First Time Using A Whopper Plopper...... Holy Smokes!!

[Crow Horse]

Like the title says, the last time out on the water I used a Whopper Plopper for the first time and I'm beyond impressed! First off, let me paint a back drop.

 

Background info - We're fishing from kayaks on a small 12 acre pond.

 

Admittedly, I'm really reluctant to change from a proven technique. I'll continue to use a technique solely based on my confidence in it to produce. Conversely, I resist  changing techniques because of my lack of confidence in it.

 

My fishing buddy Curtis does the opposite and constantly changes what he's using to adapt to changing conditions. Between the two of us, we generally do about the same with Curtis having a slight edge. This time out I decided that I was going to try topwater, something that I had little to no confidence in. I picked up 2 75 Whopper Ploppers, bluegill & perch. Holy crap! They far exceeded my expectations and I had one of the best days fishing that I can remember!

Sometime in the morning I had drifted over to the side of the pond that Curtis was fishing and he reported that he had only 2 fish while I had 8 at that point. He went on to say that he had fished an area of the shoreline that almost always produces but he had no success. I went over and on my first cast hooked into a nice bass and followed up with 2 more strikes. For him, the rest of the day went very slow not catching anything. I lent him the Whopper Plopper that I wasn't using and almost immediately he landed a 4# bass.

 

At the end of the day, I tallied 20+ fish. I honestly lost count. No dinks and had 2 4#ers. It was pretty amazing. Needless to say, my confidence in using them skyrocketed. I realize that this level of success can't be expected every time out but you can bet I'll be using it again.

[MN Fisher]

So much for the nay-sayers who say buying Ploppers is a waste of money.

 

Me, I love tossing Ploppers...

[MGF]

On our river...I caught a bunch of fish on them when I first started using them and then...it died. For a while there it seemed like everybody I saw was throwing then and it got to where I couldn't buy a bite on one.

[bowhunter63]

They work great on the River. That bait definitely has a cult like following . There fun when they smash it 

[MediumMouthBass]

The Whopper Ploppers are really great lures, even on days that are slow they are still just fun to cast and reel in, just waiting for a fish to come up and get it, alot of people have been saying in the past few years that the Whopper Ploppers done and its a waste to buy them or use them because a long time ago in a pond far, far away every person, duck, and goose threw them over and over again and now the fish wont bite them. But if thats the way most people think about them and most people stopped using them, well shouldnt that mean that the bass are no longer used to that lure and will start biting it again? BTW if you like throwing Whopper Ploppers and are in pike/musky waters the 130 and 190 are really, really fun.

[galyonj]

I used to do okay with them, but it's been a good while since I found myself on a topwater bite, much less one with a taste for plopping baits.

[waymont]

Get ready for a bunch of people telling you they don't catch fish!

 

[JediAmoeba]

I have only caught fish on them in unpressured water. 

[MN Fisher]

19 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said:

I have only caught fish on them in unpressured water. 

Minnetonka is about as pressured as you can get...and I've caught both bass and pike on WP-90s.

[Phelptwan]

When I first started heavily fishing them they were amazing.  I dunno if they have been over fished here, or if I've changed something up.  I just don't get hits on them anymore.

[Cbump]

You could probably throw cut hot dogs and catch bass on a 12 acre pond. 

[swhit140]

They work really good on Wiper's too..?

 

[Crow Horse]

1 hour ago, Cbump said:

You could probably throw cut hot dogs and catch bass on a 12 acre pond. 

Unlikely.....

[Happybeerbuzz]

I got into a wakebait trend over the last couple of years.   I think I will dust off a few Whopper Ploppers and Choppos this summer and see for myself if the bite has died on them.  I recall some epic days with a WP in monkey butt and others with a Choppo in pearl.   

[LrgmouthShad]

7 hours ago, Cbump said:

throw cut hot dogs

Dude that’s a great bait, no ?

[Koz]

For me, the Whopper Plopper is the ultimate hit or miss bait. At first it was great. I remember one day there was a 60 minute window where I caught a bass on every single cast fishing a small lagoon. It was nuts.

 

But by the end of the year I rarely caught anything on them. I don't fish it that often anymore, but it's been years since I caught anything on one of them.

[Crow Horse]

The question that begs to be asked is "why does it produce so well and then subsequently success trails off?"  Does it only produce under a narrow set of conditions? We can't be suggesting that the bass are actually "learning", or are we?

 

Next time out I'll be tossing them again. The weather looks to be a possible factor because thunderstorms will be sporadic.

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, Crow Horse said:

The question that begs to be asked is "why does it produce so well and then subsequently success trails off?"  Does it only produce under a narrow set of conditions? We can't be suggesting that the bass are actually "learning", or are we?

In general, setting aside plastic worms and spinnerbaits which are more or less irresistible, lure resistance is a real thing, and it's reasonable to assume it's triggered by a survival instinct which is a form of intelligence informed by learning. That process is amplified by C&R which wouldn't be the case if every caught bass was taken instead of released.

 

The general trend amongst those who've had great success with WPs in a specific body of water seems to be that you smash them for a season or two, then poof it's over either permanently or for a while at least. This was me from '19-'20 in my favorite 40-acre spot. I stung a whole bunch of them, but then it was done in a big way. It's turning around a skosh this year, but nothing like it was. Back then I could've closed my eyes and casted one into the woods and gotten bit, but they've smartened up, especially the better fish. Dinks aren't wise, so I don't count them.

[Crow Horse]

If the bass on some level are learning, why are they not learning to avoid other lures? What makes the WP unique to the bass learning? 

[tcbass]

Whopper Plopper is my favorite topwater followed by my homemade Teckel Frogs for when there is vegetation that messes up topwaters.

 

I think I went to a 75 size after 110.

 

 

Had all sizes and 110 was the best until I went to the smaller 75.

 

 

The 90 didn't run well. 

[TnRiver46]

I’ve thrown WP bout 4 years and caught a single bass, 11” smallmouth. 
 

that way I don’t have to ponder why success fell off because it never started 

[MediumMouthBass]

Anyone ever try swapping the treble hooks out for single hooks with a weed guard and throw em in the lily pads? That would be fun. And hey maybe the bass in the lily pads would bite it since they wouldnt know what it is.

[TnRiver46]

18 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

Anyone ever try swapping the treble hooks out for single hooks with a weed guard and throw em in the lily pads? That would be fun. And hey maybe the bass in the lily pads would bite it since they wouldnt know what it is.

That’s what a ribbit toad is for 

[gim]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’ve thrown WP bout 4 years and caught a single bass, 11” smallmouth. 

Mine was a single 12 inch largemouth.  And a pike.  But pike bite anything.

 

Something to keep in mind is that almost every topwater I toss now fails.  I used to catch a lot of fish on buzz baits and frogs.  Almost none now.

[tcbass]

1 hour ago, MediumMouthBass said:

Anyone ever try swapping the treble hooks out for single hooks with a weed guard and throw em in the lily pads? That would be fun. And hey maybe the bass in the lily pads would bite it since they wouldnt know what it is.

 

 

Try this.