Whopper plopper

[Pat Brown]

Black white and clear.  Done!  Topwater is the easiest colors to pick by far.

[Bankc]

Topwater colors don't matter much.  To the bass below them, they're just shadows against the sky.  Typically, the lightest and darkest colors (bone, black, or clear if the sun is shining) give the best contrast.  But really, any color can work.  

 

I only have one and it's a bluegill pattern.  As far as the bass know, it's a semi-transparent white, as that's what it looks like from their vantage point.  

[Zcoker]

56 minutes ago, RipzLipz said:

 They sure do look & sound like they’d get annihilated.

 

 

 

I wish I could relay the vision of a giant bass annihilating a whopper plopper, especially in the dead calm of a summer's night! The hit is like no other. Even in the daytime, the sudden explosive rage is enough to spook the birds away! 

 

 

[RipzLipz]

20 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

I wish I could relay the vision of a giant bass annihilating a whopper plopper, especially in the dead calm of a summer's night! The hit is like no other. Even in the daytime, the sudden explosive rage is enough to spook the birds away! 

I have no doubt. Same waters I’ve failed with WPs have produced bone jarring strikes with paddle legged frogs & jitterbugs which is why I’m surprised it hasn’t produced more than it has.

[Carolina Pines]

48 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

 

I wish I could relay the vision of a giant bass annihilating a whopper plopper, especially in the dead calm of a summer's night! The hit is like no other. Even in the daytime, the sudden explosive rage is enough to spook the birds away! 

 

 

 

25 minutes ago, RipzLipz said:

I have no doubt. Same waters I’ve failed with WPs have produced bone jarring strikes with paddle legged frogs & jitterbugs which is why I’m surprised it hasn’t produced more than it has.

 

It seems kind of odd to me, but I tend to catch my biggest and most WP bass on the 90 size.  I have a 130 and I've caught some fish but nothing like the size or quantity that I've caught on the 90.  I'm looking to get a 60 too, now that I see they are available. 

 

  @Zcoker I think mentioned he throws the 130 exclusively, might be worth trying one in the smaller sizes..?  Not sure what sizes you're throwing @RipzLipz.  

[Swamp Girl]

I haven't posted this photo for a long time. It's a 36" largemouth bass!!! caught on a Whopper Plopper (Whenever I catch two bass one one lure, I measure them as one bass and 19" + 17" = a 36" largemouth.):

 

[Fishingmickey]

Ya gotta love that Maine bass fishing!  Hopefully be up there again first week of Sept.

FM

[Swamp Girl]

16 minutes ago, Fishingmickey said:

Ya gotta love that Maine bass fishing!  Hopefully be up there again first week of Sept.

FM

 

I hope you too catch yard-long largemouth bass. 

[RipzLipz]

@Carolina Pines I have 3 different sizes, unsure of their exact model numbers but essentially S, M, & L. It could be that I haven’t given them a fair shot, as I tend to stick with my confidence baits that produce bigger bites year in & year out.

[Choporoz]

I have 130s in bone, loon and two that are mostly clear.  I have 90s and 70s in light colors.

   I have never had even a sniff on the smaller ones.  And I have caught exactly two bass on the 130s.  I still toss them once in a while, but they are pretty low on my confidence scale.

[Carolina Pines]

@RipzLipz I'm the same way, it's been probably a year or more since I've caught a WP bass... but I definitely need to throw my WP 90 more.  A couple of years ago I caught a few dozen fish on it with a couple 5s and a 6.  I've only caught a handful of bass on the 130 with biggest one maybe 3 pounds.  These days I tend to use more poppers and spooks.  

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

29 minutes ago, Carolina Pines said:

@RipzLipz I'm the same way, it's been probably a year or more since I've caught a WP bass... but I definitely need to throw my WP 90 more.  A couple of years ago I caught a few dozen fish on it with a couple 5s and a 6.  I've only caught a handful of bass on the 130 with biggest one maybe 3 pounds.  These days I tend to use more poppers and spooks.  

 

 

 

I love my Whopper Ploppers, but I throw a lot of poppers too. Weirdly, I have NEVER CAUGHT A SINGLE FISH on a walk-the-dog bait. And I use them here and there. So, the Spook is to me as the Whopper Plopper is to @gimruis.

[Zcoker]

2 hours ago, Carolina Pines said:

 

 

It seems kind of odd to me, but I tend to catch my biggest and most WP bass on the 90 size.  I have a 130 and I've caught some fish but nothing like the size or quantity that I've caught on the 90.  I'm looking to get a 60 too, now that I see they are available. 

