R2S Bubble Popper and Walker

[Brett's_daddy]

Okay, I really want the Megabass Pop Max but I don't like the idea of losing a $20 bait to a toothy fishy. Are the R2S Bubble Popper or Walker suitable alternatives at half the price (I won't feel as bad losing a $8 - $10 bait as I would a $20 one)? Which one between the Popper 88 and the Walker would you pick and why?

[blckshirt98]

Odd I'm reading this post because the last time I was at the local tackle shop I held a R2S Bubble Popper and a Bubble Walker and couldn't tell the difference for the life of me because the back of both packages had the exact same print.  Note that the 88 will be fairly big for a popper, larger than a hula popper or LuckyCraft G-Splash.  The only difference I saw was the Bubble Popper had a line tie in the middle of the mouth, more like a classic popper, and the Bubble Walker had a line tie on the top of the mouth where it was more meant to be walked like a zara spook.  Also just confirmed with a friend who's a rep for R2S that the walker was meant to splash and spit water while being walked like a spook, and the popper was meant to spit and bubble like a classic popper (it'll walk too if you work it but the walker is the better option for that).

TL;DR - If you're looking to replace the Pop Max, go with the Popper, if you want a bubbling water spitting zara spook go with the Walker.

[Bluebasser86]

I have several bubble walker 80s, I can't tell the difference between them and the Pop Max. They walk super easy and flat out catch fish.

I haven't been as big of a fan of the popper as it really is more of a standard popper.

[kickerfish1]

The bubble walker in the loon color has been working quite well for me early in the mornings. Great hook up ratio. Had 10 blow ups and connected on 9 fish landed and only one managed to toss the hooks on a jump. I would say the 80 size has compared favorably to a pop-x for me.

[Hog Basser]

Or go with a Rebel Pop-R for $5-6....they've always caught fish for me.  

[Brett's_daddy]

I know about the Rebel Pop R but...it just doesn't do anything for me. I realize that the fish don't care and I'm probably being foolish but that baits been around for 30 years and I'm sure it's caught boatloads of fish for people the past 30 years but...it looks 30 years old too! I mean no offense but the R2S, Megabass, Duo Realis etc. just look better, more modern and have a little more "wow" factor when you take them out of your tackle box than the Pop R does. I can get the R2S Bubble Walker/Popper on eBay for $8 so for an additional $2 it's a no-brainer for me to get the better looking bait. My main question was is there a significant difference between the Pop Max and the Bubble Walker or Popper that justify's the much higher price on the Megabass lure?

[primetime]

You can find awesome deals on the bubble walker or popper on Ebay right now as I think R2SEA has changed the line up. I have several of the walkers and poppers and I like them, I find that they are very similar to the BPS Popper that is 3.99 both have the holes in the face, same shape, and truthfully I can't tell them apart except R2Sea uses better trebles, sig in eye, and then, I don't see anything not even color in some cases.

I would go with the 80 size walker as it is a sweet bait. They have really nice colors and details but if looking for a bait similar to the Megabass Popper, Take a look at the Strike Pro Thunder Pop. $6.99, same shape, features, tons of colors, long casting, same guy on Ebay sells them both, and Strike Pro has a bunch of Poppers/Walkers since they are an OEM that has over 2000 lure patents today. I have been impressed with the Thunder Pop, Most people assume it is a Megabass when they see them.

If Looking for a Popper that is very high quality, and just awesome for getting strikes, the 64mm Popper from Duo is really good(new/Improved version of the Heddon Popper, can't think of the name).They make a walking bait that is also really good. I think they make one that is 85mm, I have not used that size but I am sure it is good and color is A+++. DUO makes a really nice lure, and they did a write up in Tackle Retailer that showed how each lure is designed, tested, and they truly put a ton of research behind their lures. I am not a brand name person, but DUO is priced Very reasonable for what you get. 

Either way, R2Sea makes some great lures at a great price, but I would look into the stirke pro if you want a walker/Popper and the BPS Popper, it has the same mouth as the popular Slim Dog walker which also has holes in the face. I just don't like the stock hooks on BPS lures, although or the smaller topwater lures, if using light line with your drag set properly, they will do the job. I usually just buy the VMC Inline hooks which are a good value, and they make a #3 and #5 which is nice since you can add a bigger hook on a short shank etc...

just my take, but buy whatever you think will work best. All about confidence since the angler gives these lures the action, any walking lure will work, as long as you have a one knocker and a silent, standard loud rattle you have all angles covered for most part. the Trend seems to be loud One Knocker's for Walking baits lately, and I seem to prefer them as well. The Duo 110 Pencil Popper has become one of my top lures overall, and I try to force feed Topwater lures to Bass as much as possible. 

I like the walking style Pencil Poppers that Cotton Cordell made popular for Surf casting and I guess Lucky Craft was the first with the Gunfish (Another killer topwater lure) You can buy the new 117mm for $8. Kind of crazy since a Gunfish has always been a $15-$20 lure for most part. Megabass lures are great, but I would rather have 2 Strike Pro lures, and 2 R2Sea in 2 sizes, 2 colors personally. Just my take. Hope that helps with some ideas. You Tube has tank demo's that show most lures in the water. Sebile makes a Popper called the "Splasher" that is money as it comes with Owner hooks and great on spinning rods, or heavy braid etc. 

