Topwater colors

[biggiesmalls]

How many colors of spooks/poppers do you think one should have on them at any given time? 

 

I was thinking bone for both the Super Spook Jr and Rebel Pop-r for daytime fishing, and then a black shiner spook and an ole bass pop-r for night fishing. 

I am also considering R2S Bubble Poppers, and possibly Megabass Pop Max's if I can get a group order from Ichiban Tackle going. 

 

Thanks,

Drew

[Fun4Me]

A dark color, lite color, and translucent color would cover quite a bit IMO. You could branch off into shad, bluegill, perch, or whatever the bait fish are in your area also. JMO

[tcbass]

I would say a light color and dark color however I always use translucent and it's worked for me. Same time my bro uses Bone color and catches just as many fish. I don't think color really matters for topwater. 

[Outdoor Zack]

For the pop r, I just use the color I think looks the coolest at the time.  No science at all

[scaleface]

Chrome has been my top top-water color .

[Bluebasser86]

I carry 4 main colors in topwater; bone/white, black, chrome, and bluegill. Also have some clear for fishing clear water for spooky fish. 

[CroakHunter]

White belly. Black belly. I could care less what the top or sides look like. 

[Djman72]

7 hours ago, CroakHunter said:

White belly. Black belly. I could care less what the top or sides look like. 

100% this.

 

Fish are looking up at the bait. White belly, black belly, and if you are really getting into it you can to a translucent / see through although I don't notice a difference.

 

Top water is one of my more confident presentations. The only real factors for the belly color for me is water clarity / light conditions. Pop-r, Stick baits, Frogs, newly added whopper plopper. 

[NHBull]

If I could only choose one it would be white/bone. Second choice is black.

 

My third choice would be a silve/red, but seams the white is always where I start

[biggiesmalls]

Thanks for all the answers. Looks like I'll definitely have a black and a white of each color - chrome, baitfish (my bass mostly eat bluegill), and clear all seem like options to consider as well. 

 

Clear is definitely for gin-clear water conditions, but when are chrome and baitfish patterns best used? Like, what would make you choose a chrome or baitfish pattern over a black or white pattern? @Bluebasser86

 

I have to disagree with the statement that the top and side colors of a bait don't matter. A bass looks at the bottom of the bait only... but only when the bass is directly under the bait. Go throw a frog, popper, spook, etc in some water in your sink, and look at how it sits. It doesn't sit flat, it's butt is down in the water and sometimes a good portion of the sides, so if a bass is at any angle to the bait it will see the sides, and depending on what the angle is, it'll see the top of the bait at the butt end. 

I would agree that the bottom colors are more important than the top and sides - but I think those colors are still important. Although it's just like almost any lure color, they're made to catch fishermen, if they catch fish it's a bonus. 

 

Drew

[tcbass]

18 minutes ago, biggiesmalls said:

Thanks for all the answers. Looks like I'll definitely have a black and a white of each color - chrome, baitfish (my bass mostly eat bluegill), and clear all seem like options to consider as well. 

 

Clear is definitely for gin-clear water conditions, but when are chrome and baitfish patterns best used? Like, what would make you choose a chrome or baitfish pattern over a black or white pattern? @Bluebasser86

 

I have to disagree with the statement that the top and side colors of a bait don't matter. A bass looks at the bottom of the bait only... but only when the bass is directly under the bait. Go throw a frog, popper, spook, etc in some water in your sink, and look at how it sits. It doesn't sit flat, it's butt is down in the water and sometimes a good portion of the sides, so if a bass is at any angle to the bait it will see the sides, and depending on what the angle is, it'll see the top of the bait at the butt end. 

I would agree that the bottom colors are more important than the top and sides - but I think those colors are still important. Although it's just like almost any lure color, they're made to catch fishermen, if they catch fish it's a bonus. 

 

Drew

 

 

I've used translucent colors on all the lakes I've fished and caught topwater fish on everyone. Could I have caught more with a dark or light color, I don't know. 

 

I use translucent because I like the look of it. lol. I don't think the fish care as much. 

