Heading to Basswood in Quetico the week of the Fourth of July. What are your favorite top water baits for smallmouth?

I have not used them myself, but from fisherman I trust they tell me the whopper popper is truly special. I'll be trying them this coming trip in early June.

I have an article on top water fishing for summer smallmouth bass in the Boundary Waters. If you are interested, send me an email - queticomike@yahoo.com.

Heddon magnum bullfrog Torpedo, Heddon bullfrog Lucky 13, Super Pop-r in Sexy Shad, Black buzzbait, 110 Whopper Plopper in Munky Butt pattern, Super Spooks, ZMAN RaZors or StreakZ with no swivel or weight (these can cause line twist used without a swivel which will take the lure subsurface)

QueticoMike: "I have an article on top water fishing for summer smallmouth bass in the Boundary Waters. If you are interested, send me an email - queticomike@yahoo.com.


Heddon magnum bullfrog Torpedo, Heddon bullfrog Lucky 13, Super Pop-r in Sexy Shad, Black buzzbait, 110 Whopper Plopper in Munky Butt pattern, Super Spooks, ZMAN RaZors or StreakZ with no swivel or weight (these can cause line twist used without a swivel which will take the lure subsurface) "

Yea mike that would be great my email is mhoeksema68@gmail.com

Sent you the article, let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!

Just within the hour, I've spooled a new bass fly line on a reel especially for Quetico in a month (Orvis Hydros Bass/Warmwater, which got many good online reviews).

Topwater is topwater, but two things are for sure: a smallie puts a very satisfying bend in a 7wt, and these little poppers work!

https://www.theflyfishers.com/P/2651/UmpquaBassPopperNEW

Personally, I'm not all that particular with topwaters. When a fish is going to hit a topwater lure, it seems like they'll hit anything that floats. I like the popping type of lure with the open mouth that creates a big splash or a torpedo type with the propeller at the back. Tons of fun!

I like the Lucky 13 Bullfrog that Quetico Mike recommends, although the three hooks can get a little annoying. Do you leave all three hooks on, Quetico Mike?

Yep, I always leave the 3 trebles on. Going to two probably wouldn't hurt the hook up ratio. I do change out the trebles that come on the lure. I don't think the ones that come in the package are that good so I swap them out for some quality Gamakatsu trebles of the same size.

On a side note, I've caught more 40" plus pike on the Lucky 13 than any other lure I have ever tossed in the Quetico.

Where and when we fish, it doesn't seem to matter which topwater bait we use. I love Flukes and Don Iovino Splash Its (bluegill). With the Splash It, don't be afraid to let it sit. Some bass will try to annihilate it, others just sip it down.

+1 on the sipping by smallmouth. Sometimes it's like they just open their mouth under the popper and let gravity do the work. If you're used to big splashy takes, you may miss some of the more subtle smallmouth strikes.

Never had a smallmouth try and sip a Lucky 13, they want to kill the thing with a violent attack. Pike on the other hand........

As stated by a few others- When topwaters are on it they are usually on. But I do like the whopper plopper. I love that style of bait for bass and muskie. I prefer a straight retrieve lure as opposed to a walk the dog. My son would disagree and usually sticks with the spook. On occasion he will throw a crawler type.

Topwaters are fun......

Bottom line for me: You will catch fish on a lure in which you have confidence, not because of any 'mind power' you have, but because your lure will actually be on the water. This causes your odds to catch fish to go way up!

I'm a bit of a topwater fanatic, and by far the best I've ever used is the Hula Popper. I've caught some of my largest bass and pike on it.

In second place would be the Rapala Skitter Pop.

A tip for topwater pike -- I've casted poppers into a bay for 20+ minutes with not so much as a bite. Around the 25, 30 minute mark the monster in the bay decides it's time to destroy whatever has been annoying him for the last half hour. If you find a good looking weedy bay with deeper water nearby, don't give up after a few minutes.

Rapala Skitter Pop, frog pattern. If I could only take one kind, this is it hands down.
--Goose

1/4 and 3/8 oz spinnerbaits, chartreuse body/skirt with silver willow and smaller colorado blades and add a 3-inch chartreuse power grub.....cast perpendicular to to shoreline near cover and/or shady structure and reel back to canoe letting it gurgle along or just under the surface....works best within an hour or two of sunrise or sunset....great for covering lots of shoreline to find where the big smallies are lurking....

Haven't yet tried the Whopper Plopper, but will in about week....hoping it will work as well (or better) than the spinnerbaits....we shall see.....

We got back the 13th from our Quetico trip. I gave a Whopper Plopper to our youngest fisherman and he had a blast. He caught over 250 bass on that bait alone. The first day and half the bass were on there beds. He also used plastic worms and did very well. By the way he is fourteen and hooked on bass fishing. Watching the smile on his face made this trip priceless.

My son loves the Zara spook, sometimes you get something other than bass in it

I'll second the Rapala Skitter Pop. Other fave is the Pop R. Last year we even caught northern pike and several walleye on them. Can't wait for the first blowup of this year's trip in late July!

cburton103: "Personally, I'm not all that particular with topwaters. When a fish is going to hit a topwater lure, it seems like they'll hit anything that floats. I like the popping type of lure with the open mouth that creates a big splash or a torpedo type with the propeller at the back. Tons of fun!

I think SMB would hit a turd with a hook in it.

MH1968: "Heading to Basswood in Quetico the week of the Fourth of July. What are your favorite top water baits for smallmouth?"

Arbogast Jitterbug!!!