Hey what is a must have top water lure to take into the BW?
Gota my short trip coming soon but
...I cant stop reading the fishing reports and want to leave now to make it happen but have to wait another week and half!! arrrgh help me.
Enjoy the spring the fishing wherever you are!

RAPALA SKITTER PROP!!!!

Rapala F13 floater. It's got the weight to allow for long casts and it's a finesse lure, which they don't always see on the surface. I like orange because you can see it in low light and chop.

Tiny Torpedo or Zara spook

Well it depends on how much disposable income you are equipped with ;-)

Very hard to beat a Yellow Magic popper.

Yellow Magic

Like the tiny torpedo. Can twitch or slow retrieve.

A bone colored Rebel Pop R will catch you all the smallies you want in BW.

Thanks all. Ya I am not tossing 17 bucks towards this MT.:) Great option though.

Everyone has their favorite mine is The Devilhorse

Heddon Baby or Tiny Torpedo in Bullfrog, although Leopard Frog and Baby Bass are good too. Also like the Rebel Pop-R. Also, trying a Zara Spook in Bullfrog this year.

Anyone try the loon colored whopper plopper? I’m bringing one with this upcoming week.

Another vote for Rapala Skitter Prop. Lime green frog has been the best color for me. Many 3lbs+ smallies on that lure and even a few northern.

WhiskeyWalleye: "Anyone try the loon colored whopper plopper? I’m bringing one with this upcoming week. "

I'm bringing one in Bone and one in Loon on the 6th. Let me know how you do with yours and I'll do the same! 110 and 130 sizes (and a 190 for if I see some giants)

That lime frog Skitter Pop looks nice. Maybe have to give it a whirl in future years.

WhiskeyWalleye: "Anyone try the loon colored whopper plopper? I’m bringing one with this upcoming week. "

I threw a 130 in the loon patter on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage last year and did really well with pike and a several muskies. I also threw a 110 which caught a few more fish but they averaged a bit smaller. Another possibility is a Pompadour Jr., I had the most aggressive violent strikes with the Shad and Bone colors. The plopper seemed to work better in chop than the Pompadour though.

LightFish: "Thanks all. Ya I am not tossing 17 bucks towards this MT.:) Great option though.
"

yes.........not so fun when a pike takes them away. But there is definitely something about that lure which inspires a great deal of confidence. I have caught a few nice pike on them as well. Eventually the feathers get wore off and you have to replace but overall i have had excellent luck with it.

WhiskeyWalleye: "Anyone try the loon colored whopper plopper? I’m bringing one with this upcoming week. "

+1

LightFish: "Hey what is a must have top water lure to take into the BW?
Gota my short trip coming soon but
...I cant stop reading the fishing reports and want to leave now to make it happen but have to wait another week and half!! arrrgh help me.
Enjoy the spring the fishing wherever you are!"

The last issue of In-Fisherman had an extensive article of the 'latest and greatest' in topwater lures. If experimentation is your thing, worth a look. Very detailed and informative about the nuance of action in different lure styles, and particular lures within those basic styles. The article was geared to largemouth, but I have to believe there would be a lot of crossover application to smallmouth and pike.

Good stuff, thanks. Looks like we easily hit upon several of the top choices. I would like to try that WP 130 in a white variety or one called the Munkey Butt which has some purple in it and looks to be pretty reflective. Thats close to 20 bucks plus a zarra spook and 2 reg poppers. Excellent, I am what close to 60 bucks min...please send money to the following...just kidden and thanks. Keep posting your favorite bait choices on this.

barehook: "

LightFish: "Hey what is a must have top water lure to take into the BW?
Gota my short trip coming soon but
...I cant stop reading the fishing reports and want to leave now to make it happen but have to wait another week and half!! arrrgh help me.
Enjoy the spring the fishing wherever you are!"

