Best Topwater Lures
Topwater lures are some of the best options for the spring and summer. They are super exciting to use and see fish blowing up out of the water when they strike. There are a ton of different styles and options available but in this article we will help you narrow your selection down based on which have worked best for us.
Best Walking Baits
Evergreen SB 105
The Evergreen SB is my #1 walking bait. It’s easy to walk, has a great rattling noise, leaves a bubble trail, and paint that holds up. It has an internal weight transfer which helps you be able cast much further. The price point kept me away from trying it out for awhile but I finally bite the bullet and was blown away on the first trip out with it.
- Length - 4 1/8"
- Weight - 9/16oz
- Hooks - #6
Favorite Colors - Full Metal, Skeleton Chartreuse, Bone
Reaction Innovation Vixen
The Vixen was discontinued for awhile and had a cult following. Reaction Innovations finally brought it back and it’s a must have for anglers who fish topwater often. They flat out work when others don’t. It has great knocking sound that can draw bass in from long distances.
- Length - 4.75"
- Weight - 3/4oz
Favorite Colors - Chrome, Ghost Herring, Bone
River2Sea Rover
The Rover is a more budget friendly walking bait similar to the Vixen. It has a wide, side to side walking action, and makes a loud knocking sound. The biggest negative to the Rover is casting distance. It seems to tumble in the air which kills it’s distance.
- Rover 98: Length - 3 7/8", Weight 7/16oz
- Rover 128: Length - 5", Weight 3/4oz
Favorite Colors - Bone, Abalone Shad, Ghost Minnow
Best Buzzbaits
Megabass Jamaica Boa
Like all Megabass baits, the Jamaica Boa has a high quality paint and components. The blade has two holes in it and produces a load clacking noise. It’s great for fishing up shallow during shad spawn.
GRatt Proper Buzz
The GRatt is a hybrid between a buzzbait and a plopper. It has the buzzbait blade but the body is a whopper plopper style with treble hooks. It gives you the best of both worlds.
Best Straight Retrieve Baits
Whopper Plopper
The Whopper Plopper is a great topwater lure no matter your skill level. It has a prop on the back that spins and makes plopping sound and small splash as you reel it in.
- Length - 4 3/8"
- Weight - 1oz
- Hooks - #2
Favorite Colors - Bone, Loon, Munky Butt
Savage Gear Prop Walker 100
The Savage Gear Prop Walker is a very unique bait. It has a similar profile to walking baits but it has flexible fins that can pop out that spin to create prop style bait like the whopper plopper. This makes it very versatile and gives you multiple styles of topwater in one lure. You can walk it or use a straight retrieve and plop it.
- Length - 4"
- Weight - 3/4oz
Favorite Colors - American Shad, Bone, Dirty Silver
ZMan HellRaizer
The Zman Hellraizer is unlike any other topwater you have ever seen. It has a long slender profile with a flat belly. It’s weighted in the back and has a line tie on the belly almost half way down it’s body.
It moves a ton of water with it’s wiggling action and is great for open water. The unique action and sound is unlike anything bass are used to seeing so if you fish a body of water that gets a lot of topwater pressure, this bait is a great option.
Best Poppers
Megabass Pop Max
The PopMax has an unique design with intakes in the mouth and outflows in the gills. This design allows water to go in through the mouth and out the gill which creates bubbles under the surface and it keeps it from skipping on the surface as you work it.
Shimano World Pop
The Shimano World Pop has a flash booster which is a suspended reflective piece of metal that swings back and forth to put out a ton of flash. That flash mimics the scales of a fish reflecting light.
Best Frogs
River2Sea Bully Wa
The Bully Wa has a keel which helps it walk side to side. This frog is better for more open water in similair locations you would throw a walking bait. It’s a silent frog
- Length - 2-5/8"
- Weight - 4/5oz
Favorite Colors - Little Allen, Ghost, Yellow Head
Snagproof Bobby’s Perfect
The Booby’s Perfect is another walking frog but it has less of a keel than the Bully Wa so it’s better in thicker grass.
- Length - 3"
- Weight - 5/8oz
Favorite Colors - Green Pumpkin, Grey Ghost, Hot Mess
Jackall Gavacho
The Jackall Gavacho is a popping frog, so it has a cupped face. This is a great option when you want to fish a popper but need a more weedless option.
- Length - 2.75"
- Weight - 2/3oz
Favorite Colors - Chart Strike Gill, Gold Gill, White
Specialty Frogs
Teckel Sprinker Frog
The Sprinker Frog is a frog body with a hinged tail. It produces an action similar to the whopper plopper but it’s weedless.
- Total Length - 4 1/2"
- Body Length - 3"
- Weight - 5/8oz
Favorite Colors - Bone, Pearl White
Spro Bronzeye Blade
The Bronzeye Blade has two small spinning colorado blade trailers. It does a good job mimicking very small baitfish.
Jackall Kaera
The Kaera is a downsized, more finesse frog that can be thrown on a spinning rod.
Best Topwater Colors
- White: white is a versatile color suitable for almost any condition. Its effectiveness is particularly noticeable on overcast days or during periods of low-light.
- Chrome: chrome is great when fishing in crystal-clear water. It mimic various shad species and provides a realistic presentation that does not spook the fish.
- Black: black lures thrive durring the nighttime when you need a bold color to stand out.