color is more a matter of time of day and light conditions, such as bright sun, overcast, or of course dark at night.  About the only color consideration I would suggest based on time of year, would be to go with white/green or white/olive in the spring and summer and then white/blue in the fall.  I fish the south shore back bays of LI, NY and the predominant food is sandeels, grass shrimp, and spearing in the early part of the season and I assume the green and olive colors are similar as seen by a fish.  In the fall there is a greater variety of bait fish and I have found the blue to be more effective.  In either case, the main color is still white with the secondary only there to give it a bit of a high light.  As they say, you can never go wrong with basic white.  My suggestion would be to have some plain white, and an assortment of white with a second color.  If you intend to fish at night, all black is worth a try.

-Rich