The last issue of In-Fisherman had an extensive article of the 'latest and greatest' in topwater lures. If experimentation is your thing, worth a look. Very detailed and informative about the nuance of action in different lure styles, and particular lures within those basic styles. The article was geared to largemouth, but I have to believe there would be a lot of crossover application to smallmouth and pike."

Thanks Barehook I will check that out for sure.

mastertangler: "

LightFish: "Thanks all. Ya I am not tossing 17 bucks towards this MT.:) Great option though.
"

yes.........not so fun when a pike takes them away. But there is definitely something about that lure which inspires a great deal of confidence. I have caught a few nice pike on them as well. Eventually the feathers get wore off and you have to replace but overall i have had excellent luck with it. "

You think thats in the construction or the materials? It must be that, so it just feels better to fish it or easier to make look like something appealing?. I would like one a well made popper. Seems like that is a bread and butter old school lure that fish just cant not take a bit at.

Hula Popper! (in black)

My 3 rules

1) cast as far as you can
2) cast within 2 feet of the target (shore, point, tree, lilly pads, ect...)
3) let it sit still before the first pop

LightFish: "

mastertangler: "

LightFish: "Thanks all. Ya I am not tossing 17 bucks towards this MT.:) Great option though.
"

yes.........not so fun when a pike takes them away. But there is definitely something about that lure which inspires a great deal of confidence. I have caught a few nice pike on them as well. Eventually the feathers get wore off and you have to replace but overall i have had excellent luck with it. "

You think thats in the construction or the materials? It must be that, so it just feels better to fish it or easier to make look like something appealing?. I would like one a well made popper. Seems like that is a bread and butter old school lure that fish just cant not take a bit at."

I dont blame you. All I know is the Japanese stuff is big money. probably just good marketing......its more so it has to be better........and since the Japanese stuff is LOTS more, it MUST be W-A-Y better ;-)

I know the pros used to modify the Pop R before they would use it.

Tough to throw a $20 popper with pike around. But all I know is the Yellow Magic will put a good whipping on a Pop R for whatever reason.

But I have become a bit of a fan of the Japanese lures I must admit. The Mega Bass stuff is all made in Japan. They have a couple of AMAZING poppers as well which are even more expensive than the Yellow Magic (they can walk the dog as well as pop). And what can I say about the Deep Six Crank Bait made by Mega Bass? Excellent lure! Even their swim baits are first class.

I don’t think you can go wrong as most hits come before the lure is even worked (cast and let it sit... pow!!!!)

I like pop-rs, skitter pops and torpedos.

Zara Super Spook Jr in Florida Bass pattern. Also bring a PopR and that should cover it.

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

In second place would be the Rapala Skitter Pop, 3.5". I still have nightmares of a 40"+ northern that exploded on one 6 feet away from my canoe, but missed it and saw me staring mouth wide open at it anyway.

Different poppers have different sounds, and some are just far more appealing to fish; a few years ago I decided to get some bargain bin poppers for a newby coming on a trip. They sounded terrible, and fish just didn't hit them.

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.

And finally, if you're on the move a lot (paddling a long round trip for example) a buzzbait can be fished a lot faster than a popper. I put a trailing hook on them, which results in fewer missed strikes, but still far prefer a popper in most cases. A buzzbait can outfish a popper when the fish a really active it seems.

missmolly: "Rapala F13 floater. It's got the weight to allow for long casts and it's a finesse lure, which they don't always see on the surface. I like orange because you can see it in low light and chop. "

Totally agree. We have caught more big smallmouth on this lure (silver/black) than any other lure over the years. Of course it was used most often. Second choice would be a Dying Flutter or bullfrog colored Torpedo.

Another good lure is a Heddon Lucky 13 in the smaller size Bullfrog pattern.

I just love it how the Japanese and Chinese copy our stuff and then sell it to us like they thought of it. Come on it’s a PopR at 5 times the price.

Has absolutely nothing to do with Japanese or Chinese nationality, and I'm surprised to see that kind of rhetoric here.

