buzz bait vs. whopper plopper

[EWREX]

which do you prefer over the other and why?

[gim]

Buzz bait. Doesn’t have trebles that constantly get hung up on surface weeds.

[BrianMDTX]

Well, I’ve never caught a fish on a buzz bait, but just caught a 4 lb bass on Sunday on a WP, so that’s answers the question for me! 

[Scott F]

My hook up percentage has always been low on buzz baits, but you can throw them in heavier cover but you can’t stop them. Whopper Ploppers with two trebles, have much better hook up percentage and for me because I will start, pause, rip or do a constant retrieve, I get more hits. Not as good with shallow weeds. I’ll fish the WP more often, but in some places, the buzz bait can be a better choice. 

[Herbert Lorenzo]

Caught fish on both but the strikes feel much more explosive on buzzbaits , seems to stir up anger in bass .

[scaleface]

Buzzbaits . I think the hookup percentage is good  with buzzbaits and they go places a Whooper Pooper cant . I am usually   fishing in the thickest cover , not open water .

[GreenPig]

Open water - Whopper Plopper - less missed fish.

Cover and tight areas - Buzzbait - less fouled cast.

Surface grass - Homemade Teckel Frog (bonus answer) ?.

[RoLo]

 

I agree with the consensus.  Whooper Plopper: Hook-up ratio <|> Buzzbait: Weedless excursion

Most of my surface time is spent in gnarly cover, so the buzzbait gets the nod.

Not to mention the forgotten Johnson spoon (Humph, I guess mentioned it). 

 

Roger

[plawren53202]

Buzzbait: Pros--it's the 4x4 of topwaters, it'll go where the Whopper Plopper only dreams to go; cons--it sinks when you stop reeling

 

Whopper Plopper: Pros--floats when you stop reeling, allowing for more variety in retrieve; trebles hook up without requiring hard hookset; cons--won't work around weeds or floating gunk in the water

 

For me I'd rather use a Whopper Plopper mainly because of the ability to vary retrieve, and the trebles, if water conditions allow; but if not then I'll go to a buzzbait

[Bluebasser86]

Buzzbait for largemouth

WP for smallmouth

 

Don't know why, but around here the green fish seem to prefer the buzzer, the brown fish seem to prefer the plopper.

 

If I'm on a lake with both I'm throwing the plopper.

[TnRiver46]

Buzz bait because fish WILL NOT eat a whopper plopper in my area. I mean literally they WILL NOT do it. I’m starting to think it must resemble some northern food source because people rarely seem to have any luck with them 

[galyonj]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

Buzz bait because fish WILL NOT eat a whopper plopper in my area. I mean WILL NOT do it 

I've caught two on a plopper fishing parks. They might've just been the especially dumb ones, though.

[Bluebasser86]

14 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Buzz bait because fish WILL NOT eat a whopper plopper in my area. I mean literally they WILL NOT do it. I’m starting to think it must resemble some northern food source because people rarely seem to have any luck with them 

They don't eat them on some lakes here, and others they hit them like Great Whites hit a seal. The odd thing is, those lakes they don't eat a plopper, they like a buzzbait. Then the ones they love the plopper, barely touch a buzzbait. I have no explanation for it, but I guess it saves me having to tie both on and figure out which they're eating that day.

[Jig Man]

I can’t count the fish I have caught on a buzz bait, but I can count my whopper plopper fish...1.

[5by3]

11 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

They don't eat them on some lakes here, and others they hit them like Great Whites hit a seal. The odd thing is, those lakes they don't eat a plopper, they like a buzzbait. Then the ones they love the plopper, barely touch a buzzbait. I have no explanation for it, but I guess it saves me having to tie both on and figure out which they're eating that day.

I’ve experienced the exact same thing. The bass in certain lakes around me destroy the WP... other lakes I can’t get a bite. I have no explanation for it.

 

I do seem to catch more on the WP in lakes with a lot of rock and not many weeds. The buzzbait is better for me near grass.

[BassNJake]

On 8/4/2020 at 11:53 AM, TnRiver46 said:

Buzz bait because fish WILL NOT eat a whopper plopper in my area. I mean literally they WILL NOT do it. I’m starting to think it must resemble some northern food source because people rarely seem to have any luck with them 

I have not had much luck with a whopper plopper either.

However, in 2016 FLW had an event here on Norris and James Watson won fishing topwater including the WP

 

> The Whopper Plopper accounted for eight of the 15 fish he took to the scale. Several others were enticed by a War Eagle Buzz Toad with a Luck-E-Strike Frantic Frog trailer (black).

 

Also Norris showed why people fish Cherokee and Douglas lakes more often.

Day 1: 5, 13-10
> Day 2: 5, 13-04
> Day 3: 5, 9-12
> Total = 15, 36-10

 

 

[TnRiver46]

14 minutes ago, BassNJake said:

I have not had much luck with a whopper plopper either.

However, in 2016 FLW had an event here on Norris and James Watson won fishing topwater including the WP

 

> The Whopper Plopper accounted for eight of the 15 fish he took to the scale. Several others were enticed by a War Eagle Buzz Toad with a Luck-E-Strike Frantic Frog trailer (black).

 

Also Norris showed why people fish Cherokee and Douglas lakes more often.

Day 1: 5, 13-10
> Day 2: 5, 13-04
> Day 3: 5, 9-12
> Total = 15, 36-10

 

 

Give me Norris over those two any day. I’m not a tourney competitor so just one big smallie in deep clear water is all I want. And I can usually make it happen 

[GreenPig]

9 hours ago, Jig Man said:

I can’t count the fish I have caught on a buzz bait, but I can count my whopper plopper fish...1.

I got you beat on one cast.?

[papajoe222]

I prefer a buzzbait, especially if there is a bit of wave action. More commotion than a plopper. I will use one if it's fairly calm and bright skies because I can fish is slow with a lot of pauses.

[ChrisD46]

On 8/4/2020 at 1:13 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

Buzzbait for largemouth

WP for smallmouth

 

Don't know why, but around here the green fish seem to prefer the buzzer, the brown fish seem to prefer the plopper.

 

If I'm on a lake with both I'm throwing the plopper.

*Add the spotted bass to favoring the Plopper ... It must perturb spotted bass and smallies more ?

[Bankbeater]

I don’t catch very many on buzzbaits and even less on ploppers. I prefer spooks and jitterbugs. 

[Jonas Staggs]

On 8/3/2020 at 7:28 PM, scaleface said:

Buzzbaits . I think the hookup percentage is good  with buzzbaits and they go places a Whooper Pooper cant . I am usually   fishing in the thickest cover , not open water .

 

I have never used a buzzbait. Can you fish it through heavy stuff like you would a frog or toad? I recently got a whopper plopper but cant use it much.

[TnRiver46]

5 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

 

I have never used a buzzbait. Can you fish it through heavy stuff like you would a frog or toad? I recently got a whopper plopper but cant use it much.

It comes through water willow nicely and around milfoil and hyrdrilla edges. Cheese mats clog up the buzzer 

[gall]

For me wp mainly cause I'm fishing rivers and creeks. That being said I've been wanting to play around with buzz baits. I think they might also work well 

[scaleface]

6 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

 

I have never used a buzzbait. Can you fish it through heavy stuff like you would a frog or toad? I recently got a whopper plopper but cant use it much.

No , but it goes through wood .