Does the time of day matter for a whopper plopper?

[SMROA1983]

I’ve been fishing the whopper plopper for a while now with no luck. Does the time of day matter because I usually can’t get out until after 9am? Also I have a perch 75 and 110 because my local bait shop said that was good for my area. Are there better colors I should use that would help? I live in south shore mass and I’m bank fishing if that helps.

[Big Hands]

Success for me with a Whopper Plopper (using the 110 and the 90) has come when the fish are actively chasing bait on the surface, and then casting past the boils and dragging it through the area where they were busting the surface. Blindly casting the WP has not been productive for me. The water I fish is not shallow flats type fishing, more like schooling fish over deep water, so that could mean a different scenario for others. The time of day hasn't been a factor unless that is when the fish choose to chase bait on the surface, and sometimes that can be earlier and later in the day. Your results may vary.

[HookInMouth]

Most all of my success has come in shallow water (rivers to be exact). I've had very little luck in water deeper than 3-5 feet. I've not noticed a time of day difference. 

[813basstard]

I don’t know about time of day but I have a 3 pop minimum. If I hear 3 top water hits within 5-10 minutes, it’s getting thrown. Yes, and that one random pop you hear not close to anyone or anything counts...

[gim]

2 hours ago, SMROA1983 said:

I’ve been fishing the whopper plopper for a while now with no luck.

That's because they don't work.  Stop using them.

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, gimruis said:

That's because they don't work.  Stop using them.

Only for you...I've caught bass and pike on my 90s - didn't matter what time of day.

[QED]

I just started top water frog fishing which probably correlates somewhat.  Best time for me is early morning when the water is still.  Cloudy days seem to work better than bright sunny days. YMMV.  The cool thing about top water fishing is that you sometimes get a spectacular hit.  I've had bass strike with so much upward momentum that they briefly became airborne!

[Bubba 460]

I've been throwing the whopper plopper for many years, it's my favorite bait to throw. The only two I sizes I use are the 130 and the 190.  No, they are not to big, I have caught 12 inch bass on the 130 and a two pound bass on the 190. I regularly catch smallmouth bass in the river on the 130, so again it is not an oversized bait.

 

As the water warms, morning and evening are usually always the best time to fish in the summer months and that goes as well for the whopper plopper. However I catch bass all day on it and have no qualms in throwing it in the middle of a hot calm bluebird day as long as there is visible cover, submerged cover like logs, grass, stumps, walls, docks etc. Works best in water less than 10 feet unless bass are feeding on the surface over deep water. As far as I am concerned the River2Sea Whopper Plopper is one of the best top water baits ever made. My favorite colors is black (loon) because it make a great silhouette against the sky and on the surface from a fishes point of view  both day or night. Plus birds, mice, rats, etc are not translucent, clear water or not.

 

It cast a mile with 50# braid, if you use a lighter braid, like say 20 or 30 pound you will have tangling problems while in flight. 50 pound braid eliminates 95% of that. Hit the water running just like a buzz bait. Occasionally a very short stop or a couple of pops on the run might entice an otherwise curious bass to strike. I get most strikes in a steady retrieve however. Once in a while bring it about 2/3 of the way back to the boat/shore then just stop it and let it sit for 15-20 seconds ~you might be supersized.       

 

 

[Koz]

The Whopper Plopper is what I like to deem an all or nothing bait. You might find a lake or a pond where it slays them and you get a strike on almost every cast. Then you might fish another lake or pond and draw blanks all day.

 

I've fished lagoons where it was pure magic, then fished the lagoon across the street and caught nothing on the WP but caught plenty on other baits.

 

If I don't get a strike within 5-10 minutes on a WP I put it away.

[DitchPanda]

The past 2 days I haven't gone out until 930 am and I've caught 12 bass on a black buzzbait. I don't think time of day is super important with a top water until summer when the water gets hot.

[Yakalong]

Early morning and just before sunset seem to be the most productive for me if the fish are not busting the surface. If they are busting the surface chasing shad then anytime but early and late in day work best for me. The perch color has worked very well for along with the black one with some yellow on it (I don't remember the name of it).

[MIbassyaker]

9 hours ago, HookInMouth said:

Most all of my success has come in shallow water (rivers to be exact). I've had very little luck in water deeper than 3-5 feet. I've not noticed a time of day difference. 

 

I have also had more success in rivers. 

 

Give me a regular old buzzbait for lakes. 

 

 

[Smells like fish]

I’ve used the 75, 90 and 110 WP’s and the BPS nockoffs with success anytime I use them. Lakes, pond, river. Bass and musky. All times of the day. 

