I have been using the hPa Popper Roll for more than a year now and it has become an integral part of my GT fishing gear. Therefore when the Ebbtide crew asked me to write a short review of the product, I was more than happy to oblige.
hPa gear is designed in France and made under strict controls in their own factory in China. It has a real sense of quality about it, backed by a ten year warranty. The design, the material used, the stitching and functionality all scream "quality".
The Popper Roll is designed as a lure day bag for GT anglers or those using similarly sized lures. It consists of ten lure pockets which are clear vinyl faced with a Velcro fastening flap and webbing at the top and bottom to allow easy drainage. There is an additional wider compartment which is multi-function.
Ten pockets loaded with 20 substantial GT lures. The utility pocket is empty on the right hand side.
Rolled up with the same 20 GT lures inside
The ten lure pockets can easily take two thick GT lures each, or three if you are using lures at the slimmer end of the GT spectrum. So a minimum of 20 lures can be easily carried. That is certainly more than enough for every eventuality on a single day of GT fishing! The lure length limit to be able still close the pockets is about 280 mm but you can carry longer lures accepting that they will stick out from the pocket. I do that with super long pencils like Fisherman Long Pen and Adhek Ocean Lady for example.
The utility compartment could used for a few more lures, it could hold jigs or you could use it for bagged terminals. I do not use it
for terminals as I always have trays with me but I have frequently
washed down and hung up to dry
utilised this compartment for smaller light tackle lures.
Once the roll is loaded with lures it is simple to roll it up and fasten using the adjustable straps and plastic belt clips.
Due to the material used, cleaning is a breeze - just remove the lures and shower it down. The meshed pockets allow easy draining and it so straightforward to rinse off any saltwater residue. This is now a ritual for me after every day of GT fishing. Hang it up after a wash down and it dries quickly.
The popper roll also flat packs down very efficiently. this is important when going on an oversea trip. I simply flat back mine in the bottom of my bag and it takes up little room. Once you are ready to fish, it is designed to perfectly fit into the hPa fish box.
The only very minor thing I would change is to remove the four metal eyelet rings or change them to plastic. The owner of hPa has informed me that these have already been changed to plastic in the current production.
this metal ring is now plastic in the current production.
hPa have produced a real winner here and no GT angler is going to be disappointed by this product.
In the past few years Southern Oman has become a truly world class top water fishing destination. Understandably, much of the focus has been on the monster giant trevally fishing available at The Hallaniyat Islands just offshore from the village of Shuwaymiyah which lies some 300 km north of Oman's second city of Salalah.
I now have several trips to this amazing fishery under my belt and the purpose of this blog is to highlight why the fishery has so much more to offer than just the GTs.
Me in loads of trouble with a magnificent Shuwaymiyah Permit on the 20lb gear!
The first time I arrived at Shuwaymiyah to fish with No Boundaries I was very much geared up for GT fishing but was frankly clueless about the lighter tackle options. That soon changed! One quick look at the waters adjacent to the boat ramp at Shuwaymiyah revealed truly mind-blowing rafts of baitfish - mostly sardines. It was immediately obvious that these would attract a whole host of predators. And so it proved during this trip and the several more which have followed.
Thumping yellowspot trevally again on 20lb gear and an Orion Mister Joe 35 gram stickbait
Set yourself up with PE2-3 (20 to 30 lb) casting gear, a mix of stickbaits and poppers in the 10 to 14 cm range and hang on tight for the ride of your life.
Big queenfish often arrive in spectacular packs
The most regular, desired predators around these bait balls are large
queenfish (and I mean large!). A pack attach of monster queenies with
bait flying everyone is a truly awe-inspiring sight. It certainly does
not stop with queenfish though. Totally brutal golden trevally are
often present in numbers - a fish which pound for pound fights as hard
if not harder than its monstrous GT cousin.
Ed Nicholas with a bruiser of a golden trevally
Yellowspot and diamond
trevallies are always there in varying numbers - this is one of the few
places I have heard of where you can realistically expect to catch
diamond trevally on top water stickbaits. Even more surprising is that
african permit patrol these sardine balls and they will take stickbaits.
Again, where else have you heard of that provides a chance of a permit
on a stickbait? Throw in bluefin, blacktip and unsually large bigeye
trevallies as well..... the fishing is just mind-blowing.
African permit on stickbait - I know it does not make sense!
Part of the battle sometimes is getting past the less desirable fish. Naturally, such feeding also attracts scores of oriental bonito, mackerel tuna, bluefish (tailor), barracudas and the ever-present, dreaded long toms.
