Why am I addicted to buying topwaters when I rarely get bit

[Cgolf]

So got my Black Friday order set, but I am having a hard time taking off the new 1/4 ounce whopper plopper.

 

The problem for me is even though I have a ton of plopper baits, I can count the number of fish fought on them on two hands! Why do I feel I must have this new bait lol?

 

Topwaters are a mystery for me. I give them water time during all parts of the day and rarely get bit. Maybe fishing them in the wrong place, who knows, but with all the topwaters I have I don’t need more baits to collect dust! I guess I always think the next new topwater will be the one that cracks the code for me. 

[Dens228]

Because the thrill of seeing the bass take the bait is top notch.   I've given up on Whopper Ploppers though.  I get the occasional bite but do much better with wake baits for whatever reason.   I actually took the Ploppers out of my crate to eliminate the temptation of thinking, "This time they'll be on fire" LOL

[BlackwaterPark10]

I’ve been catching them on Ploppers fishing them slow pulls as I lower the rod similar to devils horses 

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, cgolf said:

Topwaters are a mystery for me. I give them water time during all parts of the day and rarely get bit. Maybe fishing them in the wrong place,

I had random success with ploppers throwing them in open water for way too long. Even over grass beds. I skunked so badly with them that when I got my first bite I was so stoked that I jacked the fish so hard it flew over my head and landed in a tree behind me. He was just a squirt. I think he was ok? Anyway, once I started throwing them in spots where I was likely to lose them the game changed. WP 75 in perch has been one of my best presentations this season going back to February, but the catches nearly always come fished very close to snaggy spots.

[Ben77]

I just put a order in for some topwater baits because I just love to fish them and I get bit. If the whopper plopper isn't working for you try others like a shower blow, spook jr, river2sea rover or sexy dawg in different colors see what they want. Try different retrieves sometimes they like it fast or slow good luck!

[Captain Phil]

Are the waters you fish clear or cloudy?  Clear water is better for top water fishing.  If your water is turbid, top water is not going to work as well.  The best top water lure ever made is the original Rapala minnow.  It's gotten lost in today's hype and marketing.  Throw it on a light spinning outfit.  Twitch it along and let it pause.   If you don't catch fish on it, take up golf.   :>)

 

 

[roadwarrior]

My dad bought the Rapala in the early 60's. It was my first "Magic Lure".

 

 

[Cgolf]

3 hours ago, Benithebass said:

I just put a order in for some topwater baits because I just love to fish them and I get bit. If the whopper plopper isn't working for you try others like a shower blow, spook jr, river2sea rover or sexy dawg in different colors see what they want. Try different retrieves sometimes they like it fast or slow good luck!

I have the poppers, some walking baits, frogs, etc. All have not been good to me. Guessing I will just need to put more time in or the cover where I fish most, reeds, maybe the bass don’t look up much to feed. 
 

2 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

Are the waters you fish clear or cloudy?  Clear water is better for top water fishing.  If your water is turbid, top water is not going to work as well.  The best top water lure ever made is the original Rapala minnow.  It's gotten lost in today's hype and marketing.  Throw it on a light spinning outfit.  Twitch it along and let it pause.   If you don't catch fish on it, take up golf.   :>)

 

 

Both.  My local river is cloudy, but had had some success with a chug bug and most of my plopper fish came from there. Vacation lake is moderately clear, can see bottom in 10-15 feet when calm, and I mostly fish Reed beds there. That could be part of the problem as all my plastic bites are on bottom. Spinnerbaits and jerks work too, maybe there they don’t feed much on top. While I don’t use therapala minnow much on the lakes, they do very well for me trout fishing. I should break them out next summer, as I got a bunch of vintage ones in an auction, and they are so much more vibrant, silver and gold, than the current ones. 

[NYWayfarer]

The whopper Plopper is my number 1 topwater bait. River Smallmouth love them.
 

I have yet to catch a Largemouth on one. 

[TcRoc]

My top water bite as been bad all season. Did great last year. Nothing like the top water smash.. just wasn’t in my favor this season. Although I’m still trying. 

[Captain Phil]

Everyone has their favorite top water lure.  For me, it's the Smithwick Devil's Horse.  I have always liked this lure.  Twenty years ago when I was fishing tournaments, I fished against the best anglers in Florida. One of them was invited to the first Bass Master's Classic.  He declined because he told Ray Scott he was too busy!   The toughest angler I ever fished against was Charles Orme aka Top Water Charlie.  I have written about him on this forum before.  Charlie never fished anything but a Devil's Horse.   He brought more big bass to the scales than anyone I have ever seen.  Not TV bass like you see on Saturday afternoon, real bass and bags full of them.  This lure fished right makes big Florida bass mad.  When they won't hit anything, they will pound these things.  Charlie is gone now.  He was one of the greats.  Here's how I remember him.

 

 

[Shimano_1]

I've had a love hate relationship with topwater myself. Ive had some great days with a frog. Walking baits are big on a couple lakes around here and I have yet to unlock that piece of the puzzle but I still fish em some pretty regularly. Ive caught 2 fish on a whopper plopper since they came out yet I pack 4 around everywhere I go lol. Seems tho that as the years go on the less I care about how I catch em as long as I catch em! If you want a new plopper may as well buy it, the monkey won't leave u alone til you do!

