Poppers, wake baits?

[Gavin]

Buzzbaits work too. Only 2 topwater were on a buzzer last Saturday. Was really slow. Fish seemed to be scattered. Don’t think that I caught more than 3, but 2 on top. Had to mow allot of willow weed and work through some tree tops to do that but not much working. 

[LarrySTL]

On 6/27/2019 at 12:36 PM, siusaluki said:

If you ever fish northern MN or WI, make sure you have some hula poppers with you.  I've never liked them, but I've had my butt kicked a few times by my brothers in the tannin/tea colored lakes and rivers up north.  It's all about the pause with those. Cast it out, give it a big PLOOP, then let it sit still for 30-60 seconds.  My WTD lures work up there too, but those poppers really work for big fish at times.

• Quote

This retrieve  also used to work and probably still does on Table Rock and Bull with the medium size or large ....drum roll....get this.....Lucky 13.    Painfully let-mold-grow-on-it type slow.  One Bloosh.,,..,  then eat lunch, then move it again.  Rinse and repeat.      Plus ( have fun on Ebay when you read this next one)....the Hoodler.

[drew03cmc]

Man guys, I'm fascinated by the range of baits this thread has covered. I've never seen a Top Dollar, but do have a Spit N Image I need to swap hooks and splits on. Maybe I'll finally catch a smallie on a walker...maybe.

[rps]

14 hours ago, drew03cmc said:

Man guys, I'm fascinated by the range of baits this thread has covered. I've never seen a Top Dollar, but do have a Spit N Image I need to swap hooks and splits on. Maybe I'll finally catch a smallie on a walker...maybe.

Champ says the Top Dollar throws like a potato chip. Someone else told me the action was like a Spook Jr. that had drunk too much tequila. Both traits are true. However, I have caught 63 fish in one day with it. I have caught a 23.5 inch largemouth around 8 pounds with it. And, important to you, I have several 3+ smallmouth from the lake with it. If I send you one (they are no longer made), do you promise to be patient and fish it with faith and determination?

[Al Agnew]

On 7/4/2019 at 8:35 PM, LarrySTL said:

This retrieve  also used to work and probably still does on Table Rock and Bull with the medium size or large ....drum roll....get this.....Lucky 13.    Painfully let-mold-grow-on-it type slow.  One Bloosh.,,..,  then eat lunch, then move it again.  Rinse and repeat.      Plus ( have fun on Ebay when you read this next one)....the Hoodler.

I know retrieves like that work, but if I gotta catch fish by fishing topwaters that slow, I ain't gonna catch fish, because I just can't make myself do it.  My homemade crankbait, which has a skirt on the belly hook, is like that.  The guy that first showed it to me used to cast it out while floating the river, let it sit until the canoe was so far ahead of it that he was turned around backwards watching it, and then just barely twitch it, just enough to make the skirt tremble.  Then he'd let it set again until it started dragging, and finally retrieve it.  I had one day in my life when I was forced to fish it that way to catch fish.  Every other of the thousands of days I've used it a simple crankbait retrieve worked.

[Mitch f]

1 hour ago, Al Agnew said:

I know retrieves like that work, but if I gotta catch fish by fishing topwaters that slow, I ain't gonna catch fish, because I just can't make myself do it.  My homemade crankbait, which has a skirt on the belly hook, is like that.  The guy that first showed it to me used to cast it out while floating the river, let it sit until the canoe was so far ahead of it that he was turned around backwards watching it, and then just barely twitch it, just enough to make the skirt tremble.  Then he'd let it set again until it started dragging, and finally retrieve it.  I had one day in my life when I was forced to fish it that way to catch fish.  Every other of the thousands of days I've used it a simple crankbait retrieve worked.

Yep, and if a guy got lucky and caught one on a Panther Martin in-line spinner, he’d spend the rest of his life thinking it was the best lure ever created!

RIP Norm

[Greasy B]

1 hour ago, Mitch f said:

Yep, and if a guy got lucky and caught one on a Panther Martin in-line spinner, he’d spend the rest of his life thinking it was the best lure ever created!

RIP Norm

I’m that guy, with about 6-8 baits. 

Thank you, Norm, 

[Flysmallie]

12 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

I know retrieves like that work, but if I gotta catch fish by fishing topwaters that slow, I ain't gonna catch fish, because I just can't make myself do it.  My homemade crankbait, which has a skirt on the belly hook, is like that.  The guy that first showed it to me used to cast it out while floating the river, let it sit until the canoe was so far ahead of it that he was turned around backwards watching it, and then just barely twitch it, just enough to make the skirt tremble.  Then he'd let it set again until it started dragging, and finally retrieve it.  I had one day in my life when I was forced to fish it that way to catch fish.  Every other of the thousands of days I've used it a simple crankbait retrieve worked.

I’ve caught some really nice smallies letting a topwater fly drift slowly along but like you I don’t have much patience for that. 

[Mitch f]

9 hours ago, Greasy B said:

I’m that guy, with about 6-8 baits. 

Thank you, Norm, 

Norm was a good dude, lived till he was well within his 90’s. The week prior to his death, he was wanting a friend to guide him on the Meramec. I think about him a bunch. 

[Gavin]

If there is a heaven, Norm is probably pitching a panther martin to some fat Canadian Smallmouth 3-4 days a week. He had a great run. Was fishing Canada w/o a guide at 90.