Topwater Selection

[iceintheveins]

I do well on most all topwater lures, but I was just wondering what in conditions do you select the following baits over another type of topwater?

When to select a popper?

When to select a prop bait?

When to select a dog walker?

When to select a frog?

When to select a buzzbait?

When to select a jitterbug?

[dauberangler]

Instead of making 3 threads why not one,  just a suggestion?

[skillet]

 LOTS of opinions on this one! I usually pick topwater baits based on amount of chop on the water (not always). The smoother the surface, the less disturbance I want the bait to make. Calm conditions call for something like a Rapala floating minnow. With your first three I would use when there is quite a bit of chop on the surface and would say they are pretty much interchangeable. The next 2 when I want to put something over the top of or in vegetation. The jitterbug I usually use in low light (lot of opinions here) and calmer conditions. Hope this helps...

skillet

BTW OK let the Flaming begin ;D

[J Francho]

90% of the time, I throw a Sammy 115 or a Gunfish 115.  I generally start with a pretty quick retrieve.  Even the rare occasion I throw a popper, I walk it.

I throw a frog when there is cover that would snag or foul the hooks on a hard bait.  I walk frogs, too.

The jitterbug is a nighttime bait for me.  I use a steady retrieve, and ignore the blowups, while keying in on the noise from the lure.  If the noise stops, I stop reeling, and feel for something alive.

I like buzzbaits in current.

I don't have any set rules, other than jitterbug, for when to throw them.

[Daniel My Brother]

I like a popper (chug bug) when there's chop on the water.

I use a buzzbait when I want to cover a lot of water quickly.

I use a frog in and around weeds.

I throw a spook when bass are busting shad on the surface.

I don't use prop baits much.

I like a jitterbug for night fishing.

[Raul]

Good question,

1.- Popper, when there 's chop on the water or when it looks like glass.

2.- Propbait, just like the popper

3.- Walker, like the popper

4.- Frog, on and around weeds

5.- Buzzbait, since apparently buzzbaits and I don 't get along well, buzzbaits ...... I 'd rather try with something else

6.- Jitterbug, that 's one bait I won 't fish when there 's chop on on the water.

[bassfanatick]

I think I can chime in:

When to select a popper?  Early morning and a lil before the sunset, calm surface. Magnum Repel pop r baby bass.

When to select a prop bait? Good all around, when the surface is choppy, favorite would be the tiny frog colored heddon torpedo.

When to select a dog walker? Midday, calm surface, Heddon super spook jr. bass.

When to select a frog? around weeds mostly, spro popper leopard frog.

When to select a buzzbait? top water search bait, also good when they are busting on shads.  Choppy surface most of the time, cavitron ghost minnow.

When to select a jitterbug? Early morning and night. When you want to suprise the bass's ambush point, like retrieving it in-between weedlines, jitterbug frog colored.

[Paul Roberts]

I do well on most all topwater lures, but I was just wondering what in conditions do you select the following baits over another type of topwater?

When to select a popper?

When to select a prop bait?

When to select a dog walker?

When to select a frog?

When to select a buzzbait?

When to select a jitterbug?

Fun!

No absolutes, but tendancies. I think of coverage speed, and fish activity/spookiness weigh in heavy. In general I like relatively clear water, except for waking type ones (like a big bladed buzzer crawled):

When to select a popper?

Generally when I want the bait to stay in place longer: It's calmer, luring fish up from deeper water, or I expect fish to be tentative. They can be fished fast and noisy -but if the fish want fast and noisy I'll usually use something else. IME they excel in calm waters where subtle twitches and that rolling boil they can make really interests fish.

When to select a twitched Rapala?

As above, but when flat calm. Also, in coolest of topwater temperatures.

When to select a waked Rapala?

Calm conditions when more speed is better than a twitched Rap.

When to select a prop bait?

I don't use 'em, but have been meaning to add one for choppy water. Just tend to get by with other stuff.

When to select a dog walker?

Ooooohh! A favorite. Anytime I think bass will break top. In calmer brighter conditions I use smaller ones (<4") with a chrome or translucent finish. few lures are more fun in that what you do with 'em can matter a lot.

When to select a frog?

Dense mats, otherwise I'm using something else.

When to select a buzzbait?

Darker conditions, esp with chop on the water. I fish both slow waking buzzers and fast noisy ones. I actually consider "bulged" spinnerbaits a topwater too, and bit more subtle than a buzzer.

When to select a jitterbug?

I like 'em at night of course. You can do a lot with them, but I always do better fishing 'em slowly, so I tend to consider them not the best choice for coverage. But I feel like I can almost always draw something with one -although sometimes they are only smalls, and I should be fishing faster, deeper, or in heavier cover. They are big bass catchers though. I have one that has caught some really nice bass for me, my father, and his father. It's hanging over my desk as I type. I'm waiting for my son to catch a good one on it. 8-)

[Koop]

Now we are talkin!  My favorite way to fish and most likely my most proficient!

When to select a popper?

I use a 1/4oz popper when I need a slower retrieve on calmer water.  I use a 1/2oz popper when I need a slower retrieve in choppier water. (Yellow Magic or the XPS brand is good also, I also have a few heddon pop'n image I like)

When to select a prop bait?

When I need to make commotion, I generally use a prop bait as a search bait and burn it.

When to select a dog walker?

Zara Spook and LC Gunfish, I use the spook when I want little disturbance and a medium pace retreive, and the LC Gunfish when I want to make just a bit more commotion.

When to select a frog?

Heavy slop, over thick barely subsurface weeds where a buzzbait will get hung up to much.

When to select a buzzbait?

Over weeds that are thin enough or just subsurface enough to not get hung up, contrary to the common conception of "Dawn and Dusk" I can be caught throwing a buzzbait over slop in mid day.  This is also a great selection when fish are short striking your frog, toss on a trailer hook.

When to select a jitterbug?

I rarely use a jitterbug anytime but at night on calm water.

[RoLo]

An unabridged answer to that question would fill a book.

Very basically speaking, a good place to begin is by first accessing the "surface turbulence",

then select a topwater lure that produces somewhat greater "lure commotion".

If the lure produces equal or lesser commotion than wind turbulence, bass will have great difficulty homing in.

Conversely, on a flat slick surface, a topwater lure that sends out tiny ripples will normally be enough. There are ten categories

of topwater lures, but a surface lure that 'advances steadily' and one that's worked 'stop-&-go' will handle most situations.

(At night of course, you'd always want maximal sound)

Roger

[detroit1]

Thanks Roger..short and complete.  I might add that there is no time to throw a buzzbait or propbait...(for me, at least)

[RoLo]

Thanks Roger..short and complete. I might add that there is no time to throw a buzzbait or propbait...(for me, at least)

Now that you brought it up, among the ten categories of topwater lures,

I too rank buzzbaits and propbaits on the bottom, but openly confess that buzzbaits are a joy to fish

Roger

[iceintheveins]

Thanks guys. A lot of info was pretty much what I expected but some was different.

[Chaz Hickcox]

I use a buzzbait when there's a lot of chop.  Poppers in glassy water.  and jitterbug right at dusk/dawn.  Frogs on lilly pads or between the knees of cypress trees.  

Basically on an overcast windy day I will keep a buzzbait goin off the points in the chop and as soon as I get amongst the trees I will switch to a popper or a frog.  Does well for me.

the four pounder in this picture was a result of choppy water buzzbaits