I have often been asked which lures work best for this range of Omani beasts. A special favourite has been the superb Orion Mister Joe in the 35 gram size but any quality stickbait in the 10 to 14 cm range is worth a go. Often a sinking or sub-surface stickbait works best (understandable as they get down below the mass of sardines) but floating sticks can be equally as good if you work the edges of the bait ball. Just make sure to use a quality lure and hone your own skills as the presentation has to look attractive given the mass of natural bait available.
Monster bream!
Nearby to the sardine ball mayhem there is a differing but very much related fishery. The stunning sheer cliff-faces with a rocky shoreline and lots of little bommies creates perfect monster bream habitat. You will have great fun with these bruisers with a PE2 (20lb) set up and they show a special liking for small poppers, again in the 10 to 14 cm range. Often associated with bream are incredibly hard pulling spangled emperors known locally as shari. I have even had these put a big bend in a GT set up! When targeting the bream you could also catch just about any of the predators that frequent the sardine balls nearby.
There is also good light tackle fishing available out at the Halliniyat Islands (a 45 minute boat ride from the inshore spots) and that makes for some respite from heavy tackle casting for GTs. It is not of the same quality as the inshore light tackle options though.
So, there is so much more to fishing Southern Oman than the world class GT fishing. In all my world travels I have never managed to find top water fishing of this sheer quality. Ed Nicholas with his No Boundaries operation has pioneered the inshore fishing in this area and now even offers specially tailored trips for those anglers who want to concentrate on this rather than chasing the GTs offshore. My preference is to mix it up - a couple of days inshore with a few days out at the islands makes for just the perfect trip.
Insane inshore bream action
If there is a better location anywhere for top water lure fishing, I have not heard about it!
Outsized bigeye trevally are huge fun on light topwater gear
It has been almost 10 months since I last had the chance to
fish Bali with Adhek and I considered that long overdue.A trip was organized with past customers Marc,
Craig and David who had all enjoyed good fishing with Adhek before.As our late November trip dawned, much to our
delight Adhek had purchased a new boat!Whilst GT1 was a legendary vessel it was weary after its many years of
battling the Bali and Lombok currents.This new / secondhand boat was impressive.At 13 meters long (42 feet) it is powered by
twin 225 hp Suzuki engines, loads of comfort and three impressive casting decks
– 5 anglers can cast in ease all at the same time.There are a few photos of her in various
poses at the end of this blog.
Our fishing plan was a little varied on past efforts of
doing day trips from Bali and we were to stay on Lombok so we could fish that
coast line for longer, a night in Kuta Lombok would be a welcome change!Day one was at the home of Bali GT popping –
Batu Abah possible my favorite place in the world.Initially the current was a little tame but
we were confident that this would not last long as we were only a couple of
days after the full moon.90 minutes
later right on cue it was raging and the water mighty promising.The bite window was relatively short, perhaps
two hours at best but 6 bites offered enough opportunities (successful lures
Fullscale Sidewinder, Fullscale Kong, Strategic Angler Custom Lures Walker Series, Adhek Bali Viking and ASWB SS130 Scad).This bite unfortunately converted to only 2 fish and a very solid
reefing and lost Strategic Angler.
Fullscale Sidewinder prototype scores
No hook is safe
Day two was departure time for Lombok, the crossing of the
Lombok Strait was rough due to strong current however the trip was uneventful in this
seaworthy vessel.At out third popping stop we
had not yet seen a fish and we closed in on a location where I have been bricked
no less than three times over three trips each time using an Adhek Cuttle.One for tradition, I tied a cuttle on again,
tightened the drag and fired in casts.Very delighted to hook up, I did not give the chance over shallow reef
with many prominent bommies and although a modest specimen, it was great to
finally ‘win’ at this spot.Two spots
later David came up very tight on a Temple Reef Ballista Popper and the crew
backed the boat out into deeper water.After five minute we still did not have a turn on the reel and sadly the
hooks pulled.A few more hits and
follows rounded out the day – hard work in full sun.Alas the rest of the day did not see a great
return, only one fish boated (lures that got bites, Adhek Bali Cuttle, TempleReef Ballista Popper, ASWB ‘M’ series SS130Scad.
at 1.6 meters overall, that's a brag mat!
