What Should Be My Next Top Water Lure?

[Hog Basser]

Seriously man, if you're budget is maxing out like you said in the original post, take these guys' advice about very productive and much less expensive lures.  I've fished Pop-R's and Spooks with great success my whole life.  I've tried a few of the more expensive and unique lures like the WP, but when it comes to the staples of topwater, it's Rebel Pop-R's, Heddon Zara Spooks, and hollow-body frogs.  I use the Pad Crashers all the time and they work great!  Fish don't care how much you spent and it won't make you a better fisherman to have the best stuff.  Spend that money on good line and terminal tackle.  One thing I've learned about fishing is, be prepared to lose lures - it hurts much less if you didn't spend $20 on the ones you lose.  

[primetime]

4 hours ago, Jaw1 said:

Don't forget a cheap Zara puppy small but effective and if you can find one get(the one) by paycheck baits. It looks funny but is a fish catching machine but I think it's been discontinued for some reason. 

Good call on the Zara Puppy. I need to start using that lure again, I kind of forgot about the smallest one which I used to use often.

I used to throw a clear zarra Puppy whenever I was fishing clear water or in saltwater. I never thought clear colored lures were good until I watched a friend of mine catch fish after fish on a clear chug bug one day, and now I try to buy clear lures in every category.

I read somewhere that fish can't guage the size of a clear lure which is why it works so well and it is also natural like say a school of glass minnows or fry on the surface which makes sense. If I see shad have a yellow tint, or chart tint, sometimes pink, I will take a spike It pen and just dye the lure which lasts but you can wash it off. You can also paint it black really quick or any color, kind of a nice benefit to clear lures although I never use clear cranks etc. Maybe I should try.

I like some of the small walking baits out there, everyone seems to only talk 100mm Size and larger when Smaller baits can give off just as much action/Sound. Yo-zuri/Duel used to make the Arms series and they had a small pencil popper that is the same size as a Zarra Puppy called the "Walkin' Dog" which has a cupped mouth, thin but can be loud if you want it to be. They also cast a mile with the long cast system Yo-zuri uses. I use that most of the time and go Super Spook Jr size alot. Black head/Chart body is a great stained water choice.

Topwater lures and size makes a big difference imo. One of the only types of lures where I have noticed a difference in shapes, sizes, and color. If I am fishing topwater, I always like to have a Jr. and standard size bait. I never see anyone using small walking baits for Bass, the trend is the big one Knockers. 

[PourMyOwn]

I've had good luck over the years taking paint off of plastic lures with nail polish remover(acetone). Very clear water where I live.

[Onvacation]

Buzz baits aren't usually budget busters and as others have stated, to me, it is one bait you should probably explore. I get lazy tossing the Whooper Plopper and amazing myself with how well I can walk my Sexy Dawg (trust me, I'm a legend in my own mind), but buzz bait hits are awesome especially when you are working that bait just fast enough to keep it on the water.  

I really put frogs in a whole different category since I use a different rod and under different conditions, but those Pad Crashers will do the trick so don't underestimate them.

On a side note, I just switch my top water rod from a 7'3" MHF to a 6'9" MHXF I had.  I feel as if I have much more control over the bait.

[jr231]

Ha-ha. @Onvacation Trust me in my own mind I'm a legend. Good stuff. 

[bigbill]

Any floating CRANKBAIT can be used topwater. In a 1-2-3 pause presentation. Over submerged weeds too.

Spooks, spooks with props, top props, floating worms, inline spinners, spinnerbaits, Joesflys.

Shop tag sales, flea markets, look for lures.

[detroit1]

I can't help but see you sitting there on the back deck, with your 2- 370's open, taking 45 minutes trying to figure out which walker to use. Meanwhile, I've put down my spook and caught 2 on a popper, and now the surface bite is gone , I hope this is not the case.

[Robert Riley]

Whopper Plopper, Double Whopper Plopper, Savage Duck, Whopper Plopper. 

 

Whopper Plopper. 

[bagofdonuts]

Get a couple buzz baits(black and white), learn how to tweek them to make them run slow v fast. There's a reason they are well known as a big fish bait.