The bubble walker and Megabass lure actually look identical to about 6 different brands. I would go with the Bubble Walker over Popper if you are not a fan of the Rebel, only difference is the colors and imo the Rebel is as good as any standard popper just depends on size etc. Pradco has now changed up all the colors on all their lures with G-Finish, Flash colors, and the new lures on the Pradco site look like all the other high end lures.

Strike Pro has several versions, all very similar to R2Sea versions, Owner, and a few others. Good components as well. Frog color looks great if in stock.

[primetime]

Thunder Pop

[Brett's_daddy]

Saw that, I also saw that they make a 3/4 oz/ 3-1/2" one but can't find it for sale anywhere.

[Brett's_daddy]

So does the Bubble walker actually "pop" too or not as much. I think i have my top water lures just about covered. I scored 2 Lucky Craft Sammy 100's for $16 which makes them each $8 and I find that reasonable. Would the Bubble Walker be redundant to the Sammy or is it completely different? I feel I need something that pops and makes a good sound when doing it as well as sprays a good amount of water...wavering if i should go with the Bubble Popper or Walker?

[blckshirt98]

I went back to the local tackle shop this past weekend and got a R2S Popper to compare to the Walker I already have.  They both have "vented gills" to spit water when walked or popped.  The Walker will be more like the Sammy than the Popper.  The Walker is made to walk like the Sammy, but spit extra water through the vented gills.  The Popper will be more your traditional popper like a LuckyCraft G-Splash, but with extra water being spit out through the vented gills.  The Popper you "could" make walk, but is not the best tool for the job, so to speak.

tl;dr - If you have 2 Sammys and had to choose between an R2S Walker or Popper, get the Popper.

[rippin-lips]

Just about all of the --- lures you've asked about can probably be seen in action online. Then you can see and decided for yourself if it's what you are looking for. www.youtube.com

[EvanT123]

5 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

So does the Bubble walker actually "pop" too or not as much. I think i have my top water lures just about covered. I scored 2 Lucky Craft Sammy 100's for $16 which makes them each $8 and I find that reasonable. Would the Bubble Walker be redundant to the Sammy or is it completely different? I feel I need something that pops and makes a good sound when doing it as well as sprays a good amount of water...wavering if i should go with the Bubble Popper or Walker?

Not covered unless you already have a lucky craft gunfish.  My favorite topwater and academy sports makes one for $6 that works just as well. 

[Bluebasser86]

5 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

So does the Bubble walker actually "pop" too or not as much. I think i have my top water lures just about covered. I scored 2 Lucky Craft Sammy 100's for $16 which makes them each $8 and I find that reasonable. Would the Bubble Walker be redundant to the Sammy or is it completely different? I feel I need something that pops and makes a good sound when doing it as well as sprays a good amount of water...wavering if i should go with the Bubble Popper or Walker?

The bubble walker is completely different from a Sammy.

Most all the fish in this video are on a Bubble Walker 80, to give a little idea how it works.

 

[Brett's_daddy]

11 hours ago, EvanT123 said:

Not covered unless you already have a lucky craft gunfish.

Wouldn't a Bubble Walker or Popper function the same as this lure?

[timsford]

The gun fish has a unique popping and walking sound that flat out works and I haven't found a better bait to replace it. The storm chug bug has a bigger popping sound and still a good walk. The Sammy is my favorite walking bait, but the gun fish offers just a little more sound if there is a little chop on the water. If I was going to try the river2sea baits I'd probably pick the bubble walker. For poppers the pop max, splash it, and rico are hard to beat imo

[Bluebasser86]

The bubble walker is a big, fat popper, not a thin walking bait like the name suggests. It looks and acts nothing like a gunfish or Sammy.

[timsford]

I know it's a different top water than the gun fish or sammy, I was referring to the op posting that he desired a bait that could walk and spit water. I was just saying that there were other baits that did that. I actually like the looks of it and plan on ordering a couple on my next tackle purchase

[Brett's_daddy]

1 hour ago, timsford said:

I know it's a different top water than the gun fish or sammy, I was referring to the op posting that he desired a bait that could walk and spit water. I was just saying that there were other baits that did that. I actually like the looks of it and plan on ordering a couple on my next tackle purchase

So would a Lucky Craft Gunfish be similar to an Evergreen Shower Blows lure as far as sound and action? I like variety in my lures without too much crossover in order to cover the most techniques/situations.

[timsford]

The showerblows creates a lot more commotion than the gunfish imo. I use these 2 and the Sammy and experiment to see what the fish like the best that day. Usually I use the Sammy when it's calm or fish are finicky, the gunfish with a little chop, and the shower blows when it's windy or fish are active.  Walking baits are my favorite top waters and I've found its best to experiment with these and other baits. Some days the fish want a spook, sometimes with the same conditions they prefer the sammy, some days they love the zip baits irony. I know you have a bunch of top waters but that's another bait you should put on your list of stuff to try. The irony has been lights out for me all year

[primetime]

 I think alot depends on the size, they make the walker in a 128 and 80 and one 65? It is kind of like a Chug Bug in shape depending on the size. The Popper is more of a popper, the walker would be more comparable to the Gunfish like mentioned above but the R2Sea Topwater lures are all very good lure imo. You can't go wrong with Lucky Craft or R2Sea. 

