"Plopping" Topwaters

[FCPhil]

On 1/6/2019 at 3:57 AM, Paul Roberts said:

I don't own a single WP. How's it different from a Jitterbug, Crazy Crawler, or buzzbait? Retread, or whole new thing?

I bought the 110 in bluegill and fish northern Colorado as well. I caught my PB on it this fall - 5lb 7oz. It’s not magic but it is the best $15 I’ve spent on fishing. It makes a noise unlike any other lure and arguebly louder than any other. You can make long casts and fish it slow, fast or stop and go and it still stays on the top. In my experience the hookup ratio is excellent and rarely gets shaken off. For me it has produced numbers but also it seems to produce a bigger average than other lure I have tried. Three of my top ten bass all came on the whopper plopper (and I only fish it an average amount). 

Edited January 14, 2019 by FCPhil

[Paul Roberts]

9 hours ago, FCPhil said:

I bought the 110 in bluegill and fish northern Colorado as well. I caught my PB on it this fall - 5lb 7oz. It’s magic but it is the best $15 I’ve spent on fishing. It makes a noise unlike any other lure and arguebly louder than any other. You can make long casts and fish it slow, fast or stop and go and it still stays on the top. In my experience the hookup ratio is excellent and rarely gets shaken off. For me it has produced numbers but also it seems to produce a bigger average than other lure I have tried. Three of my top ten bass all came on the whopper plopper (and I only fish it an average amount). 

Thanks, Phil. That's what all the rage has been about. It can be tough to separate hype, from popularity from reality. But the WP talk has been going strong for some time now.

 

Some lures do tend to produce larger bass than others: Bulky jigs, buzzbaits, Jitterbugs, BIG lures in general. I think that it has to do primarily with water displacement, and possibly sheer noise.

 

I actually, cautiously, bought one -a 90- to toy with. I probably should have got a 110, too. Think I'll put it on the short list. Thanks, again, Phil. Since you are fishing essentially the same waters I am, you've got my attention.  

[Allaroundfishing]

On 1/6/2019 at 11:06 AM, Koz said:

 

As someone who has fished all of those and the Whopper Plopper I strongly disagree. I love to fish all topwaters, and there are times when I've fished buzzbaits and frogs with no luck, but then I throw a Whopper Plopper and it gets smoked for an hour straight.

 

There are also times when the Whopper Plopper doesn't produce at all. One thing that I have read about the WP is that it is "tuned" to drive bass crazy when it's used over rocky or hard bottomed surfaces and that's where it performs best. I can't confirm that since every place I fish had weedy or soft, muddy bottoms.

 

The best 45 minute stretch of fishing in my life was with a Whopper Plopper. On almost every single cast I landed a 2-3 pounder for that 45 minute stretch. It was ridiculous. The only reason it ended was I had to get home. But like I stated earlier, sometimes it's a complete dud. And down here it's an alligator magnet so I don't always get to fish it. But you're missing out if you don't have a Bone WP 110 in your tackle box.

I cant agree more last October i was practicing for my high school tournament on lake Gaston. there were 5+ mph winds and a little chop  with complete overcast. from 6:30 to 3 I either caught or had strikes on the whopper Plopper. My dad was throwing a spinner bait behind me and sometimes a buzz just to see if he could figure out another pattern. we only landed 4 fish but we were purposely trying to lose them or make them miss so we could save them for tourney day. I had bought two just for giggles and finally got to use them and let me tell you just the amount of strikes i had made me a sure believer in them.

[FCPhil]

3 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

Thanks, Phil. That's what all the rage has been about. It can be tough to separate hype, from popularity from reality. But the WP talk has been going strong for some time now.

 

Some lures do tend to produce larger bass than others: Bulky jigs, buzzbaits, Jitterbugs, BIG lures in general. I think that it has to do primarily with water displacement, and possibly sheer noise.

 

I actually, cautiously, bought one -a 90- to toy with. I probably should have got a 110, too. Think I'll put it on the short list. Thanks, again, Phil. Since you are fishing essentially the same waters I am, you've got my attention.  

If you have trouble with the 90 staying on the surface, I think it is worth getting the 110 to give it a fair shot. It may be hyped up more than it should be, but it definitely has something to it that has kept it so popular. 

 

I have tried buzzbaits because they are they are known to produce big bass but I have trouble casting them far and they have to be retrieved fast and steady to stay on the surface. The WP solves those problems. When you cast the WP let it sit on the surface a few seconds and then give it a two-foot tug. I have had a lot of hits like that. After that you can start a steady retrieve. In my experience a lot of fish follow it a long way and then strike as it gets close to shore, so buckle up!

 

BTW, if your fishing water with too much vegitation for the plopper, try the Teckel Sprinker frog. The high price is worth it over the cheaper versions by other manufacturers. It has produced the same larger average of bass as the WP and has had the best hookup ratio of any frog I own. 

[Arobb2012]

I love the whopper plopper. It accounts for 75% of my topwater fish for the past 2 years. Last fall I was wading a river with a buddy and both of us were throwing ploppers, and we caught about 12 between us in an hour and a half. I have a wp 75 I can't wait to use this spring.

