The Most Exciting Bite in Freshwater Fishing
It’s a calm, quiet morning. The water is glass. You twitch your rod tip, and 70 feet away, a small lure chugs, sending out a perfect ripple. You let it sit. Suddenly, the water beneath your lure vanishes into a giant hole as a bass erupts from below. It’s a heart-stopping, violent, and utterly addicting experience. That, my friends, is the topwater bite.
Of all the ways to catch a fish, nothing compares to seeing the strike. The topwater popper is a simple tool designed to create that exact brand of chaos, and learning how to use it will give you some of the most memorable moments of your fishing career.
Choosing Your Popper: Size, Color, and Sound
A popper is a simple lure with a cupped or “dished” face. When you jerk your rod tip, that cup catches water and creates a “bloop” or “chug” sound, simulating a struggling baitfish or a frog on the surface. For bass, this is a dinner bell.
When you’re starting out, don’t overthink it. A classic like the Rebel Pop-R is responsible for more topwater catches than just about any lure on the planet. Get one in a 1/4 oz size.
The Right Rod and Line Setup for Topwater Poppers
Your line choice is critical for topwater. You need a line that floats. The best choice is 12-15 lb monofilament line. It floats perfectly and has a bit of stretch, which acts as a shock absorber and helps you avoid pulling the small treble hooks from the fish’s mouth.
How to Fish a Topwater Popper: Cadence is Everything
The secret to a popper is the rhythm, or cadence, of your retrieve. Start with the classic retrieve and adjust from there.
The Classic “Pop, Pop, Pause”
This is your starting point. Cast the lure out and let the ripples completely disappear. Then, with your rod tip pointed down, give it two gentle snaps. Now, pause. Let it sit perfectly still for 3, 5, even 10 seconds. The strike will almost always happen when the lure is sitting dead still.
The Golden Rule of Topwater: When to Set the Hook
This is the hardest lesson to learn in all of fishing. Your instinct, when you see that explosive strike, is to immediately snatch back on the rod. DO NOT DO THIS. You will pull the lure away from the fish 9 times out of 10.
The rule is simple: Wait until you feel the weight of the fish on your line, then set the hook.
Prime Time: When to Throw a Topwater Popper
Poppers are most effective when bass are looking up to feed, which typically happens in low-light conditions.
There’s a time and a place for grinding crankbaits, but when the conditions are right, there’s no substitute for the heart-pounding thrill of a topwater popper. It’s the most visual and exciting lure type we discuss in our Ultimate Guide to Bass Fishing.
-Captain Sal