Rapala in Finland copied the Rebel Pop R and now make a $14 version. Excalibur, same thing. RealWobbler, same thing with a $50 version....

Skitter-pop has always done well for me. Frog or fire-tiger pattern. Hula Popper or Jitterbug in black. Buzzbaits in white or black. Also have a couple of older Arbogast versions of a walk the dog type/zara spook copy that work really well.

Let the lure sit for a while after it hits the water. If you think it's been sitting too long, give it another 10 seconds :). I usually make the first twitch a smaller one and then let it sit again. If fish are feeling feisty it won't matter.

Good luck!

ZMan POP Shadz are amazing. Tie them straight to braid on a 4/0 offset worm hook and throw into cover. Use them with a fluoro leader if open water. LM and SM will usually take them at first hit, unlike frog baits. Made from Elazatech like other ZMan products,will last forever. Bite off? Reopen the $6 3 pack, get another hook, and you’re back at it. Walk the dog, pop em, whatever. No treble hooks to deal with either.

ZMan POP Shadz are amazing. Tie them straight to braid on a 4/0 offset worm hook and throw into cover. Use them with a fluoro leader if open water. LM and SM will usually take them at first hit, unlike frog baits. Made from Elazatech like other ZMan products,will last forever. Bite off? Reopen the $6 3 pack, get another hook, and you’re back at it. Walk the dog, pop em, whatever. No treble hooks to deal with either.

toomuchtackle: "

I just love it how the Japanese and Chinese copy our stuff and then sell it to us like they thought of it. Come on it’s a PopR at 5 times the price.

Has absolutely nothing to do with Japanese or Chinese nationality, and I'm surprised to see that kind of rhetoric here.


Rapala in Finland copied the Rebel Pop R and now make a $14 version. Excalibur, same thing. RealWobbler, same thing with a $50 version...."

Stop........There was no slam on a nationality, merely a statement of fact. Facts, in and of themselves, are neutral. It is merely how they are interpreted that is the problem.

So yes, the Chinese and Japanese are probably the biggest offenders when it comes to STEALING intellectual property (particularly the Chinese). Why do your own Research and Development when you can just steal what others have done? And then produce it at a cost which drives the initial developers out of business? Sound "fair" to you?

Pointing that out is not racist and we as a country need to get over being unable to point to factual problems (political correctness) because they involve a particular race or religion.

But to get back to fishing............no, a Yellow Magic is not just a "Pop R". Ask any Pro fisherman which lure they would prefer to use and the choice of which is the better lure becomes crystal clear. How much better a lure is certainly open for debate. Is it always a better lure? Probably not..........but most of the time the Yellow Magic will outperform and out hook (better hooks) a Pop R. No slam on a Pop R BTW which is a fine lure in and of itself and I wouldn't hesitate to throw one.

No love for a black Jitterbug? I like that it can cover water pretty fast and the gurgling sound makes it easy to track in low light.

LightFish: "Good stuff, thanks. Looks like we easily hit upon several of the top choices. I would like to try that WP 130 in a white variety or one called the Munkey Butt which has some purple in it and looks to be pretty reflective. Thats close to 20 bucks plus a zarra spook and 2 reg poppers. Excellent, I am what close to 60 bucks min...please send money to the following...just kidden and thanks. Keep posting your favorite bait choices on this. "

Lightfish, I have the Munky Butt too and It was a killer bait for me in Florida earlier this year. Caught several LMB's over 20" on it and it still looks brand new.

BearRaid: "

missmolly: "Rapala F13 floater. It's got the weight to allow for long casts and it's a finesse lure, which they don't always see on the surface. I like orange because you can see it in low light and chop. "

Totally agree. We have caught more big smallmouth on this lure (silver/black) than any other lure over the years. Of course it was used most often. Second choice would be a Dying Flutter or bullfrog colored Torpedo."

