Popper Fishing

[The great]

I'm new to this whole top water fishing thing. This may be a dumb question to some, but can the walking the dog(still practicing by the way) technique be effective when using a popper? Also, are there any advantages to using a chatterbait vs. a buzz bait? Thanks

[BrownBear]

I used walking the dog technique with my popper this morning, fish didn't mind it at all....lol. I can't answer your other question, sorry.

[Rhino68W]

I don't have any luck where I fish with poppers. But when I use hollow body frogs they love the walk the dog motion.

[flyfisher]

Every day is different and some poppers don't walk the dog well.  I have had some good days using the rapala skitter pop which walks the dog well and other days where they wanted the traditional pop from say a rebel Pop-r....just gotta keep trying and see what happens.  

 

As far as chatter baits and buzz baits they are completely different lures.  Buzzbaits are topwater and chatter baits are more like a spinnerbait and can be worked at many different depths.  They both work well in certain conditions though.

[buzzed bait]

I have better luck with a pop pop pop sit technique than I do walking the dog with a popper. I prefer them in heavier cover. Read up more in buzz baits and chatter baits they are two entirely different animals.

[gardnerjigman]

You can walk a Zara chug spook. Chatterbait and buzz bait is two very different applications. I use a chatterbait in place of square bills and spinner baits.

[SirSnookalot]

Pretty much all I'm doing now.  I have been using a Storm chug a bug 3/8 oz for the last few weeks.  Not catching anything too small on them, most fish have been running 20-24", I'm not even into the best Florida bass season.  When I switch to a jekbait for example that's when when I'm catching the smaller bass.  Without any doubt my favorite way to fish for bass, using it mid day a blue bird skies too.  I don't keep records but I wouldn't be surprised over the last 10 years a popper has produced my biggest fish.  That said the biggest fish one catches is usually from the lure they use the most, in my case it's the popper.

[The great]

Thanks guys! Tons of great information. I'm definitely going to look into a rapala skitter pop, that Big "un mentioned, and the pop pop pop sit(YouTube here I come) technique. Coincidentally, I have a top water frog that I've never tried( well I had two but I was running braid for the first time and I didn't tie the right knot. On the first cast it flew straight off and I just left the other in the box.) I may have to pull that puppy out the box soon.

[OkobojiEagle]

While on YouTube watch some Zel Rowland videos on top water fishing... he popularized filing off the bottom of a popper's lip to help it walk easier.  If you find a Berkley Frenzy popper anywhere (now discontinued) BUY IT... the best popper ever manufactured (of course that's my opinion)!

 

 

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[smalljaw67]

The only popper I ever used that was good for walking was the Storm Rattling Chug Bug and it is one of my favorites because of that fact. I also use spooks and other walking baits but it depends on the fish and the conditions as to which to use. Flat calm water normally is a spook and just a little ripple means popper but some flat calm days they will hit a popper and not a spook, it really is experimentation. The time when I use the chug bug is when it is mostly calm but an intermittent breeze will ripple the surface from time to time, I can let it sit and then pop it or I can go and work it fast and walk it, it really gives me 2 presentations in one bait and allows me to get dialed in on what to use. As for the chatterbait substituting for a buzzbait or vice versa, it doesn't happen as they are completely different presentations.

[iceintheveins]

I use a skitterpop, and usually alternate between a pop - pause - pop - pause and walking in the retrieve. Often they want a predominance of one or the other. You just have to figure out my starting with both usually.

[ec1]

I believe this varies from bait to bait. I find some poppers walk well, others not so much. I believe that the ones that are capable of walking the dog are also the better of the poppers.

 

It's well past topwater season in my part of the world... Enjoy!

[Driftb]

I really don't know what you are talking about.  popping and walking the dog are two very different techhniques.  Most poppers move in a straight line when popped, then stop. Jerkbaits will glide in a curved path from side to side when you walk the dog.  A few poppers will also walk the dog, like a BPS Slim Dog, or a Lucky Craft Gunfish.  Maybe I should say they are jerkbaits that pop. Most of those other poppers are just poppers. They pop, but they don't walk..  Yesterday we tried Pop R's, Chug Bugs, and Torpedoes.  We had a few fish roll on them, and a couple hit a Heddon Sppittin Image.  Then I tied on a lucky Craft Sammy 100.  I caught three fish in five casts, and another dozen smallies in the next forty-five minutes.  The strikes were pretty savage and if a fish didn't  get caught on the first strike, it was attacking that Sammie until it did get caught.

[Turkey sandwich]

It's all about learning which poppers behave which ways andpracticing each one for what it's good at. I like Pop-Rs as a popper in certain conditions, but I'm not going to walk the dog with one. Chug Bugs are really walkable as mentioned above, and Skitter Pops are without question my go-to poppers 85% of the time because of their versatility. I've never had lures get physically destroyed (no exaggeration... I mean broken Balsa) by bass like sunfish colored Skitter Pops.

Notes on fishing poppers:

- spend the time practicing and fishing the different poppers and feel their actions.

- I've noticed that color can make a big difference - match the baitfish present unless the water is chocolate milk. If it's chocolate milk, big profile and noisy can be way more important than color when throwing topwater. I keep saltwater Super Spooks in my box for days like this because they're huge, loud, and come in obnoxious colors. Big profiles walking the dog give fish a huge target in murky water.

- be patient with new baits - they all work once you figure out how to best make them do what they're good at doing.

Hope this is helpful.

[SirSnookalot]

I wish I still had this one, a generic that cost me about 2 bucks that caught an uncountable amount bass and saltwater fish.