Popping Fishing Charters in Mauritius

What a popping day is like

A popper is a large floating lure that splashes and spits when you work it back across the surface. Giant trevally, GT for short, hunt along the reef edges around Mauritius and smash it from below, with no warning and a lot of power. Between strikes you cast, retrieve and cast again with a heavy rod in tropical heat, often for hours, so the technique suits fit anglers who are happy to work for one fish. Most GTs are photographed beside the boat and released; they are a sport fish here, not dinner.

Smaller trevally such as bluefin trevally also take poppers, which makes a mixed day a good first step if you have never cast a big lure.

Which boat for popping

• Giant Trevally Popping in Mahebourg, on the south east coast, is the one trip on Reelzy built entirely around GT: six hours of popping for up to 4 anglers with popping specialist Olivier Julien. Gear and the best poppers are supplied, you are welcome to bring your own rods and reels, drinks are included and you bring your own snacks or lunch.
• Fishing on Ivan in Trou-aux-Biches lists popping with jigging, trolling, bottom and drift fishing. Captain Sebastian shapes trips of 4 to 9 hours around what you ask for, on a 36 foot boat with lunch on board, so ask him for a popping session inside a mixed day.
• Big Game Fishing in Rivière Noire, on the west coast, has two skippers aboard who help or teach the method, and fishes the deep water for tuna and marlin as well.
• Full Day Trip from Grand Baie is a full day aboard with medium tackle and a fighting chair, for anglers who want popping as part of a longer outing.

If you want the reef and the deep water in one holiday, book a dedicated popping day and a trolling day on separate dates, or pair popping with jigging on a mixed trip so the day does not depend on one fish.

When to come

Giant trevally live on the reefs all year, but local captains rate September to April as GT season, with the peak from October to March, when the water is warmest and bait gathers on the reef edges. December to March adds marlin offshore. From June to August the south east trade winds blow harder and more offshore days are lost to weather, so keep your dates flexible then. Our guide to GT fishing in Mauritius goes through the season, the ports and the gear in detail.

What to ask before you book

• Is the day popping only, or mixed? A dedicated GT day stays on the reefs even when nothing is happening.
• What gear is supplied? Ask about rods, reels, braid and how many poppers come aboard, and whether you can bring your own outfit.
• How many anglers cast at once? Popping needs room on deck, so fewer anglers means more casts each.
• What happens if the weather turns? Offshore trips depend on the conditions, so ask how a cancelled or shortened day is handled.
• Do we keep any fish? GTs go back, and other arrangements differ from boat to boat. Our guide on who keeps the fish explains the usual ones.