[Paul Roberts]

On 1/11/2019 at 10:31 AM, FCPhil said:

If you have trouble with the 90 staying on the surface, I think it is worth getting the 110 to give it a fair shot. It may be hyped up more than it should be, but it definitely has something to it that has kept it so popular. 

 

I have tried buzzbaits because they are they are known to produce big bass but I have trouble casting them far and they have to be retrieved fast and steady to stay on the surface. The WP solves those problems. When you cast the WP let it sit on the surface a few seconds and then give it a two-foot tug. I have had a lot of hits like that. After that you can start a steady retrieve. In my experience a lot of fish follow it a long way and then strike as it gets close to shore, so buckle up!

 

BTW, if your fishing water with too much vegitation for the plopper, try the Teckel Sprinker frog. The high price is worth it over the cheaper versions by other manufacturers. It has produced the same larger average of bass as the WP and has had the best hookup ratio of any frog I own. 

I'll pick up a 110.

 

I do have a couple Sprinker Frogs. I liked the design, but was disappointed to see that the paddle-tails were soft plastic! I got them most bc they looked durable. In general, I'm not terribly concerned about the details of what specifically will draw bass up from under mats/slop. Much of the time they are merely detecting prey-sized movement above. I long ago have settled on two types: A standard tapered-nose "frog", and a popper-nose. The added disturbance can help sometimes. I also have made my own, that are simple and, simply, draw explosions.

 

I'm encouraged that the Sprinker has good hooking ability. If the tails end up too fragile, I'll find a similar tail that... I can pass on to my grandkids. :))

 

Thanks, Phil.

 

And thanks, all. Great thread. I am now a WP owner.

[FCPhil]

3 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

I'll pick up a 110.

 

I do have a couple Sprinker Frogs. I liked the design, but was disappointed to see that the paddle-tails were soft plastic! I got them most bc they looked durable. In general, I'm not terribly concerned about the details of what specifically will draw bass up from under mats/slop. Much of the time they are merely detecting prey-sized movement above. I long ago have settled on two types: A standard tapered-nose "frog", and a popper-nose. The added disturbance can help sometimes. I also have made my own, that are simple and, simply, draw explosions.

 

I'm encouraged that the Sprinker has good hooking ability. If the tails end up too fragile, I'll find a similar tail that... I can pass on to my grandkids. :))

 

Thanks, Phil.

 

And thanks, all. Great thread. I am now a WP owner.

Although the Sprinker frog has a plastic tail, it is the most durable soft plastic I have ever seen. I have caught about 10+ bass and dragged them through what felt like a mile of mats and algae and the tail is still good as new. Once the hook pierced through the tail, then through the bass' mouth and kept it pinned. Even after that the tail was fine. If you need replacement tail packs are available, I think you can get them at Dick's.

 

If the tail doesn't seem to plop correctly, try bending it out of shape a bit. If it is too symmetrical it will keep switching directions but once it is not quite perfect it will settle on a direction.

[Koz]

5 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

I'm encouraged that the Sprinker has good hooking ability. If the tails end up too fragile, I'll find a similar tail that... I can pass on to my grandkids. :))

 

The only time I had problems with the tail of a Sprinker Frog was when a turtle grabbed it. Luckily they come with an extra tail.

[superkamikazee]

I alternate between the WP and a Sprinker frog for most of my top water fishing. I primarily fish small ponds and lakes with heavy vegetation. If the weeds are a little bit below the surface I stick to the WP, and when the weeds are right below the surface / touching the surface I stick to the Sprinker. I love the WP because I can just retrieve and throw it all day as long as the hooks aren't grabbing vegetation. The Sprinker takes in water and needs to be squeezed fairly often. My first WP was the 90, caught a boat load of fish on it, but then got the 110 and realized how much better the 110 is designed than the 90. The 90 has a hard time staying about the surface enough to "plop" when cast too far out. And ploppers can be cast far regardless of size lol. Haven't tried the 75 but it seems a little on the small side.

[FCPhil]

7 minutes ago, superkamikazee said:

I alternate between the WP and a Sprinker frog for most of my top water fishing. I primarily fish small ponds and lakes with heavy vegetation. If the weeds are a little bit below the surface I stick to the WP, and when the weeds are right below the surface / touching the surface I stick to the Sprinker. I love the WP because I can just retrieve and throw it all day as long as the hooks aren't grabbing vegetation. The Sprinker takes in water and needs to be squeezed fairly often. My first WP was the 90, caught a boat load of fish on it, but then got the 110 and realized how much better the 110 is designed than the 90. The 90 has a hard time staying about the surface enough to "plop" when cast too far out. And ploppers can be cast far regardless of size lol. Haven't tried the 75 but it seems a little on the small side.

I agree, the 110 is excellent. From what I hear the 75 has fixed all the issues with the 90 like the 110 has. 

 

Still, I like the bigger size of the 110. It catches plenty of small bass and I think produces bigger bites too. My PB in my avatar came on a 110 and its mouth was big enough to eat a school of 110s, let alone one!