Whopper Plopper - Fishing coming off!

[Dirtyeggroll]

I recently started throwing a 130 loon whopper plopper and have been getting some awesome hookups. However, the bigger fish keep shaking off the hooks about halfway through the battle to the boat in the water. It feels like I am getting solid hook up but they still shake it off. I am able to keep the fish down and from jumping out of the water but they still seem to be able to shake off the bait. In the last 2 days I have lost 2 really nice fish. The stock hooks on the 130 actually seem quite robust in strength and sharpness. I am currently throwing the plopper on my frogging setup: 50-lb brand on a Heavy power fast tip rod.

 

What can I do to keep the fish buttoned up better?

 

Change the hooks? I've seen some saltwater guys change to "#6 Octopus" hooks.

 

Use a different setup?

 

Change landing technique?

 

Thanks for your help.

[Dtrombly]

Stock hooks are plenty sharp, I don't see that being the problem. Could possibly be your setup, a rod with a softer tip could help. 

[Dirtyeggroll]

I just found this as part of an article that might be relevant to my situation as part of an article titled: "5 Reasons You're losing Crankbait Fish"
 

Quote

 

"You’re horsing them

This may be the most common mistake of them all, so it’s absolutely worth discussing. 

For a little real world example, my girlfriend hooked what I estimate to be a 7-pounder a few weeks ago on a crankbait. I saw it come up and flash. The teacher (me) didn’t do a great job at explaining this part, so when I looked at her on the back deck of my boat, she looked like those folks catching tuna on TV. She was giving that sucker every ounce of blonde-haired fury she could muster. 

Her line was in good condition. She was using brand new hooks. Her hookset was textbook. But she horsed the fish and it came unbuttoned about halfway to the boat. 

Fighting crankbait fish is all about patience, in my opinion. I don’t try to bring ‘em in when they’re still hot and thrashing all over creation. Ideally, I want that bass laid up on its side after I’ve worn ‘em out. I’d be willing to bet that of all the crankbait fish you lose, most of them occur within arm’s reach of your boat. That’s because we get impatient. 

If I hook a fish over 5 pounds on a plug, it might take me three or four minutes to fight it before I even think about landing it. Keep your rod tip low and walk in circles around your boat if need be. 

Although some anglers do in hopes of snagging them with more hooks, I prefer not to pull in the opposite direction of the fish. If it wants to go right, you go right. If it wants to go left, you go left. It’s just like dancing with a pretty lady—just go with the flow, man. 

The next time you’re bowed up on a crankbait fish, think back to this article and try to use some of these tips. I wouldn’t have written this article if they didn’t work, so give them a shot. I really believe you’ll see a noticeable difference in your success."

 

 

I do pretty much aim to land the fish as soon as possible once I am hooked up. Maybe I'll work the fish a little more with the plopper in the future just trying to keep a little tension in the line at all times.

[bigbill]

Try to set the hook and play the bigger fish. Tire them out.

[frogflogger]

Same experience  went to mono - good parabolic frog rod - better landing ratio - mono was the answer for me.

[Ksam1234]

I have never had a problem with this as the hooks on the ploppers are the stickiest hooks ever, just make sure you try and play the fish ,'specially if it's a big one.  I use a MH with 30 pound braid but I'm sure the heavy with 50 is fine.. if you have a MH rod i would try using that and see how it works along with playing them out a bit it ... if they wanna swim and fight well he'll! Let em run 

[tcbass]

I think the Whopper 110 and 90's have some of the sharpest and stickiest hooks I've ever used which is why I normally get one in the mouth and another foul hooked somewhere on the body. 

 

Usually when I get a Whopper Plopper bite, it ain't getting away. 

 

I use a heavy topwater rod with braid. Like the above said, just don't horse them, maybe you are tearing the hooks out. 

[IndianaOutdoors]

Yup I had them coming off too.  Started tying whoppy ploppys on my deep diver setup.  MH moderate Lunkerstik.  I don't feel very confident in the hook set but they sure stay pinned.  I would like to try it on a graphite parabolic rod.

[MassYak85]

IMO you want a rod with some bend to it (not a fast). I used a Heavy Fast to fish it last summer and I lost a good amount of fish because of it. I'm currently fishing it on a MH mod-fast with better luck. Any heavy treble hooked bait you want to have the rod stay loaded when the fish come up and shake, generally a heavy fast is going to completely unload pretty easily during those situations. 

[Bluebasser86]

I also throw the 130 on my frog rod, 7' 3" H/F with 50lb braid, but it's extremely rare for me to lose a fish on a 130. I reel into the fish and sweep into them once I feel the weight, then crank like crazy once they're on, try to get their heads out of the water and ski them in. Kind of like a big swimbait, the 130 is a heavy bait they can get a lot of leverage on to toss the bait. The longer you fight them, the more likely they'll get the bait worked out. 

[Deleted account]

Use a slower, or less stiff rod, or add about 3 feet of heavy(ish) mono leade.

[Dirtyeggroll]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I think I’m gonna try throwing it on a slower rod.