Small Lure Company Mikros-Pop Poppers

The Mikros-Pop is a popper that does more than pop. Small Lure Company built it from the original Mikros stickbait that designer Merv Rubiano created under the StrategicAngler name in 2013, a compact lure known for long casts and a strong swimming action on a plain retrieve. The Mikros-Pop keeps that swimming action and adds a cupped face, so one lure covers popping, walking and subsurface swimming.

It pops with very little effort. You do not need long, hard sweeps of the rod: a short pop and a one to two second pause lets it settle and set up for the next one, which saves your arms for the fight. Retrieve it at medium or fast speed with the rod tip down and it swims just under the surface with a tight, erratic action. Lift the rod tip and it skips across the top like a flying fish trying to get airborne.

Inside is a medium-frequency rattle that doubles as a shifting ballast. On the cast it slides to the tail for extra distance, at rest it holds the lure diagonally upright like a traditional stickbait, and it gives off an audible "thunk" designed to draw predators in.

The six color patterns represent common baitfish around the world and were tested from the Outer Banks and the Northeast Atlantic to the Western Pacific, Australia and Hawaii. The 130 has been tested on pelagics up to 60 lb, and the 170 on fish up to 225 lb.

Rigging tip

Small Lure Company recommends tying a swivel to your leader and connecting it to the nose of the lure with a split ring. That loosens up the popper's action and takes line tension off the lure while you fight the fish.

Sizes

Colors: Hot Pink, Pearl White, Mahi Mahi, Flying Fish, Sand Eel and Bunker. Each lure comes rigged with ultra anti-rust wide gap single hooks and split rings, and ships in a recyclable (or compostable) cardboard box.

Key Features

• Pops, walks and swims with minimal rod work
• Shifting rattle ballast for longer casts and an audible "thunk"
• Sits diagonally upright at rest like a stickbait
• Injection molded body based on the original Mikros stickbait
• Rigged with ultra anti-rust wide gap single hooks
• 130mm and 170mm in six baitfish colors