Whopper Plopper

[Mikeltee]

I haven't been bass fishing very long and I keep reading about the ultimate topwater bite. I want to experience this. I have throw WP 75,90,and 110 before first light til 10am, mid afternoon, dusk til midnite , rain, wind, cool, calm, chop, etc etc with no luck at all. Once I saw a bluegill hit the 110 but that is as much action as I have seen. I will even go catch a bass off a Senco to assure myself that they are in there and biting and then switch to the WP and chuck it for hours. I bet I got a good 20 hours of throwing that d**n lure logged without any action.

 

I see all the time people talking about how successful they are with the WP. I also saw a post from a very respected poster that said out of the year, you will have 10 days only that you will get bit on a topwater bait. 

 

I have tried slow retrieve, fast retrieve, letting it set for a few seconds after casting, jerking it, presenting it like a wounded fish. Pretty much everything I can think of. What the heck am I doing wrong? Can anyone confirm that when fishings good that they can catch on a WP pretty much every time they go out? I have a lot invested in this lure by purchasing all sizes in many color patterns.

 

Got a frog rod inbound so the next step is to learn to walk a frog and maybe experience the topwater bite that way. I really like the way the WP fishes so I am anxious to get one on it.

[Bluebasser86]

They're very effective for me in all sizes from the 90 to 190, haven't tried the 75 yet but probably will. IMO a wide variety of colors is unnecessary. Bone is by far my best color in all sizes, combined with a slow, steady retrieve. I've had best luck covering large, shallower areas or paralleling edges.

[papajoe222]

If i only got bit on topwater ten days a year, I’d give up fishing. ‘Topwater’ includes all sorts of different baits and a WP is only one type. 

There is a lake i go to that i have mever caught a bass on a Spook. Not only is that my go to topwater, its one i throw under a variety of conditions spring, summer and fall. 

I’ve caught plenty of fish on different topwater lures there, but not on a spook. Go figure. 

 

[tcbass]

I think it has to do with each lake. 

 

With the Whopper Plopper I’ve caught them on every lake I’ve used them on all times of the day. I definitely don’t believe in only certain times of the day for all lakes. 

 

I’ll sacrifice catching fish quantity if for topwater bites. 

 

Most of the lakes I’ve fished have caught topwater all day long except one where I only got 1 bite in the morning and nothing the rest of the day until 2pm wherein it seemed the fish turned on and started crushing topwater. I quickly caught 16 nice bass. It seemed like every other cast was a bite. I will say my friends consistently caught fish all day on spinnerbaits the same day out of the same boat. 

 

I definitely don’t agree with the only 10 days of topwater bite. Never heard that one before. 

 

I don't think color really matters if they are biting topwater. I always throw Monkey Butt and my friends throw Bone and Loon all the time and we all catch fish. 

 

Goof luck!

[Koz]

For me the Whopper Plopper is always hit and miss. Somedays it won't get a single bit and other days the bass will blow up on it every other cast.

 

I seem to remember that in a bassresource video about teh Whopper Plopper they mentioned that the designer of the Whopper Plopper, Gary Dahlberg, stated that the WP is more effective when fishing it over rocky bottomed basins. It had to do with the way the sound bounced off of the bottom and drove the bass crazy.

 

We don't have any rocky or hard pan lagoon basins around here for me to test that theory, but if you have a lake or pond that meets that criteria you may want to give it a try.

 

I just happened to throw a WP tonight for about 30 minutes and not one bite. Then again, the bass weren't hitting anything this evening.

[Mikeltee]

Maybe it is the ponds I'm fishing. In my area, I have a 2k acre reservoir with no boat and not much accessible bank, several spots to fish off the river bank for smallies and spotted, and neighborhood ponds that are 2-5 acres. I can usually catch a 4+ pounder in less than 20min at the ponds so that is usually where I go, even at 3pm in 100 degree heat but no love on the WP. Considering its such a popular lure, maybe all my neighbors are using it too and that is why it wont work. I guess Ill retire that box until I can get out into some fresh territory. Hopefully they like frogs.

[Beetlebz]

I'm in the same boat. I even finally broke my frog curse, but even when I wasn't catching, the frog was still getting hit. The WP not even once. I still try it now and again, especially now that I have a heavy rod with braid for it. Just one of those things.