There are times when they prefer a noisy topwater lure, but the majority of mornings and evenings, they love those floaters!

DeanL: "No love for a black Jitterbug? I like that it can cover water pretty fast and the gurgling sound makes it easy to track in low light."

When I was a kid, I caught farm pond largemouth on black Jitterbugs, but I have yet to catch a single smallmouth on one and it sounds like, based upon their tasty gurgle, that I should have caught hundreds.

Bumstead: "That lime frog Skitter Pop looks nice. Maybe have to give it a whirl in future years."

My favorite topwater! Many smallmouth bass in the canoe as a result of this lure. Just don't let the pike steal them. Rapala doesn't give them away...

DeanL: "No love for a black Jitterbug? I like that it can cover water pretty fast and the gurgling sound makes it easy to track in low light."

See my post above, it's there but buried next to the Hula Popper. I caught several of my biggest smallmouth bass on a black jitterbug . It's also really cool to see northerns track it just under the surface. Love seeing that swell and the anticipation of the strike

double post

When I was kid I used to sneak into lots of private lakes at night. I know, I was sort of bad that way. When other kids were at the roller skating rink me and my buddies were hopping fences and slipping into some lakes thick with big bass.

I took this one guy and he went in with a large closed face zebco. His lure of choice was a large black hula popper. We got through the woods and to the side of the lake. On his very first cast, his line hung up in the reel and lure plopped hard in the water probably 2 or 3 ft from shore.

While he was trying to get his line untangled a huge bass explodes on the thing and he pulls and slides the thing onto the shoreline while it was still mostly airborne. He still has it mounted and on his wall to this day.

Black Hula popper........not to be underestimated ;-)

Looks like I am going to have to go totally old school on this and get a hula Popper. But what color? Hell I should buy all the main top water lures over the years starting with the hula. I would like to see a list of the top ten with the date of there releases. I am not forgetting that comment of the just a floating Rapala too....let sit hot dog!
Good thread-thanks.

I think one other mentioned this, but the Rapala Skitter PROP (not the pop) is killer. Lime green pattern has worked for me. Smallies try to destroy it.

Rapala Skitter Prop

1. Smithwick Walleye Rattlin Rogue (3.5" size) with a foil belly. It casts better than a floating Rapala, and kills smallies. Cast it as close to structure as you can, twitch it 5 or 6 times, and then burn it back with your rod tip up. Most fish hit after a twitch, but you'll catch some bonus fish on the retrieve. Fishing it this way is much faster than a popper. And the subtle motion, flash and rattle of the twitched stick bait really triggers shallow smallmouth.

2. #5 Rapala Popper. Don't worry about the color the fish can't see the top anyway.

3. #11 floating Rapala

1. Smithwick Walleye Rattlin Rogue (3.5" size) with a foil belly. It casts better than a floating Rapala, and kills smallies. Cast it as close to structure as you can, twitch it 5 or 6 times, and then burn it back with your rod tip up. Most fish hit after a twitch, but you'll catch some bonus fish on the retrieve. Fishing it this way is much faster than a popper. And the subtle motion, flash and rattle of the twitched stick bait really triggers shallow smallmouth.

2. #5 Rapala Popper. Don't worry about the color the fish can't see the top anyway.

3. #11 floating Rapala

Don't laugh. A Big Black Jitterbug is my favorite for dusk,night,and dawn. A close second is a DevilsHorse in light. Pike seem to muddy the waters on the DH in poor light; or at least seem to get in the way more so if going for anything BUT pike. Lost at least a couple on bite-offs by pike on the DH. Shallow near-surface wallies in poor light usually see a floating rap f11 or scm11.

I believe more is better. Bring em all. They’ve covered anything that floats.

Zara spook for sure, and you cast it a mile..

LightFish: "Looks like I am going to have to go totally old school on this and get a hula Popper. But what color? Hell I should buy all the main top water lures over the years starting with the hula. I would like to see a list of the top ten with the date of there releases. I am not forgetting that comment of the just a floating Rapala too....let sit hot dog!
Good thread-thanks."