Lovely by-catch
A night on Lombok was much welcomed and a welcome respite
from the hustle and bustle of Bali, it was certainly great to pick the brains
of Adhek over dinner – a bonus any day. By 11 am the next day as we picked our way
down the Lombok coast it was extremely quiet and not looking promising – the
call was made to call it quits and head back to Batu Abah – an excellent
suggestion.The afternoon there provided
three bites with Marc and Craig both scoring lovely fish (Marc's was the fish of
the trip on his trusty ASWB SS130 Scad and Craig's on a BFP Swim baits Mafia One.
Unfortunately David dropped his fish hooked on a Adhek Viking.The final day back at Batu Abah was to be
Craig's day – early on he scored a lovely mahi - mahi on popper followed by no
less than three big GT’s all raised on Adhek Big Buffalo one resulting in his
PE8 line detonating with a crack at the reel as the fish hit the after burners.No one else had a sniff all day except when
the final fish was raised it was tapping and following Craig's Big Buffalo and
at the last second switched over to the Adhek Viking I was working back to the
boat which resulted in a back breaking vertical fight on a foul hooked
fish.Craig was rightly annoyed!Whilst it was hardly a red hot bite it was
great to get back to Bali in search of monsters in great company!
In control - MH80H
Not so much......
The authors first on the Adhek Viking - new for 2013
Adheks new boat! Believed to be headed for Komodo
Plenty of HP
David hangs on while the fish is dragged off shallow reef on Lombok
Lunch is always a treat with Adhek
Some of the unusual sights of Lombok
The crew prepare to help the weary anglers
Lombok local
Egi?
Fishing for a living on Lombok
Please cast at me....
Marc does from the bow, while Craig works a popper from the roof
And David enjoys the back deck to himself - Carpenter Long Reef custom
Flat on his back - JC was well prepared but well worked over
So you have bought all your lures, expensive rods are packed, Stella or Dogfight is freshly spooled and you are off on the trip of a lifetime to arm wrestle with one of the most powerful fish in the ocean - the mighty giant trevally. Everything is set, the weather looks great every contingency is taken care of, but have you planned for everything? What about a crucial link in this man v's fish contest?? - you! If you have cast all day for GT's and wrestled on a tight drag with even modest fish you will understand what we are talking about - too often the unconditioned end up sitting it out in the tropical heat, taking extended breaks because the body is not up to the extreme rigours - what a shame, on a dream trip you should be fishing not watching others fish. There are quite a few factors that make GT fishing physically taxing. Without getting too technical, here are a few of the issues working against you performing optimally:
High end top water gear designed for GT popping despite the technology is still relatively heavy. A maximum / sub maximum cast with a 140 to 200 gram lure repeated 200 / 350 times a day will leave you pretty well sapped of energy even if you are reasonably fit. As well as the fatigue, there are overuse injury considerations depending on your individual casting style
Each cast will require sustained physical effort to retrieve and 'work' the lure (this effort will vary on lure type and your own approach), again fatigue and repetitive rotational movements come into play
When hooked up to a rampaging GT, the long rod + or - 8 foot (vital to cast) then acts as a large fulcrum against the angler. Combined with the heavy drag pressures necessary to keep your prize off the reef, this effectively pulls the rod down and away from you (bad leverage and uncomfortable), placing massive strain on your spinal erectors (lower back), hamstrings (back of your upper legs), glutes (butt), latisimus dorsi (the large muscular 'wings' on your upper back) and the parts that hang on, hands, arms, shoulders. On a decent fish with good technique the legs can be the prime mover and make the whole event more comfortable and strain can be reduced. With poor technique and inadequate conditioning you are going to be pulled forward out of your 'seat' and hurt - not in a good way, almost to the point you can be pulled forward on to your nose on the deck - not the desired result
Unless you are fortunate to live close to good GT action, it will usually mean you have flown in and may be jet lagged, dehydrated, not acclimatised to the tropics and humidity and dare I say it, potentially hung over
and finally - heavy 'popping'
is a movement that utilities that WHOLE BODY. Using just your arms alone
is a sure fire way to cut you day short, just as ONLY popping to you
dominant side is likely to end in overuse injury. Fatigue can be
managed to an extent by casting both sides and popping both ways, (left
and right). Continually casting and or popping to
one side is asking for extreme tightness and potentially spasms.
It is no secret, that the more long powerful casts you can make and stay alert to making your popper or stick bait come alive, the better chance you have of hooking that trophy fish.