[Bird]

Start almost every morning off with a whopper plopper, they work here as does a buzzbait.

 

[Deleted account]

I'm not admitting to anything, but were I to throw WPs, a 110 and 75 Perch would be the ones...  

Time of day doesn't directly affect how well a WP (or most other lures,) work, but does have an effect on other factors that in turn do or can affect the bite, so yes and no...

[ajschn06]

I wouldn't worry too much about color with that bait....

[DrAloha]

Early morning and in the evening for me.  Right at sunset when the breeze has died down and the crickets are chirping— get ready for the water to explode. 

[Krux5506]

I think it's highly dependent on the body of water. Some places I fish are great for top water at all times of the day regardless of weather, and other places that look like they'd be great are the total opposite all the time. 

[the reel ess]

I think topwaters is the one area of baits where color almost doesn't even matter. Ask yourself how much of the color of a topwater can the fish see? I have a 90 in Monkey Butt and a 110 in Bone. I've had good days on both.

 

Topwaters are a low light affair for the most part. I start out throwing them early and I'll thrown them in the evening. On sunny days, the topwater bite is over by about 10:00 for me. On overcast or rainy days you might be able to catch fish on them all day. I've had a 50 fish day on a Torpedo on a drizzly day. But you can still catch fish on topwaters in the shadows on sunny days. 

 

They work better in shallower areas. It's hard to call a fish up from 12 feet deep to strike a topwater. If you fish a shallow place you can bet you at least dragged a bait past some fish that located it, even if they didn't take. I have found that the weedier and shallower a body of water is, the more successful I am with topwaters. Of course I don't mean covered in vegetation. That would call for the frog. That's a different set of rules.

 

There have been days I dedicated myself to the WP and didn't get a bite. They can be few and far between at times. But they're generally quality fish. It seems really can't stand it. I caught two toads on it last Saturday morning. I went back Wednesday evening and only got one strike on the WP and that fish knocked it out of the water without biting.

[SMROA1983]

Thanks for all the advice! My issue now is I still can’t catch any fish! I’ve tried every possible bait(except live bait) and caught nothing this year. Been fishing since March and nothing. The only thing I’ve caught is a couple small sunfish and a small perch with worms. Pretty frustrating. About to throw all my rods and lures away lol!

[roadwarrior]

1 hour ago, SMROA1983 said:

My issue now is I still can’t catch any fish! 

 

 

[Eddie101]

On 5/20/2021 at 3:12 PM, Bubba 460 said:

I've been throwing the whopper plopper for many years, it's my favorite bait to throw. The only two I sizes I use are the 130 and the 190.  No, they are not to big, I have caught 12 inch bass on the 130 and a two pound bass on the 190. I regularly catch smallmouth bass in the river on the 130, so again it is not an oversized bait.

 

As the water warms, morning and evening are usually always the best time to fish in the summer months and that goes as well for the whopper plopper. However I catch bass all day on it and have no qualms in throwing it in the middle of a hot calm bluebird day as long as there is visible cover, submerged cover like logs, grass, stumps, walls, docks etc. Works best in water less than 10 feet unless bass are feeding on the surface over deep water. As far as I am concerned the River2Sea Whopper Plopper is one of the best top water baits ever made. My favorite colors is black (loon) because it make a great silhouette against the sky and on the surface from a fishes point of view  both day or night. Plus birds, mice, rats, etc are not translucent, clear water or not.

 

It cast a mile with 50# braid, if you use a lighter braid, like say 20 or 30 pound you will have tangling problems while in flight. 50 pound braid eliminates 95% of that. Hit the water running just like a buzz bait. Occasionally a very short stop or a couple of pops on the run might entice an otherwise curious bass to strike. I get most strikes in a steady retrieve however. Once in a while bring it about 2/3 of the way back to the boat/shore then just stop it and let it sit for 15-20 seconds ~you might be supersized.       

 

 

I use 30lb braid with no issues. Having a swivel is a must, however, in order to avoid tangling issue. My two cents.

[Boomstick]

I think @Big Hands nailed it. When the bass are actively looking to feed, in the feeding spot is when you want to throw it. Dusk and dawn are usually good times.

[Columbia Craw]

Normally after my morning coffee.

[Ba55Tard83]

I am in MA as well. Been catching a few 1-2 lbr's along rip rap banks this week, on a 90, all before 6am. Because I'm fishing clear resovoir, I go with crystal minnow. Straight steady retrieve along bank, with brief pauses occasionally foes the trick. Good luck!