[Mikeltee]

Ah at least I'm not the only one. There's probably many WP virgins out there that are just too ashamed to admit it. It's ok guys... be strong. Come out of the closet and admit that the WP is no magic lure. All those YouTube vids are CGI. 

[Black Hawk Basser]

There are a couple places where a WP works well for me.  Couple others where it doesn't seem to work at all.  In fact, in my closest lake, I have gotten more muskie bites than bass on a WP 130.  That's saying something there.

 

I feel like you have to work the wp little faster than most angler's comfort level, to get the churning noise of the prop just right.  Most of my bites on it is with this steady, quick retrieve.

[long island basser]

6 hours ago, Koz said:

For me the Whopper Plopper is always hit and miss. Somedays it won't get a single bit and other days the bass will blow up on it every other cast.

Same here, it’s either multiple bass or nothing.

I only throw the 110 size in phantom Shad and loon.

Both haves produced fairly equally for me.

[the reel ess]

I've not been successful with it yet. I have the 90 in monkeybutt and 110 in bone. I started out throwing the 110 yesterday morning. I got about 1/3 the way around a 20 acre reservoir and switched over to a Pop R on that rod and got a bite on the next cast. Ended up with 5 on the Pop R, including a 5.2 lb. The bites subsided by 9:00 and they were all in shaded areas. 

 

I'm a topwater junkie so I'm always trying one of them, even in full sun. Sometimes I'll go with 3 or 4 tied on, intent on catching something on the top. The Pop R standard size has been the hot one for me this summer. And it's just so easy to use.

 

Do you y'all have most success with a steady retrieve? That seems to be what people are doing in YT videos.

[Squarebill79]

10 days per year? There is a small lake that I fish often from May-September. I can always produce a topwater bite from dusk until about 10:30 right on cue every night in the summer.

 

As far as the plopper, I just picked one up a couple months ago. I think Ive gotten a 4 and a 3 off my plopper, but I would agree with you, its not as big of a producer as I thought it would be after reading some reviews. My standard poppers seem to catch more fish. 

[NHBull]

I always have a WP or Rat tied on.

Rat for calmer  water, WP for slight chop.

Truth be told, the WP gets hit on the splash and withing a few yards there of. 

Morning Spring/Dawn for the rat. white WPworks best most of the time with black shining at night. I only throw the 110

[Black Hawk Basser]

14 minutes ago, NHBull said:

Truth be told, the WP gets hit on the splash and withing a few yards there of. 

Not in my experience.  Most of my bites have come within 5-30 feet of me after a long cast.  I fish from shore mostly, so perhaps out of a boat your statement would be more true, considering you're going from shallow to deep.

I do pretty well with the 130 size.  I don't see a point to get something smaller when even the 5 incher gets hit by 1-2 lb bass.

44 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

Do you y'all have most success with a steady retrieve? That seems to be what people are doing in YT videos.

Steady seems best for me, except when they miss it, I may pause there and rip it a time or two.

[Koz]

1 hour ago, the reel ess said:

Do you y'all have most success with a steady retrieve? That seems to be what people are doing in YT videos.

 

I haven't found that one retrieve works any better than another. Sometimes they blow up on it when I pop the lure after it lands, sometimes a steady retrieve, and sometimes stop and pop. Sometimes they follow it in and sometimes they crush it right away.

 

When it's hot out (90+) they never hit it. But once the weather is in the mid 80's or lower they crush it.

[NHBull]

1 hour ago, Pickle_Power said:

Not in my experience.  Most of my bites have come within 5-30 feet of me after a long cast.  I fish from shore mostly, so perhaps out of a boat your statement would be more true, considering you're going from shallow to deep.

I do pretty well with the 130 size.  I don't see a point to get something smaller when even the 5 incher gets hit by 1-2 lb bass.

Steady seems best for me, except when they miss it, I may pause there and rip it a time or two.

My partner throws the same color as I do in the 130 size. It required a bigger rod and his hook-ups are far fewer than mine.  Given my increased numbers, I believe my chances are better in getting size. Many times, if they are not hitting the WP, I believe it is because of the size and the PopMax gets the call......just my experience in Central NH

[Black Hawk Basser]

I haven't had any hookup problems, but I almost always just do a steady retrieve.  I usually throw it on a 7'2" MH Lew's Speed Stick.