Our friends at No Boundaries Oman know about as much as anyone around about catching these giants and preparing your body for it - Ed Nicholas (No Boundaries skipper), Ben Thomson (Sports and Conditioning Coach and PT) from Brisbane along with John from Ebb Tide Adventures - (a physical training instructor and GT junky with 20 years in the fitness industry) have combined their thoughts along with input from others. We collectively believe that the three biggest challenges you will face - repetitive casting heavy popping gear, really working the lure especially chuggers, and fish fighting can all be prepared for and your GT popping experience can be more enjoyable and productive.
The whole purpose of this blog is not to show anyone how good we are (or not) but to help you prepare for your trip, enjoy it and get the most from it. In accepting this philosophy that you should condition and train for a GT top water trip of a life time, correct fighting techniques must be mentioned so that the conditioning exercises make some degree of sense to you if you are not from a training background. Take a look at Ed Nicholas locked in battle with an Oman monster GT ~
Perfect to prepare for GT battle
Notice how Ed used his upper back
and legs to fight the fish, keeps his arms relatively straight for large parts
of the fight to reduce fatigue on what are small muscle groups and he really gets
down low, bending his legs and almost sitting down when the fish plays up?
It gives him some comfort (and helped him not fall over forwards) - this is a
great demonstration, and an idea of the conditioning exercises you might concentrate on
to achieve this degree of control. Technique is paramount, use your whole
body to fight the fish not just your arms, so train the whole body!
Add a few hundred long casts in the tropical sun
The training ~ to prescribe a one size fits all fitness regimes for GT
fishing is actually not possible. The intricacies of our our age,
demographic, genetics, previous conditioning, athleticism, previous or
susceptibility to injury and medical conditioning make this impossible to
do.Our training needs are likely to be
as individual as we are.For example a
less physically strong or lighter angler will require plenty of strength training, and
conversely many overweight and larger anglers require cardio because they are 'naturally strong' anyway.Of course the ideal is to combine a good dose
of both, it’s impossible however to prescribe specifically over a blog. What
we can do however is offer you some broader concepts that we will dissect and
explain why you might consider them necessary to add to your own program.Armed with this information, you may choose
to 'take away' and refine your own program or better still work with a trainer to achieve your goals. If you are coming off a low base to
begin with, regardless of age we all need some general conditioning before
training specifically, and if you are sedentary and have been so for some time
you really have some work to do but it will be worth it. This general
conditioning should be part of your regular training program leading right up
to your trip as well as the specific conditioning we discuss as well.
Swell adds to the casting challenge
General Conditioning(GC) - Overall
as a philosophy we favour compound exercises - those that recruit / engage
multiple joints and muscle groups with an emphasis on mobility and 'functional
fitness'. Many GT fisherman firmly believe that some specific isolation
exercises are warranted as well, we don’t necessarily prescribe too strongly to
that theory, but specific injuries may dictate that this is necessary for you
individually.Cardio training should
always be part of any conditioning program. It warms up the muscles and builds
an aerobic base - this will assist with your endurance both in training and whilst
fishing. Try any combination of jogging, cycling, rowing, stair climbing
or skipping, a block of at least 20 minutes or a combined total of at least 20
minutes is a great start. Our personal tip is running and rowing.
Olympic lifts - worth considering
Specific Conditioning (SC) – If you have been GT fishing for a while and have been
engaged in a general conditioning program you may be after a more challenging
program, here are a few thoughts. The overall training program will
change to an extent however the approach to training should change
significantly. Employing the philosophies and general methodologies
behind Cross Fit or circuit training of perpetually changing the workout
between aerobic exercise, gymnastics (body weight exercises), and Olympic
weight lifting will get you very well-conditioned and strong. These workouts
are a challenge when you work against the clock. Add or substitute
exercises involving kettle bells, a balance board or a TRX suspension trainer
and you will soon tame any monster.
Onto the exercises - Leg
strengthening ~ the legs and gluteus are prime
movers when it comes to GT fighting and need to be strong and able to endure a
static squat to relieve pressure on the lower back when a fish lunges under the
boat. Legs also help power off cast after cast as the weight transfers
across to the front foot. Front squats, lunges, and dead
lifts are the best leg general conditioning exercises by far. Romanian Dead lifts
and any form of single leg work is an excellent idea for advanced practitioners.
Rarely do we get a chance to stand on a boat that is still, and singling out each
leg with exercises that also require stabilising muscles to provide balance can
help unleash new found power. Single leg squats
and lunges with or without the use of a wobble board will exponentially
increase your ability to transfer and apply power on a rocky boat deck.
Overall reduce any temptation to use isolation exercises such as leg extensions
that do not significantly aid the functional conditioning you should be seeking.