[SC53]

I’ve tried most topwaters over my lifetime but have only consistently caught bass on a handful.
Those would be (in order of success for me at least)

Minnow bait- I prefer a Bang-o-lure but throw a Rapala too

Zara spook

Chug bug

Devils horse

[Captain Phil]

I never heard the name "whopper plopper" until I found this forum.   Not wishing to be left out of something good, I went on the Internet to find out what all the hype was about.  What I found was tons of YouTube videos all touting the amazing merits of this lure.  To be honest, I don't see that much as new.  It's kind of a Jitterbug with a spinning tail.  There have been many lures in the past with this action.   I'm sure they all worked at one time or the other.  All lures have their place and time.  It must be the whopper plopper's time?   

[ChrisD46]

21 hours ago, cgolf said:

So got my Black Friday order set, but I am having a hard time taking off the new 1/4 ounce whopper plopper.

 

The problem for me is even though I have a ton of plopper baits, I can count the number of fish fought on them on two hands! Why do I feel I must have this new bait lol?

 

Topwaters are a mystery for me. I give them water time during all parts of the day and rarely get bit. Maybe fishing them in the wrong place, who knows, but with all the topwaters I have I don’t need more baits to collect dust! I guess I always think the next new topwater will be the one that cracks the code for me. 

*Success is coming soon - stay with it as the next top water bite could be a PB !!

[sdsc357]

I tend to catch them by mistake while throwing cotton cordell pencil poppers for stripers out here on the CA delta. Out here they take all your usual topwaters.

[Bankbeater]

This year was off for topwaters.  Nothing worked but a spook jr.  I couldn't even get a bite on my old reliable jitterbug.

[throttleplate]

my favorite pike lake i threw out my very first wplopper and caught a pike on 2nd cast. As i waded down the lake i was getting hit several times but the fish didnt get hooked, i was using the 120 el choppo, berkleys version of wp.

 

I did eventually catch more pike and some bass but also lots more of hit and miss. Weeds and more weeds is where i throw it, run it right over the top fast, slow, pause, jerk it and also on the edge of lily pads and bull rushes.

[fishindad]

There is nothing like seeing (and hearing) bass blow up on top. My favorite these days I a Chug Bug in bone. 
Don’t give up on topwaters. Having the “right” combo helps. As does having poppers, prop baits and walking baits at the ready and keep switching until you see what they want and try different pauses. I fish topwaters here in MI from postspawn until late Fall. Mornings and evenings being best but they’ll hit em mid day too. I miss it already!

[Spankey]

It just another area you need to build confidence in. Limit what you are trying. On the river a Pop-R, Chug Bug and a Skitter Pop are my go to’s. 
 

Since switching to lake fishing it been a learning experience. Twitching larger baits seem to be the ticket along with buzzbaits. 
 

It’s a game. It’s a head game. 

[galyonj]

On 11/7/2020 at 11:12 AM, cgolf said:

Why do I feel I must have this new bait lol?

I dunno about you, but I know exactly why I'm so addicted to fishing topwater:

 

The feedback from the lure is so much better for me.

 

The vast majority of the water I fish is pretty murky right up to chocolate milk. Many underwater presentations are almost an act of faith for me. I can't see the lure doing its thing, so all I can do is hope I'm doing the things I need to do to get bit.

 

On top, however, I can immediately see if a walking bait is walking the way it should, or a popper pops just right, or whatever.

 

I'm sure – again, this is just me – that more time on the stick will help me better intuit those other presentations and not fret so much about what I'm not seeing.

 

But seeing the feedback from properly working a topwater presentation is very rewarding.

[Bankc]

Topwaters are usually what prevent me from getting skunked on the days when the fish just won't bite.  I don't fish them in deep water, but rather just shallow water along the bank, usually when the sun is near the horizon.  Poppers are my favorite, though a walking bait, buzzbait, and prop bait are also frequent flyers for me.  

 

I'll say this to help keep the bait monkey in check.  I haven't noticed any difference between colors.  And more often than not, the brand doesn't matter either.  What gets bit is the size and the action.  And with most topwaters, you control the action.  So I generally just buy one of each style in each size that I plan on using, and then don't buy anymore until I lose one.  Even old ones with the paint worn off don't seem to make much of a difference.  I have about 10x's more jigs, crankbaits, and plastics than I do topwaters, and I fish a topwater about 20% of the time I'm out.

[king fisher]

I start almost every day with a buzz bait.  I can cover lots of water, it comes through cover well, and is easy to fish in low light.  The sound of a big bass crushing one is always a big plus.  Most days I switch to something else within an hour , but I live for the days I don't have to change all day.

[Koz]

On 11/7/2020 at 11:22 AM, Dens228 said:

Because the thrill of seeing the bass take the bait is top notch.   I've given up on Whopper Ploppers though.  I get the occasional bite but do much better with wake baits for whatever reason.   I actually took the Ploppers out of my crate to eliminate the temptation of thinking, "This time they'll be on fire" LOL

It’s weird because for one season the Whopper Plopper was absolute fire for me from the small to large sizes. Some days the action was ridiculous.

 

That was 3 or 4 years ago and since then I may have caught two or three on them. Every now and then I’ll give one a try until it attracts a gator.

 

I’ve moved on to buzzbaits as my primary top water bait and I have not been disappointed.

[Boomstick]

I have the same problem... it seems that I have great luck with various topwater when nothing else works -  but at times I think a topwater should work really well I often don't have a lot of luck.