The 128 bubble Walker is unique and is kind of one of a kind with the gills, shape, and colors. I find the bigger the lure the better they walk, or easier, or maybe they just glide a bit wider. I have a hard time passing the R2Sea lures when I see them because they make some really nice colors and lures for the money. It seems every company now has awesome lures in the $10-$15 range. The Rover would be like a Sammy, the Pro Tuned Scott Martin seems to be the better one, but I love the Bone color they have. I love buying all the walking baits out there and 6th Sense has a good one for $10, I forget what it is called, I lost it, but when I had it I really liked it. I plan on picking up another when TW has a sale and I want to try that new Evergreen Pencil Popper that has the bend in it. That looks like a nice change up.

14 minutes ago, timsford said:

The showerblows creates a lot more commotion than the gunfish imo. I use these 2 and the Sammy and experiment to see what the fish like the best that day. Usually I use the Sammy when it's calm or fish are finicky, the gunfish with a little chop, and the shower blows when it's windy or fish are active.  Walking baits are my favorite top waters and I've found its best to experiment with these and other baits. Some days the fish want a spook, sometimes with the same conditions they prefer the sammy, some days they love the zip baits irony. I know you have a bunch of top waters but that's another bait you should put on your list of stuff to try. The irony has been lights out for me all year

I have been looking for an excuse to buy a zip baits lure, and as a topwater fanatic, I think that will be my purchase for the week if they are on Ebay. Hard to find Zip baits online. I keep seeing these Jackson lures that look awesome, I have had one in my cart for a few months but will look at that Zip bait.

Good stuff

[Brett's_daddy]

Not to get off topic but has anyone tried the Academy Sports H2O baits that look like Sammy and Gunfish clones? The reviews say they work awesome and for a fraction of the price of genuine Lucky Craft baits. I mean they look identical and one reviewer even said that one of the designers of Lucky Craft baits is now designing these H2O baits...not sure if it's true but dang, not sure if i could tell the difference if they were side by side.

[timsford]

I haven't tried them but I've tried their copy of the megabass 110. Sank slowly instead of suspending or slow floating and I didn't care for the hooks or hardware. I replaced the hooks with lighter wire hooks and got it to suspend, but still didn't cast quite as well and didn't have the same action. I think it's because a lot of the knockoffs don't have the quality control and I don't know if they use the weight transfer systems a lot of the nicer baits use. Yes the irony has been a killer walking bait. I got the ones I have off ebay but I've seen them on some other sites. I usually use a lot of less expensive and some knock offs when using cranks and baits I fish around cover but using top waters or jerkbaits I just spend a little more and get the reel thing since I rarely break them off or fish cover with them and they float if the line does break

[primetime]

9 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Not to get off topic but has anyone tried the Academy Sports H2O baits that look like Sammy and Gunfish clones? The reviews say they work awesome and for a fraction of the price of genuine Lucky Craft baits. I mean they look identical and one reviewer even said that one of the designers of Lucky Craft baits is now designing these H2O baits...not sure if it's true but dang, not sure if i could tell the difference if they were side by side.

The Academy Pistol is actually really good, I prefer the saltwater version because I don't have to put heavier hooks on it, but I can't say they are better or not, I have never fished them side by side to get any type of comparison, but I use the Pistol much more since I am not afraid to make a cast into a tight spot where I may lose it. The Gunfish may be made from the same mold, or an older mold, but the internals are different as far as sound and weighting. For $4 and $25 free shipping, it is hard to beat the Academy line of baits. You can look at all there lures and see what mold they come from. They have really good wake baits in awesome colors, I have not used the walker, I have way too many and would never get to it. I use the BPS Slim Dog as my walker I chuck over Logs and branches and such. The Slim Dog actually has the gills like the R2Sea baits and has a good following, cheap hooks compared to Academy who uses VMC I believe, but I think LC made the 117 Gunfish in 6 colors for $7.99 available at all retailers because of Academy and now Cabela's house brand is looking awesome, but they never have any lures in stock. 

Academy ships orders overnight some times, I think my last 2 orders came in 2 seperate shipments one box next day, one box the day after with only one lure in it. How are they doing that with $25 free shipping? They clear out good lures cheap as well, War Eagle Spinnerbaits were 2.99 for a few weeks. I love that place, I do know that Strike Pro had a bid to get the Academy lures about 4 years ago, I know they are not making the Cabela's line so maybe they did. They all change every so often and put stuff out to bid. They have good casting reels no doubt. Really good.

[Brett's_daddy]

Well, I ended up going with the River2sea Bubble Walker 80 in the Loon and Powder colors. Thanks to all who have helped me figure out some answers to my lure debates .