 

Since I only have the 130, I start with it, and temper back my size/aggression with different topwaters if the bass tell me to.  My philosophy is to always use magnum sized baits first, whether it be topwaters, worms, whatever.  At this point, I'm more game for a couple pigs than a dozen mid-sized fish. Not to say that smaller stuff doesn't catch giants at times too, though.  Just my strategy.

[Brew City Bass]

I just got a plopper last week. I've thrown it maybe an hour or two on a few different lakes. So far only 1 good blow up and it didn't even hook up. I think topwater is just hit or miss on certain lakes. I usually don't get top water action on any lake around me. Nothing worthy of throwing top water more than anything else, at least.

[tcbass]

4 hours ago, the reel ess said:

 

Do you y'all have most success with a steady retrieve? That seems to be what people are doing in YT videos.

 

I do a slow steady retrieve. 

 

I know some guys really like burning them but not me. I’ve tried burning them but haven’t gotten anything. I think it comes down to what the fish want. 

 

I also think if fish are biting one topwater they will bite another so just because they are biting a Whopper Plopper doesn’t mean they won’t bite a buzzbait too. 

[Jar11591]

16 hours ago, Mikeltee said:

I also saw a post from a very respected poster that said out of the year, you will have 10 days only that you will get bit on a topwater bait. 

 

 

This is very, very false and I would recommend getting that notion out of your head and never thinking about it again. 

 

My advice would be to use a popper, more specifically a small one like a 2.5” Chug Bug and work it slow over any weeds that come near the surface, but not all the way to the top. Sunrise and sunset will give you the best odds, but there are times bass can be coaxed up to the top throughout the day. 

 

Topwater is a presentation that i have extreme confidence in, and on most lakes I fish, it’s rare that I can’t get something going on top every outing from early summer through fall. 

 

 

 

This is copied from a post I made last year, offering some tips for topwater fishing:

 

Some suggestions:

1. Get on the water earlier. It gives you a longer window of prime time for top water fishing. It can work all day long, but if you're on the water earlier it gives you more time in that prime time for top water. 

 

2. Down size your bait. Try throwing a small popper like a 2.5" Storm Chug Bug or Megabass Pop-X. 

 

3. After you cast, let the bait sit until all the ripples disappear. Then very slightly twitch the bait. A lot of my strikes come this way. 

 

4. Work your bait SLOWLY. Try killing it for a minute or so mid-retrieve. 

 

5. Speeding up can work also. Try making your bait "panic" and work it very fast for a couple seconds and kill it again. Then twitch it like you would right after the cast. 

 

6. Throw it in fishy spots. Along lily pads, under over hanging trees, over sunken logs, or parallel to the bank. 

 

 

 

[KenNorton]

The Whopper Plopper is one of my go-to lures and I have had a lot of success with it. 

 

That being said, last week I went to a lake up in the mountains where the bass bite was on fire. I was catching them on everything I threw - EXCEPT the Whooper Plopper. Not even a strike at it. Definitely a good learning experience. 

[NYWayfarer]

 

The Whopper Plopper 90 in Bluegill color was working for me this morning at 7:45 am cloudy skies temps in the high 60’s here. Cast out, let the ripples fade, pull on the line like the lure is a popper and then let it sit. Fish were hitting it on the initial entry into the water or after the first “plop” today. Other days they hit it on a retrieve. If the fish are there it’s all about finding what they want on any given day. 

 

I have the most success with this lure in rivers.

[Spankey]

I jumped on that Whopper Plopper bandwagon the other year. All the chatter about them. Almost seemed if I didn't have something to try I wasn't in the game. I'm a river rat for the most part chasing smallies so I bought two 90's. Didn't want to go too big. They work, but I'm use to throwing others that they just become part of the mix. I prefer a skitter pop, pop r or chug bug over them. I throw the strike King buzz baits and do pretty well with them. In my opinion the draw back of the WP is they don't like floating pieces of grass.

[NYWayfarer]

I forgot to mention, the Whopper Plopper is a great search bait. If something swirls on it but doesn’t commit, I generally throw a stick bait in the same area and have had great success catching something.

[Gravy Master]

Are you fishing in the right areas of the lake? Just because it's nighttime, all the same rules for bass still apply: cover, structure, coves, points - all that good stuff. If you're not getting any action after a half hour or so I would suggest trying a different area.