HookedinFishing » Topwater » Best Topwater Lures

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.

Evergreen Shower Blows 105
  • Length - 4 1/8"
  • Weight - 9/16oz
  • Hooks - #6

Favorite Colors - Full Metal, Skeleton Chartreuse, Bone

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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.

Reaction Innovations Vixen
  • Length - 4.75"
  • Weight - 3/4oz

Favorite Colors - Chrome, Ghost Herring, Bone

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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.

River2Sea Rover
  • Rover 98: Length - 3 7/8", Weight 7/16oz
  • Rover 128: Length - 5", Weight 3/4oz

Favorite Colors - Bone, Abalone Shad, Ghost Minnow

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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.

Megabass Jamaica Boa
  • Weight - 1/2oz

Favorite Colors - Bluegill, Hasu, Ghost Smoke

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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.

River2Sea Whopper Plopper 110
  • Length - 4 3/8"
  • Weight - 1oz
  • Hooks - #2

Favorite Colors - Bone, Loon, Munky Butt

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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.

Savage Gear Prop Walker
  • Length - 4"
  • Weight - 3/4oz

Favorite Colors - American Shad, Bone, Dirty Silver

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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.

Z-MAN Hellraizer
  • Length - 5"
  • Weight - 5/8oz

Favorite Colors - Scaly Shad, Ghost Shad, Ghost Gill

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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.

Megabass PopMax
  • Length - 3 1/4"
  • Weight - 1/2oz

Favorite Colors - White Python, Mat Shad

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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.

Shimano World Pop
  • Length - 2 3/4"
  • Weight - 3/8oz

Favorite Colors - N Smelt, T Smelt

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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

River2Sea Bully Wa 2
  • Length - 2-5/8"
  • Weight - 4/5oz

Favorite Colors - Little Allen, Ghost, Yellow Head

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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.

Snag Proof Bobby's Perfect Frog
  • Length - 3"
  • Weight - 5/8oz

Favorite Colors - Green Pumpkin, Grey Ghost, Hot Mess

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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.

Jackall Gavacho Frog


  • Length - 2.75"
  • Weight - 2/3oz

Favorite Colors - Chart Strike Gill, Gold Gill, White

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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.

TECKEL Sprinker Frog
  • Total Length - 4 1/2"
  • Body Length - 3"
  • Weight - 5/8oz

Favorite Colors - Bone, Pearl White

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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.

Jackall Kaera
  • Length - 2 1/4"
  • Weight - 1/2oz

Favorite Colors - Glitter Bluegill, Glitter Hasu

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Best Topwater Colors

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Black: black lures thrive durring the nighttime when you need a bold color to stand out.