Any color Hula popper is good as long as its black.

MY Dad, a buddy and I were fishing out of inner tubes in a "back in the woods" type lake when we all gathered for a chat. My Dad left his smallish floating rapala out a short cast away. We gabbed for a good 5 minutes when all of a sudden Ker-pow! That turned out to be one of the largest largemouth bass I have ever seen in Michigan.

A good trick with Spooks, and I have mentioned this before, is to drill a small hole, tiny actually, and using a syringe add some vegetable oil inside of the lure. Seal with super glue. The Spook will sit slightly lower in the water and move more water when worked.

Hey, I almost forgot. What about a Top Toad? I had run a post about them last year and someone used them in canoe country and did well with them. They definitely are a bang-em type lure and one of the best top waters I have ever used. Throw them out, crank them in. A different look than most other offerings. Probably a good choice for one angler in a tandem scenario.

Im going to reiterate tips for using a hula popper....

Much of the lake is not good for a hula popper. If you can cast it within 6" from the shore thats great! The exceptions to this rule are holes in thick weed cover or a downed tree. Casting along a generic emergent weed line away from shore can score a fish but I think I would rather flip a zulu (with small hook and swivel for slower sinking) in that case. On one specific occasion I fished a zara spook (jr?) with great success by casting it out from shore and walking the dog back. I didnt cast it at any cover but the bass could not stop hitting it! Im not too experienced with the zara spook to be honest but for sure a hula popper could not be used in that manner. These lures are both top water but need to be fished very differently imo.

mastertangler: "

LightFish: "Looks like I am going to have to go totally old school on this and get a hula Popper. But what color? Hell I should buy all the main top water lures over the years starting with the hula. I would like to see a list of the top ten with the date of there releases. I am not forgetting that comment of the just a floating Rapala too....let sit hot dog!
Good thread-thanks."

Any color Hula popper is good as long as its black.


MY Dad, a buddy and I were fishing out of inner tubes in a "back in the woods" type lake when we all gathered for a chat. My Dad left his smallish floating rapala out a short cast away. We gabbed for a good 5 minutes when all of a sudden Ker-pow! That turned out to be one of the largest largemouth bass I have ever seen in Michigan.


A good trick with Spooks, and I have mentioned this before, is to drill a small hole, tiny actually, and using a syringe add some vegetable oil inside of the lure. Seal with super glue. The Spook will sit slightly lower in the water and move more water when worked. "

Interesting tip on getting it to run lower. I wonder if you could drill out a crank bait and fill it with fish attractant so you can create a chum Line!

Anybody check out this months In Fisherman? Good article on top water lures there. I had forgotten about Mega Bass I-loud which looks groovy. Lots of high tech stuff out there. Jackall pompadour has been taking some big fish as well.

One day I am going to slow down a bit and fish more. That I-loud with a single hook would be quite the snook lure in the right circumstances.

mastertangler: "Anybody check out this months In Fisherman? Good article on top water lures there. I had forgotten about Mega Bass I-loud which looks groovy. Lots of high tech stuff out there. Jackall pompadour has been taking some big fish as well.

One day I am going to slow down a bit and fish more. That I-loud with a single hook would be quite the snook lure in the right circumstances. "

Mastertangler, I'm bringing up one of those ILoud wakebaits next week on my trip to Wind Lake....along with a few Whopper Ploppers and some Zara Spooks. I'll let you know how it produces. I've gotten one Largemouth on it this year already. I love the action on it. Its crazy!

Didn't Stu do a whole article on topwater in the BWJ within recent years?
perhaps someone has the edition handy.