[Brett's_daddy]

6 hours ago, Robert Riley said:

Whopper Plopper, Double Whopper Plopper, Savage Duck, Whopper Plopper. 

 

Whopper Plopper. 

Yup, have some of these already...Bone and Loon in the 130 and Perch and Blue Blood in the 90. They're awesome!!!

19 minutes ago, bagofdonuts said:

Get a couple buzz baits(black and white), learn how to tweek them to make them run slow v fast. There's a reason they are well known as a big fish bait.

I have a black/blue colored and a white/chartreuse colored Booyah buzz bait. They are being used on a spinning setup and I've had a hard time keeping them on top of the water, not sure if my reel just isn't fast enough (6.2:1 gear ratio) or maybe I'm holding my rod wrong? Whichever is the case they seem to run just under the surface of the water but not on top where they should be.

[J Francho]

Spinning reels generally take up more line per turn than a baitcaster.  That said, I throw buzzbaits on a casting rig, and the reel I use is a relatively slow reel, around 24 IPT.  A buzzbait runs just sub surface, with only the blade breaking the surface.

[Ratherbfishing]

I didn't see any prop baits in your list.  Gotta get yourself a devil's horse or a tiny torpedo (or several of each).

[Brett's_daddy]

4 minutes ago, Ratherbfishing said:

I didn't see any prop baits in your list.  Gotta get yourself a devil's horse or a tiny torpedo (or several of each).

wouldn't a whopper plopper and a pompadour be considered prop baits? I mean they both have pieces on them that spin like a prop.

[Ratherbfishing]

11 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

 

I didn't see any prop baits in your list.  Gotta get yourself a devil's horse or a baby torpedo (or several of each).

11 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

wouldn't a whopper plopper and a pompadour be considered prop baits? I mean they both have pieces on them that spin like a prop.

It is a prop bait... but only kinda sorta.  A torpedo, for instance, has a much different "action" than a Whopper Plopper.  Both have their place but google the Heddon Torpedo and you'll see what I mean.

[bagofdonuts]

The problem with spinning tackle for buzz baits isn't the retrieve speed its that it throws slack with the cast. The slack causes the buzz bait to sink initially making it hard to get it back on top. You want the buzz bait on top from the moment it hits the water. You'll get most of your hits in the first few feet, so if your buzz bait isn't working in the first few feet you've missed the game.

[Outdoor Zack]

Heddeon torpedo in whatever size you want, they will eat any of them.  Or one of the rebel topwaters like the pop n' frog, frog r, or pop r. 

Like others have said, you can get several different colors or varieties of the 'common man lures' for the price of a single whopper plopper, pompadour, or other 'high end' topwater.  The jitterbug , pop r, heddon torpedo, and others are classics for a reason.

[Brett's_daddy]

On 9/2/2016 at 2:10 PM, Ratherbfishing said:

 

I didn't see any prop baits in your list.  Gotta get yourself a devil's horse or a tiny torpedo (or several of each).

 

I took your advice here and just picked up a couple of Baby Torpedo's, one in Black Shore Minnow and the other white with red head. I was wavering between the Tiny and the Baby and opted for the bigger lure but am second guessing myself now as when i go to YouTube to watch videos of these almost everything is about the Tiny and not the Baby...did i make the wrong choice in sizes?

[Fun4Me]

I throw Buzz Baits on a 7 to 1 casting combo and find it much easier than when I was using it on spinning gear. The Buzz bait is also my number one producer of large Bass since about mid summer.

 

[Ratherbfishing]

14 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

I took your advice here and just picked up a couple of Baby Torpedo's, one in Black Shore Minnow and the other white with red head. I was wavering between the Tiny and the Baby and opted for the bigger lure but am second guessing myself now as when i go to YouTube to watch videos of these almost everything is about the Tiny and not the Baby...did i make the wrong choice in sizes?

There is no wrong choice-particularly since the size difference is so miniscule.  You will be happy with the baby torp, too.

I wouldn't worry excessively about making the wrong choice-unless you went for some monstrous musky-size bait.

[RHuff]

That stick bait that came in Lucky Tacklebox a few months ago has been killing it for me! It's the Boyd Duckett design walk the dog popper. That thing zigzagging with the occasional pop and gurgle has produced some killer blowups for me lately.