Im weak in my topwater proficiency.

Does a whopper plopper or buzz bait out perform one or the other?
Does one get more or bigger bites?

What is your fall go to topwater bait?

Pop R and Spook will always get it done!

PopR or walking style bait like a spook, gunfish, heckler, etc...

I gave up on the plopper a while ago. Hookup ratio is worse than any bait I've every thrown. Stick with the high percentage baits, poppers (yellow magic) walkers (spook) and buzz baits.

I definitely like a buzzbait in the fall. If I could only choose one between a buzzbait and whopper plopper, I would choose a buzzbait. If I see fish blowing up on bait fish, I tend to lean more towards a spook or Pop-R type bait. I always have all 3 types tied on for topwater. It usually depends on the water conditions and type of cover I am fishing as to which one I try first.

When the bass are aggressive; buzzbait can be great.
Not quite as aggressive-pop R
Not aggressive—walking bait like a spook.

Trailer or no on a buzzbait?

For me it's no trailer.

This time of year, might put a white or Shad colored fluke or 4inch swimbait on there.

Lots of huge Bass caught on my Spook over 50 years of throwing it. I have never caught a huge bass while walking the bait.
- Practice making 180 degree turns with it while sitting in one spot.
- Throw it to your target and let it sit.
- Then make it turn and let it sit again.
- Do three of these turns; if no takers, walk it to the boat for the smaller fish.

It’s cloudy here today, it’s almost more than I can take being at work.

Super Spooks... Just make sure you 'walk' the bait (pull on SLACK line, not feeling the lure until the very end of the pull, thus only moving it inches, but moving it HARD), this will elicit the strikes, and not working it right will only net you (no pun intended), 10% of what you could have caught.

Buzzbaits, make sure you start it as it hit the water, NOT a second or two later, as you waste effectiveness with it coming back under the water instead of on top. Buzzbaits when grass is around, plopper if not. Mix it up, one works better here, one works better there. Overall, you'll get less fish, but they tend to be twice the size!


Super Spook/ Barrett Lake, East San Diego county.


By the way, I pretty much only fish top. My largest on top is 11.6 so far- frog. Post pics of the monsters you gunna get, ok? ;/)

Just got this one in a SOT gift bag; Berkley Cane Walker, boated this fish on Sandlin the other day just a few cast into throwing it for the first time.
. Normally my #1 go to is a Pop-R followed by a Tiny Torpedo. The Pop-R has put money in my pocket and the Tiny Torpedo has probably boated the most fish on a top water bite over my lifetime.

+1

I always start with a One-Knocker Spook in Bone. If they aren't hitting it I will throw a smaller prop bait. The original Cotton Cordell Crazy Shad was my favorite. I find in clear water with a little chop on the water the prop-baits have worked the best for me. If the surface is calm like glass, I will throw a Pop-R.

Caught 4-6 lbers last year on almost every cast from 12:00 to 12:30 on a small rocky point on a small prop bait. These fish would not touch a spook, jerkbait, swimbait, or anything else I threw at them to try and get a bigger bite.

I picked up the prop bait after fishing with 4-5 other lures and not getting a bite and caught one over 6 on my first cast. Decided then, why try anything else. I probably averaged a fish every 2 casts for 30 minutes and can only remember 1 or 2 fish under 4 lbs. Was without a doubt the best 30 minutes of fishing I have ever experienced.