Hula Popper. However, cannot disagree with other suggestions. Just like my Hula Poppers.

mastertangler: "
One day I am going to slow down a bit and fish more. That I-loud with a single hook would be quite the snook lure in the right circumstances. "

Wow..memories. Have not caught, or fished for, snook in a really long time. I remember being 11-12 and fishing for them in brackish canals with friends. Thanks for for bringing that back.

I Loud looks down right awesome. dangnabit! 30.00 for a lure is not for me but would love to hear about how well they do.

This thread just keeps going...lots of good info...

LightFish: "I Loud looks down right awesome. dangnabit! 30.00 for a lure is not for me "

I know right! Crazytown for sure! (Hey wait a minute.....dont I live there?)

GickFirk22 is a brave man (or woman ;-) I would be slightly terrified to throw the thing ($$) in canoe country knowing it could be nipped off at any moment.

Yes we cannot assume all responses are of the male gender now can we? I had a female pro angler team pull right up next to me while in a big bass boat under power on Lake St Clair in 5' of crystal clear water and ask me "are you catching anything" all while it was totally obvious I was fighting a fish at that very moment. Her partner was busy punching in the numbers into their unit on our location. Obviously they were "practicing" for an upcoming tournament. I got fairly ticked off but did not give her the tongue lashing she deserved........find your own fish is my advice but I digress.

mastertangler: "

LightFish: "I Loud looks down right awesome. dangnabit! 30.00 for a lure is not for me "

I know right! Crazytown for sure! (Hey wait a minute.....dont I live there?)


GickFirk22 is a brave man (or woman ;-) I would be slightly terrified to throw the thing ($$) in canoe country knowing it could be nipped off at any moment.


Yes we cannot assume all responses are of the male gender now can we? I had a female pro angler team pull right up next to me while in a big bass boat under power on Lake St Clair in 5' of crystal clear water and ask me "are you catching anything" all while it was totally obvious I was fighting a fish at that very moment. Her partner was busy punching in the numbers into their unit on our location. Obviously they were "practicing" for an upcoming tournament. I got fairly ticked off but did not give her the tongue lashing she deserved........find your own fish is my advice but I digress. "

Ha! Yeah I’m a brave man I guess. I’ll curb that bravery a bit with a titanium leader which will affect the lure a bit but I don’t think to its detriment. And, Yeah it was spendy but I was intrigued by the action and love throwing baits that my buddies don’t have. A BPS gift card made it possible.....my wife may have had a stronger opinion on that purchase. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Got me a whopper plopper 90 in in bone and yes MT a black hula (girl)...popper.. yup she is a nice one:)

LightFish: "Got me a whopper plopper 90 in in bone and yes MT a black hula (girl)...popper.. yup she is a nice one:)"

You should seriously check out the Top Toad. It is the same type of attractant as the Whopper Plopper but more subtle. The Plopper you cast and retrieve.........same with the Top Toads.

I will never forget the day I stumbled onto Top Toads. I was in a Cabelas in Michigan wandering the isles as I often do seeing what was new and this young guy shows up in my isle obviously on a mission. I observe him and he excitedly grabs several paks and so I asked him what he was up to. Then he spilled the beans on the Top Toads and said that they had been crushing the bass with them.

Naturally I bought a pak (of course I did). I took that Pak up to Georgian Bay canoe country backwaters. I had several various types of topwater frogs with me since there was lots of weeds and pads. I could get bit with them but hooking was a nightmare no matter how long I let them take it.

Then I remembered I had those Top Toads. Not only were they 10X better at getting bit, the hook up percentage was excellent. It was literally Laugh out Loud fun and before it was over I was making casts and saying "come get you some Top Toad baby" and cracking up. The lure is a slay-em lure no doubt.

I did a thread on them and a gal took my advice and did very well with them on a canoe trip including her biggest smallmouth ever if I remember correctly. Toss it on the bank and swim it right into the water. Those feet go like crazy.........Ker-pow!

Lots of great advice on this thread. I loved the idea of drilling a small hole in a zara spook and adding small amount of vegetable oil to make it ride lower; never heard of that but will be trying it.

