HOW TO SINK PENCIL BAITS

Add a few more tricks to your fishing arsenal with some sinking pencil poppers.

Sinking topwater lures may sound like an oxymoron since lure makers design these lures to be pulled and popped across the surface. But topwater plugs are actually way more versatile than that. If you know how to make a few alterations, you can turn your topwater lures into one of the most effective plugs in your arsenal and use them in a wide range of conditions for an even wider range of fish species.

Over in Japan, the sinking pencil lure is by far the most popular and versatile style of the sinking topwater lure. These lures come in all shapes and sizes, but typically imitate finfish such as the anchovy, sardine, or Pacific saury. The primary difference between these lures and other topwater baits is the pointed “pencil” shape of the head. Most other topwaters feature a cupped face, which is common on most all chuggers and poppers. Chuggers are made to splash and throw water and the concave face helps them make more commotion. Unlike the usual poppers, sinking pencil lures don't sit on the surface, they sink.

Fishing with a sinking pencil bait has two distinct advantages over using standard topwater lures. First, they are heavier for the same body size, which means you can cast them a greater distance. Secondly, you can fish a sinking pencil bait subsurface, which is a great tactic when the fish are not willing to commit to aggressive topwater strikes.

Many times, a manufacturer will offer the same lure in both floating and sinking models. Attached are pictures of the floating Daiwa TD Pencil SW, in a sardine color and the hot-pink, sinking model to the right. For the same size body, the sinking model weighs almost 50 percent more than the floating model. Many anglers fish these sinking pencil baits with a fast retrieve, skipping the bait on the surface, removing the front treble hook helps this particular bait skip even better.