[Bankbeater]

White bottom with chrome sides for a Pop-R, black for a jitterbug, and green for a frog.  Those seem to be my best colors.

[the reel ess]

Haha. I have four Pop R's and three are silver/black back. I like silver, frog, baby bass, bone for topwaters.

[RB 77]

I agree with White, Black and Clear as a top three. Side note: I have been knocking the snot out of them this year on a Sammy with a Chartreuse belly and Blue top (Blue Crack to be exact).

[biggiesmalls]

As of now my color selection will include two colors, black and white. I am still considering adding a baitfish pattern (baby bass or bluegill) and a clear pattern, waiting to see Bluebasser's thoughts on when to use which color. If I feel like it will benefit me to have the extra colors, I'll definitely get them - but if there isn't a use then I will just keep it simple. 

 

I am debating what popper to use. The Rebel Pop-R, Damiki D Pop, and Strike King HC KVD Popper all look to be great baits, under my $12 limit on a lure - but they don't have a flat black pattern. I am considering the River2Sea Bubble Popper or the Yamamoto Shibuki Popper for popping duties, because of the black pattern. They both seem to have great reviews as well. 

 

As far as my walking bait, it's between the spook (or super spook, or super spook jr, or chug'n spook) and the SK KVD Sexy Dawg. There were others I considered in my price range (Damiki Rambler, One Knocker/Rattlin Spook, and the Ima Skimmer) but they didn't have the color patterns I wanted. 

It's kinda surprising, almost every answer in here and in other threads I've looked at has been black and white, maybe with clear or a few other oddball colors. And when you go and look, only two or three manufacturers have those two colors. 

 

Tight lines

Drew

[Bluebasser86]

8 hours ago, biggiesmalls said:

Clear is definitely for gin-clear water conditions, but when are chrome and baitfish patterns best used? Like, what would make you choose a chrome or baitfish pattern over a black or white pattern? @Bluebasser86

 

Chrome is for when fish are more aggressively eating baitfish. Clear is when they're being more finicky but still willing to break the surface. Chrome can be used in any color water. 

[Catt]

Bone orange belly!  

[WRB]

Pop-R's, I use Splash-It, Spooks I use Sammy's and Vixons in Shad colors. Big surface or wake baits like Lunker Punker and Dirty Donkey in rainbow trout colors, rats in brown or gray colors. Musky size Jitter bug in black color. Pompaduer in Shad/white and Black blue gill. Buzzers in white chartreuse.

Predominate color: pearl white-Shad.

Tom

 

[biggiesmalls]

10 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Chrome is for when fish are more aggressively eating baitfish. Clear is when they're being more finicky but still willing to break the surface. Chrome can be used in any color water. 

Ok, that definitely cleared it up. I don't know if I will keep a chrome color, but I am strongly considering a clear bait. 

When would a bait fish pattern be best utilized?

Drew

[jonkevin]

I always have one light color, one dark color, one clear bottom, and natural (like bluegill)

[biggiesmalls]

9 hours ago, jonkevin said:

I always have one light color, one dark color, one clear bottom, and natural (like bluegill)

Awesome, sounds like a great selection. When do you use a natural color over black, white, or clear?

[Attila]

All of my topwater baits (poppers and walking style baits) have either a white or chrome bottom, and I do well on them.

 

However, I have noticed that a lot of my bigger bass have come on two specific lures; a Rapala Skitter Pop in the brown frog pattern and a Strike King KVD Sexy Dawg Jr. in the sexy shad colour. I'll use the Skitter Pop for smallies and the SD Jr. for largies, although I have caught both on either lure.

 

I'm convinced that the smallies do come up close and inspect the bait, so the colours along the side and top of the lure do matter to me. It's also why I choose to run a fluorocarbon leader when fishing topwaters...but that's another story.

[Oklahoma Mike]

Bass hitting a topwater lure are reacting to the noise/motion and hitting a silhouette. Have a light and a dark and throw wichever one will silhouette best against the sky in current conditions.