I have fished topwater baits on every trip to the BWCA. The ones I fish the most are: Zara Spook/Puppy, Heddon Pop-R, Prop baits (topwater bait with propeller on front and back of lure) and a #7 or #9 black and silver Rapala worked on top of the water.

smoke11: "Tiny Torpedo or Zara spook"

+1 on the Spook. I caught at least 15 Pike on a Baby Bass Zara Spook last trip. I’d bring it with me on this trip but the paint is missing.

Savage Voyageur: "Zara Super Spook Jr in Florida Bass pattern"

In case anyone missed it lol

mastertangler: "

LightFish: "Got me a whopper plopper 90 in in bone and yes MT a black hula (girl)...popper.. yup she is a nice one:)"

You should seriously check out the Top Toad. It is the same type of attractant as the Whopper Plopper but more subtle. The Plopper you cast and retrieve.........same with the Top Toads.

Then I remembered I had those Top Toads. Not only were they 10X better at getting bit, the hook up percentage was excellent. It was literally Laugh out Loud fun and before it was over I was making casts and saying "come get you some Top Toad baby" and cracking up. The lure is a slay-em lure no doubt.

I did a thread on them and a gal took my advice and did very well with them on a canoe trip including her biggest smallmouth ever if I remember correctly. Toss it on the bank and swim it right into the water. Those feet go like crazy.........Ker-pow! "

Ok so I bought a pack of frogs a long time ago that I have never used and they look exactly like that. I dont think they are Stanleys but the same thickness and odd legs with square feet. Ya now I have to try one! "Come get some top toad baby!"-Ya

mastertangler: "You should seriously check out the Top Toad. It is the same type of attractant as the Whopper Plopper but more subtle. The Plopper you cast and retrieve.........same with the Top Toads.
....


I will never forget the day I stumbled onto Top Toads. I was in a Cabelas in Michigan wandering the isles as I often do seeing what was new and this young guy shows up in my isle obviously on a mission. I observe him and he excitedly grabs several paks and so I asked him what he was up to. Then he spilled the beans on the Top Toads and said that they had been crushing the bass with them.

..."

What color?
Only one size?

How do you rig them?

I've fished hula poppers, jitterbugs, devils horses, spooks and a hundred other plugs of various sizes over the years. They all seem to have their moments of greatness. If you've got a little room over the weeds sometimes i throw a big spinnerbait and while not a surface lure per se, you can work it 3-4" below the surface and push up a nice wake with it. I like gold blades with a neutral skirt and a soft plastic twisty tail. Sometimes this combo can have almost magical results where the blades/twisty tail combo seems to drive fish completely bonkers.

Mad_Angler: "

mastertangler: "You should seriously check out the Top Toad. It is the same type of attractant as the Whopper Plopper but more subtle. The Plopper you cast and retrieve.........same with the Top Toads.
....



I will never forget the day I stumbled onto Top Toads. I was in a Cabelas in Michigan wandering the isles as I often do seeing what was new and this young guy shows up in my isle obviously on a mission. I observe him and he excitedly grabs several paks and so I asked him what he was up to. Then he spilled the beans on the Top Toads and said that they had been crushing the bass with them.


..."

What color?
Only one size?


How do you rig them? "

I'm no expert when it comes to toads........I just know lots of guys throw them. Top Toads come in 1 size. As per color I just got ones with white bellies or yellow bellies. They come with one already prerigged so just observe how they are rigged.

I like how they hit the water with a nice softish splat. Just throw them out and crank them in.

Bear in mind that the hook is fairly thick wire and you are probably not tying off with 8lb line very effectively. I like braid but 10lb mono tied with a tie fast and a gryp knot would probably get the job done adequately (remember the Gryp Knot likes to tie to diameters larger than itself........a shining example of the knots usefulness.) Excellent knot to tie with worm hooks etc.

Top Toad