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whopper plopper

11K views 72 replies 17 participants last post by  just plain bill 
#1 ·
I like it. More fun than a popper. Really like the action. Can be worked several ways. I like popping it on a super slow retrieve, and stopping it completely a coupla times each retrieve...Not quite like walking the dog, but definitely another lure to consider. And I like the clearest model they make. However, the big one is TOO big! Like reeling a battleship back....check em out!
 
#3 ·
Define occasionally please. LOL I have one and have fished it enough to have, in my mind, given it a fair chance without even so much as a swirl in the general vicinity of the bait. I love the action of the bait but have no luck with it. I put it down and throw a Yellow Magic, Pop-R or buzzbait and they will at least get slapped at. Must not be holding my tongue right during the retrieve? LOL
 
#4 ·
Whopper Plopper CSB

I'm fishing in my kayak on Fayette and it's like 11 AM. There's not much wind so it's pretty quiet. Young fellow in a kayak comes up behind me and I only know he's there when I hear that distinctive sound of a WP being retrieved.
I turn to see how close he is to me and I'm thinking it's probably a waste of time throwing that WP at almost noon in the 15 FOW around the stumps we were in. Luckily I didn't say what I was thinking cause a pretty decent fish slammed that thing less than 30 yards from were I was dragging a lizard.
 
#60 ·
I can only catch suicidal fish that want to be eaten. The last fish I hooked with a whopper plopper was a tiny bass that hooked themselves on the end treble hook under the dorsal fin just like I do with minnows.

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#6 ·
i retrieve it real slow, with the occasional pop...admittedly, we're not exactly in topwater season, but i know topwater lures, and the whopper is a good'un! went to dick's today and greabbed 6 more!! also a thing called the link...got two of tose...i cant help myself....also found the last pair of my favorite shorts in the entire state!
 
#7 ·
I picked up two of these (small 90 size – one white, one black) on Friday. Threw it around the dam at Decker Saturday before and as the sun was coming up. No bites or swipes.

Even though I didn't know what to expect, I was a bit surprised that it sat so low in the water. When stopped, only the top of the head sits above the water line.

And what I considered to be a medium-speed retrieve (7.3:1 reel) seemed too slow to cause much of a "plop." It seemed to only churn below the surface. Once I sped up my retrieve, it made its characteristic "plop."

I noticed that the bait did not come with a split ring on the nose, yet an old Wired2Fish write-up that I conveniently saw yesterday showed an added split ring. Anyone have any recommended tweaks?
 
#8 ·
Hmm...was there any topwater activity at all at the dam? If there is none it would be difficult for any top lure to be effective, as I'm sure you know.
All I seem to throw is a topwater, and after awhile I seem to get a sense of how to use it during the retrieve...sometimes I pop, hardly move fwd, pop, hardly move fwd, until I get results...then yesterday I had to pick up the speed a bit to get bit, lol. I try to think like the fish...what makes the lure something to attack...can I hit it...all the stuff we all try to accomplish...it's a puzzle that's in motion and the pieces change every hour, causing us to have to adapt... getting that thru my thick head isnt always easy, lol. I DO know I'll be back next weekend!
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the offer, JPB. I will admit that topwater is a real weakness in my game. I have a few poppers, spooks, frogs and now Whopper Ploppers, but I hardly ever throw them.

My gameplan last Saturday was to start at the dam (with the black WP 90 before sunrise) and a flat just north of the spillway. Both areas have been very productive for me. While I remember hearing one splash up top, there was not much surface activity overall. It probably wasn't the time for the WP. I did get one to hit a weighted super fluke pretty quickly after putting the WP down.

Your preference is always the clear ones? Or is there a specific time/condition that favors one color versus another?
 
#11 ·
ever since i discovered the clear, my numbers improved dramatically...i hate to throw anything else in any kind of bait, even if it goes under the surface (gasp!) i run into others who have had the same experience...i dont know if it just disguises the size or what, so it appears to be what they're chasing, but it definitely works! :)
 
#23 · (Edited)
LOL :cool: And this is why guys are complaining about not doing that well on the WP. Everyone wusses out and gets the 90 because they assume it will get more bites. Almost anyone that has come out with me on a guided trip can tell you the 130 is where it is at and 90% of the time it gets more bites than the 90. Just to give you an idea... I own 8 different WP 130s and two WP 90s. I do own a couple of 90s though because there is that other small percentage of the time when the 90 is what you want. Don't erroneously assume that throwing the 130 is akin to throwing a large swimbait and that you are only looking for 1 or 2 bites. I have had many days catching more than 20 fish on the 130. Here is just a very small sampling of WP 130 fish... I was going to put up a bunch of fish that my clients have caught with the 130 as well, but it won't let me upload that many photos. haha. The WP is not a new bait for me as I've been throwing it for about 5-6 years and have a bit more experience with it than most.

But ya know... I'm totally cool with everyone else throwing the 90 and leaving all the WP fish for my clients and I.

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#22 ·
Got it home and I dont see that big a diff between the two...the ribbing on the sides of the phantom inhibits the "thru the lure" clarity I would like to see, and I wonder if the few sparkling sparkler doohickees on the terminator actually enhance...also, the dark top on phantom is similar to yo zuri spooks, so that cant be considered a negative, altho heddon is clear all over...
 
#26 · (Edited)
lol
i returned the 130 cuz i'm old and the dang thing was too difficult to reel in!
also, i've never had success with ANY larger topwater lure...go figure...
Throwing it on an appropriate rod with the right line makes it much easier. Certainly don't want to throw it on the same rod you use for the 90 or other smaller topwaters. Of course, I know your style, Bill, and I don't see you going out and buying a rod just for bigger topwater baits. :D
 
#30 ·
Thanks for the info. My top water is a 6'8" med xfast tip using 15 mono. I hesitated on the 130 because of the over one ounce weight. I didn't want to throw it on my 7'6" hvy punching setup.

Btw,
I was lone of your first converts to the WP two years ago. You recommended it when I was filling out my top water selections. Thank you for that.
 
#31 ·
the A-rig is a mess of tangles for me...my skills are so limited, i hate to call what i do 'skill'... i love topwater fishing almost exclusively, as y'all probably know, but i do have a few lures that get underwater, and someday i might throw 'em, lol....my gosh, the money i've spent on stuff i never use, just cuz it was on sale... i should clean out the fishing closet and sell a bunch of stuff just so it gets used by somebody... i know, i know, i'm the only one with these issues... hmm....think i'll go hit gander and bass pro today...hmm...
 
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