 

  @Zcoker I think mentioned he throws the 130 exclusively, might be worth trying one in the smaller sizes..?  Not sure what sizes you're throwing @RipzLipz.  

 

For me out in the everglades, I was getting 7-9 pounders on the 130, and I've won a few tournament's using it and only it. So I was sold on the 130. I still throw it once every blue moon. On those calm, flat nights, hard to resist the urge to throw one. The WP's usually shine down my way during the summer months--hopefully again sometime soon they'll get their magic back! These big bass wise up quickly to certain lures or certain sounds, the WP being one of them. 

[Big Swimbait]

4 hours ago, gimruis said:

 

 

I assume you mean the 190 version.  That's the original one they made that was specifically designed for muskie fishing.  You need a broom stick of a rod to toss that one lol

You are correct. I thow it on my swimbait rod!

[Carolina Pines]

2 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

 

For me out in the everglades, I was getting 7-9 pounders on the 130, and I've won a few tournament's using it and only it. So I was sold on the 130. I still throw it once every blue moon. On those calm, flat nights, hard to resist the urge to throw one. The WP's usually shine down my way during the summer months--hopefully again sometime soon they'll get their magic back! These big bass wise up quickly to certain lures or certain sounds, the WP being one of them. 

 

That's how it's been for me with the Chatterbait... we were absolutely killing the bass on them for a year or two, then all of the sudden it was like a switch was flipped and they refuse to hit it now.  They definitely get conditioned to lures they see a lot.  I'm still going to fish the Flashback and Mini Max some this spring, I'm looking to bring the bite back.  

 

@ol'crickety I was never much into spooks until I tried the One Knocker, it's been a game changer for me.  The first time I used it, I think I caught more bass in one day than I've ever caught on the regular spook.  

[Bird]

I definitely throw the WP because they cover water like a buzz bait but failed to mention, it's not my biggest producer.

A properly tuned Devils horse gets thrown most often.

[Texas Flood]

The two I owned are still up on a tree but I think it was Bone and the other was black.

[FrnkNsteen]

6 hours ago, RipzLipz said:

I should have bought flying lures, banjo minnows or Roland’s helicopter lure instead of a WP. Have caught 2 fish on them & probably should make room in my box for more productive lures. They sure do look & sound like they’d get annihilated.

 

The plopper to me is like the spinnerbait to @TnRiver46.🤣🤣🤣

Hey Tim...Use the silver with black back in the 90 size up on Rainy when you go.

 

Sunny day,....Swim it slow,.. Just fast enough for the prop to turn steady. Throw it up on the rocky banks and points and roll it over the rocks.

 

The smallies tear it up when the conditions are right up there!!

[RipzLipz]

@FrnkNsteen Thanks!

 

We used prop baits with great success last year. They would just freight train them on the pause.

 

Rapala X-Rap Prop

 

Lucky Craft Kelly J

Am going to try a Cotton Cordell Crazy Shad this year, as the Rapala might have been slightly too big of a profile for some fish that had more than likely been seeing lures more often. Stock hooks & split rings will be replaced with Owners.

A tip for prop baits: Fishing line, regardless of type, often gets wrapped around front prop. Get a thin drink stirrer type of straw, like bars use but with a single hole through it & cut in 1.5-2.5" lengths. Slide straw onto line before tying knot & no more wrapping around prop.

[Dan N]

Never caught a fish on one regardless of color. 

[gim]

3 hours ago, Dan N said:

Never caught a fish on one regardless of color. 

Geez. That’s worse than me.

[Dogface]

On 2/15/2024 at 4:05 PM, Texas Flood said:

The two I owned are still up on a tree but I think it was Bone and the other was black.

 

My first WP was bone. It ended up in a tree the first time I used it. 🤢

 

The first year or two I fished a WP I caught fish. The last year it has not produced for me. I did use a 75 last year in some ponds I fish and I did catch a few.  

 

I guess the fish figured out I was trying to fool them. 😉

[Dan N]

4 hours ago, gimruis said:

Geez. That’s worse than me.

🤣 I’m not much of a topwater guy. I’ve tried a bit , I own a couple ploppers.

[ChrisD46]

On 2/14/2024 at 3:41 PM, Justin Collier said:

I use black and bone. That is the only colors. 

Add “Monkey Butt” color and you are covered .

[Northern Kentucky Fisherman]

Bass resource is Great place to find answers . I asked the opinion of Many fishermen on colors for the whopper plopper and received my answer. With the price of everything going it’s Great to spend my money wisely . Thanks BR !