Don't Throw a Whopper Plopper Unless You Fix These Things

The Whopper Plopper ain't as simple as it seems, folks. Don't agree? Tell me how wrong I am in the comments.

Favorite Ploppin' Setup:

8.5:1 Curado DC Reel:

Gear I Use:
Motor:
My favorite fishing sun shirts:
Favorite spinning reels:
Favorite casting reels:
Power Pole Micro:
Anchor Wizard:
Net:
Rear Camera mount:
Microphone:
#whopperplopper #riversmallmouth #bassfishing #fishingtips

[btmbass]

The pop and pause retrieve gives you less line twist too

[richardpatch]

I add a small swivel to front to keep from getting line twist. Gonna switch over to braid I like your thinking on that. Plus possibly a faster gear ratio. Nice video.

[billhobson]

Great info! I like your color analysis and going light or dark instead of trying every color in the palette.

[shawnwhalen]

The only mod I use is quality barrel swivel on the front. I use 90 and 110 size. 20lb braid, Diawa BG spinning reel, and usually my St.Croix Legend glass rod. This is my favorite way to fish, topwater river Smallies. I usually do a straight constant retrieve, sometimes fast or really slow, sometimes pausing....but the river Smallies are aggressive here in Michigan. I catch. A lot of fish and big fish. I will run my Plopper 90% of the time river smallmouth fishing. I use Perch dirty water and Pac Man clear water. It's literally a blast....Late summer and fall are my favorite times when the Bass are feeding for the winter school and attacking bait.

[hunTN]

This video was a Whopper Plopper game changer for me. Completely changed the way I view the bait. Thanks for the info! P.S. Daiwa owes you commission off me after I went a bought a tatula rod & reel to make sure I was throwing it on the right setup lol!

[EngineeringHooksets]

2:00 tbh I don't think I've ever had an issue with line fraying while throwing a plopper. If you throw your line over a piece of cover that's a guaranteed snag while using a bait with treble hooks IMO. Also, when a bass looks at a lure on the surface of the water it'll always be looking up. I.E. whatever line you're using will be silhouetted against the sky. Mono is clear so the bass won't be able to see it as well. That being said, I can't imagine the line makes more than a 5% difference on getting bites in a river where the water is moving and the fish have less time to think. Not trying to hate 😅, you asked for this in the description. Nice video

[linendinetv]

Great tips! I have a Curado 6.2 to 1 for my current topwater setup and I've definitely lost fish because I can't get the line in fast enough.

[fjkaiser]

I fish the plopper on a googan top water rod lews high speed real with 30# braid. I do the plop plop but I also rip it for a few feet then repeat. I almost always throw a 75 but sometimes go to the 90. Great info love the videos!! I almost exclusively fish the Wisconsin River.

[georgiahomegrownadventures]

I hardly ever do a steady retrieve like I've seen most videos tell you to do. In certain conditions, it's the way to go, but in most cases, the pop and pause method kills it. I love how you can fish this lure super slow while still making a decent amount of noise.
I am having some major issues, though, with line twists. At first, the lures work fantastic, but after a few hookups, they don't work as well, and I'm getting serious twisting that's making the lures unusable. I'm thinking about trying a ring with a barrel swivel.
Just curious how you've made out.

[dougmiles]

I used a spinning reel with a medium heavy rod with 12 lbs text big game line. I don't have a problem catching smallmouth in my river. I live Pennsylvania

[AverageDadFishing]

Great stuff… so are you throwing straight braid?

[ryanlundy]

I missed what brand and weight of braid you use?

[AddictedAngler]

in general when fishing river you should be using high speed reel,

[Micah___Walk_In_Love]

I retrieved it likes it’s alive. A bait that small would never in real life, have Arnold Schwarzenegger swimming strength. Never real it in fast.

[seydoggy.fishing]

So I've had braid/fluoro vs pike fight on YouTube or Reddit so many times. I hook up with hundreds upon hundreds of pike per season, and braid is the line that almost never gets cut. But if I say that out loud I get piled on by the fluoro guys who tell me I'm wrong. They won't hear it any other way, except I doubt they've ever caught more than one pike in their life.

[christopherlacoste]

You're saying one thing and contradicting yourself in another. The reason you don't use braid and stiff rods with topwater and crank baits is the same reason you say for not reaction slam setting the hook on a bite. Let them get the bait in their mouth and sharp hooks do the rest. And then lean into them? Kid, you have a lot to learn.

[AGuyNamedRicky]

Your quintessential plopper mistakes are essentially my plopper playbook 🥲🥲 I def make most of these mistakes