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  • Favorite topwater?

    It's snowing, I'm bored, so what is your favorite topwater?
    I'll have to say the Stillwater Smack It. It cast well enough, its loud and obnoxious. My biggest gripe about them is they are a pain to find. Rarely are they on-line, and stores always seem to be out. Never in BPS, or Anglers (at least when I checked). I may have to resort to the Tsunami popper if I can't find a few more Stillwater's. I usually throw the small, may try the large this year.
    One topwater I never like throwing are spooks. I love them from a boat or Shore, but the angle on the yak never works for me.
    So what's your favorite topwater, it's almost Spring and we have to be ready.
    Jay

    10' Green Slayer
    13’ Red Slayer

  • #2
    Originally posted by summersoff View Post
    It's snowing, I'm bored, so what is your favorite topwater?
    I'll have to say the Stillwater Smack It. It cast well enough, its loud and obnoxious. My biggest gripe about them is they are a pain to find. Rarely are they on-line, and stores always seem to be out. Never in BPS, or Anglers (at least when I checked). I may have to resort to the Tsunami popper if I can't find a few more Stillwater's. I usually throw the small, may try the large this year.
    One topwater I never like throwing are spooks. I love them from a boat or Shore, but the angle on the yak never works for me.
    So what's your favorite topwater, it's almost Spring and we have to be ready.
    Here you go....http://www.fishermansheadquarters.co...ater-lures.htm
    Currently I'm having a lot of fun with the Whopper Ploppers

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    • #3
      ^^^^
      I have to take a look at the the whopper popper, is that fished like a spook?
      If you look closely at that Fishermans headquarters link, they are always out of stock of Smackits except one or two colors.
      Last edited by summersoff; 01-07-2017, 08:36 AM.
      Jay

      10' Green Slayer
      13’ Red Slayer

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by summersoff View Post
        I have to take a look at the the whopping poppers.
        If you look closely Fishermans headquarters is always out of stock of snackits except one or two colors.
        This is where I get mine, always have a lot of color selection http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/River...e-R2SWP13.html

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        • #5
          I caught a couple of hundred bluegills fly fishing with a pink foam spider in 2016. Also got a few smallmouth bass and some fallfish.
          Over the years caught a mess of smallies on a black/silver rebel pop-r.
          White buzz baits also are fun.
          I like the Lucky Craft wake tail 85 too for bass.

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          • #6
            For conventional tackle I am partial to Rapala's Skitter Pop. However, I modify it to remove the trebles. I replace them with a single in-line hook on the tail of the lure. Here's the result:

            P1020464.jpg

            Note that I removed the middle hook entirely. I have caught largemouth bass and stripers with this very lure as configured, including my largest striper of last year, a 29 incher.

            For topwater flies I use homemade foam poppers.

            I use elongated flies like these for stripers:

            P1000573.jpg H.jpg

            Pickerels have also hit them in tidal creeks.

            For fresh water bass, pickerels, bluegills and crappies, I make foam poppers with rubber legs:

            A.JPG B.JPG C.JPG D.JPG
            Attached Files
            Mark
            Pasadena, MD


            Slate Hobie Revolution 13
            Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12
            Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro

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            • #7
              Originally posted by summersoff View Post
              ^^^^
              I have to take a look at the the whopper popper, is that fished like a spook?k.
              It's kind of a buzz bait if reeled continuously and a spook or popper if paused but it doesn't dart side to side. I guess the best comparison would be a heddon torpedo.

              My favorite top water is the old jitterbug.


              Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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              • #8
                I do not throw topwater very often. I currently have one rod with Smack-It Jr. tied on. I bought that lure at Marty's -- they usually have them in stock. Like Mark, I removed both trebles and added a J-hook with hair to the rear. I recall a day last summer near the mouth of Eastern Bay when Mark was catching a few stripers on his popper. I picked up the Smack-It Jr rod and quickly nailed a 24" striper.

                When I fish in Tampa Bay with a guide he uses a MirrOlure C-Eye Poppa Mullet for his topwater fishing. It is the same size as the Smack-It Jr. The MirrOlure website gives this information about that lure:

                Poppa Mullet™ - Dual Action Lure that calls them in.