Time for a strong back
Back strengthening ~ in fish fighting the aim is largely to maintain pressure on the fish whilst reducing pressure on the lower
back. Despite this goal, in the GT world this is not completely avoidable especially with vertical fights so
the back must be strong to protect it especially if we end up in a bad position
with a fish right under the boat. Chin ups, seated and bent over rows and hyper
extensions are very good as well as dead lifts (which recruit the lower and middle back muscles
as well as the legs are a must include exercise). The deep stabilising
muscles can again be recruited by adding in exercises that allow pulling
movements across the natural pulling plane similar to those that occur in a GT
fight – one arm cable rows or one arm TRX rows are good examples of specific
advanced exercises.
TRX suspension trainers - perfect for the time poor
Core conditioning ~ an enormous aspect of protecting the spine and preparing
for the rotational forces in casting and working a lure for sustained periods
are the deep abdominal exercises: traditional sit ups, medicine ball twists, twisting
crunches and planks are excellent for general conditioning but when moving into
functional training that mimics the rotational forces of GT popping and power
transmission required, standing exercises are superior.The oblique’s and transverse abdominal have
a massive role to play and standing rotational work like roll-outs, landmines and
wood-chops are incorporated not only for their ability to target the right
muscle groups with an increase in muscular co-ordination directly related to popping technique.
The frontal upper body ~ this area has a reduced role in this sport fishing
application however it is not a complete passenger. As part of injury
prevention it must as a minimum be conditioned to balance out the other
development occurring: push-ups or bench press, upright rows and military press
are applicable exercises.
Dead lifts are one of the most fundamental lifts
Whole body exercises ~ these exercises are really the focus of our GT training
philosophy.We are big fans of the
Olympic lifts, in fact we love them. Dead lifts have already been
mentioned, however the clean and press and snatch are amazing exercises that
recruit almost every muscle in the body and bare strong resemblance to the
casting and fighting movements. Master these and you will be plenty
strong enough.These lifts should all be
learnt under the guidance of a fitness professional and performed strictly to
avoid the chance of injury.There is no
need to let the ego make you lift heavy, lift right and the weight increases
will come in good time.If you can’t see
yourself doing Olympic lifts, at least add burpees into your program with a medicine
ball or sand bag. As part of a general conditioning
program any additional work that includes yoga or Pilates and specific rotator
cuff strengthening using physio bands is highly recommended. A training
program that combines the above exercises with the cardio is a great
beginning. As always, we recommend 'lift light to lift right' to avoid
bad practise and injuries, make certain you are lifting with good technique (consider
employing a trainer), it will pay off and your posture will improve in the
process. Aside from actual physical
conditioning, take your gear to a waterway and get used to casting it, even if it’s
in a freshwater lake.
Even if you don’t train (and if you do) remember
these points:
get to your destination ahead of time to acclimatize
rest up, get some sleep – a minimum of 8 hours per night otherwise the accumulated fatigue is
banked (decreases physical repair) up which results in watching the
fishing.
hydrate, remember electrolytes and
take a drink every thirty minutes while fishing
a magnesium supplement
is recommended not only for its muscular relaxing / building / sleep
improving / performance enhancing qualities but because magnesium plays a vital
role your daily physical / fishing activity and it's in a scaled ratio.The more you train / fish- the more you need!
Its benefits are almost too good for the fisherman to ignore
consume high calorie meals and don't
deprive yourself sugar when on the boat - its instant energy
take steps to avoid sunburn, use
zinc, high protection factor sunscreens, hats and long sleeved 50 plus clothing
remember some anti-inflammatory /
pain killing nonprescription drugs.If
you are susceptible to sea sickness remember your medication and adhere to the
directions to avoid disappointment
trigger point tools like a tennis
ball / spikey-ball / or spine roller (small one) are vital for fisherman
athlete maintenance. I have never been on a trip where everyone wasn't tight from
muscular overuse. Triggering main areas can have you fishing more, fishing with
more movement and less aches and pains. I highly recommend this item for thoracic
mobility and believe it’s a must for any serious fisherman
The final word
~ It is no secret, that the more long powerful casts you can make, and stay
alert to making your popper or stick bait come alive, the better chance you
have of catching that trophy fish. Dare
we be so bold and suggest, that all things being equal, a fit angler will out
fish an unfit one – period
Thanks to:
Ed Nicholas - skipper No Boundaries Oman
Ben Thomson, Sports and Conditioning Coach and Personal Trainer - located in Brisbane, (benjaminjamest@gmail.com)
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