King.Of.Anglers.Jeremiah
Fishing ? Instructor!
My two favorite baits for topwater bass fishing are a buzzbait and a popper. I have made a few posts showing how well they have been working for me, even from the bank. Year after year, I use these baits almost year round with the exception of the dead of winter, and year after year as soon as the water temps reach the low 50s, they produce dozens of fish all season long on every river, pond, lake or reservoir I fish. Today, I will break down which poppers are the best ones are, why, and show pictures. I've used just about every popular popper from just about every popular manufacturer and I've definitely found favorites.
COLORS: First of all, the Japanese win when it comes to jerkbaits and topwater. The premium hardware and colors are top notch. Some argue color makes no difference in topwater but many times it has personally for me, even though the color spectrum should be more limited for these baits. I stick with white, black, yellow, and Chartreuse for topwater and very rarely a clear bait. Clear baits with no paint at all catch more fish when they're schooling and extremely finicky. Adding a red treble hook to the front of the bait gives them a target to aim for and gives you a better chance at landing the fish being that it's on the front hook. It pays to have a color that matches the available forage in the water. A bluegill, shad, and frog pattern are usually enough to get by. Bone, white, and black are also popular colors.
SOUND: So what makes my $23 Rico popper better than my $5 rebel pop r? The key is Sound! The pop r makes that famous blooping sound. But that's about it. The Rico and other poppers rattle, pop, bloop and gurgle and they all sound just a little different. You can tell the distinct "bloop" of a pop r but if you were blindfolded and heard a Rico you would swear it was a bluegill on the surface. There's a difference there that really comes into play especially on pressured bass.
ACTION: Another key thing is Action of the bait. The expensive poppers do more than just pop. They pop, skitter, spit water, walk, bloop, gurgle, rattle, chug, and some even dive and float back up if you want them to!
COVER: Placement of the bait is another key element for this lure. Poppers stay in the strike zone longer than almost any other topwater technique. Aim for targets such as dock posts, riprap banks, fallen trees, emergent grass lines and other likely areas. These particular baits work better even in these particular areas and small spaces. I will continue on with the next part of this thread starting with the standard rebel pop r
COLORS: First of all, the Japanese win when it comes to jerkbaits and topwater. The premium hardware and colors are top notch. Some argue color makes no difference in topwater but many times it has personally for me, even though the color spectrum should be more limited for these baits. I stick with white, black, yellow, and Chartreuse for topwater and very rarely a clear bait. Clear baits with no paint at all catch more fish when they're schooling and extremely finicky. Adding a red treble hook to the front of the bait gives them a target to aim for and gives you a better chance at landing the fish being that it's on the front hook. It pays to have a color that matches the available forage in the water. A bluegill, shad, and frog pattern are usually enough to get by. Bone, white, and black are also popular colors.
SOUND: So what makes my $23 Rico popper better than my $5 rebel pop r? The key is Sound! The pop r makes that famous blooping sound. But that's about it. The Rico and other poppers rattle, pop, bloop and gurgle and they all sound just a little different. You can tell the distinct "bloop" of a pop r but if you were blindfolded and heard a Rico you would swear it was a bluegill on the surface. There's a difference there that really comes into play especially on pressured bass.
ACTION: Another key thing is Action of the bait. The expensive poppers do more than just pop. They pop, skitter, spit water, walk, bloop, gurgle, rattle, chug, and some even dive and float back up if you want them to!
COVER: Placement of the bait is another key element for this lure. Poppers stay in the strike zone longer than almost any other topwater technique. Aim for targets such as dock posts, riprap banks, fallen trees, emergent grass lines and other likely areas. These particular baits work better even in these particular areas and small spaces. I will continue on with the next part of this thread starting with the standard rebel pop r