                It Pops! It Walks! MirrOlure’s NEW surface lure, the Poppa Mullet™, offers two very effective top water actions. First, Poppa Mullet™ achieves a walk-the-dog action with ease. Second, you can easily fish this lure with a popping action. Both are equally effective on gator Trout, huge Redfish and trophy Snook


                I have caught some large speckled trout on that lure. He gave me one to bring home. I plan to use the same hook replacement when I tie it on.
                John Veil
                Annapolis
                Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

                Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by J.A. Veil View Post
                  ...I recall a day last summer near the mouth of Eastern Bay when Mark was catching a few stripers on his popper. I picked up the Smack-It Jr rod and quickly nailed a 24" striper.
                  I remember that day too.

                  Count on John to find the big one!
                  Mark
                  Pasadena, MD


                  Slate Hobie Revolution 13
                  Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12
                  Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I really like the poppa mullet, it casts like a bullet and has a nice action to it. That was my go-to topwater this summer.
                    Joe

                    2020 Vibe Shearwater 125

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                    • #11
                      I have had really good results with the Bomber Badonk-A-Donk saltwater grade for puppy drum and striper. 4" silver flash/pink/chartreuse. I always have a couple with me anytime I go flats fishing.

                      http://cdn3.bigcommerce.com/s-h2nin/...0.1280.png?c=2
                      2013 WS Ride 135
                      2015 WS Ride 115

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                      • #12
                        Tsunami 5 inch black/silver popper is my favorite, no telling how many big, keeper stripers that thing has caught- but the paint is about completely gone...and it still works- although I have caught fish with the Whopper Plopper and the Chug Bug- caught a lot of stripers right at dark on the Chug Bug- big noisey, commotion causing popper... I fish top water a lot- usually keep a rod rigged with the popper...and I replace the trebles with in-line single hooks on my poppers
                        Last edited by ronaultmtd; 01-10-2017, 11:14 AM.
                        "Lady Luck" 2016 Red Hibiscus Hobie Outback, Lowrance Hook2-7TS
                        2018 Seagrass Green Hobie Compass, Humminbird 798 ci HD SI
                        "Wet Dream" 2011 yellow Ocean Prowler 13
                        Charter member of Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club

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                        • #13
                          Seems like a consentious to pick up some poppa mullets, they look very similar to smack-it's. And the whopper popper.
                          Anybody try the Lonely Angler wood poppers? I always have a soft spot for wood. Hopefully he will be at the Flea Market, I remember buying some spooks from him last time I was there.
                          Last edited by summersoff; 01-08-2017, 04:40 AM.
                          Jay

                          10' Green Slayer
                          13’ Red Slayer

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                          • #14
                            If I throw top water it is a fly. I have caught some bruisers, smallmouth, on poppers and lost a few monsters. What is really exciting is site casting a big smallmouth with a popper in very clear water. Or seeing a large smallmouth come up, in slow motion, and take the fly. That is some serious adrenaline when it goes right.

                            I have also had a few really nice Largemouth bass on poppers. I had a snakehead go after a popper a few times but never hooked it.

                            I will say that I was throwing an extra large Letort Hopper one summer in the Rappahannock. The water was slightly stained and I was wading so I never got a look at what took my fly but something took the Letort Hopper and took off like a freight train. I never did turn that fish. I have a feeling that it was one of those monster carp that you see patrolling the river from time to time. It was insane!

                            One of my favorite theories that I buy into is big fly, big fish. Yeah, there times when I want to break a skunk and I throw a small popper to catch anything that will bite, but other times I pull out the massive flies.

                            I tie a fly called a Shannon's Streamer. It is a huge white fly tied on a 2/0 hook. It is just below the surface and has a really cool action. It has caught some big smallies on the Potomac and I lost a monster last year. I watched the fish rise up and strike the fly. The mouth on that fish was HUGE. I had it on for five minutes before it jumped and spit the hook.

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                            • #15
                              Stillwaters and spooks.

                              Are there other lures?
                              Native Slayer 12
                              Native Ultimate

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