Assuming fishing conditions so all are equal, which is your "Go To"?

 

Jitterbug seems to work pretty well for me.

Spook or a frog!

PopMax

I absolutely LOVE fishing a Zara Spook.  There is nothing like seeing a fish explode on a spook. 

I like listening to buzzbaits, but I never catch anything on them. The popper normally gets the job done for me.

LC Gunfish in American Shad, or Aurora Black

LC Gunfish in American Shad, or Aurora Black

 

Dang...I purchased this lure two years ago and have never had a strike...I guess it's time to pop the cherry and fish the lure!

Dang...I purchased this lure two years ago and have never had a strike...I guess it's time to pop the cherry and fish the lure!

Fantastic bait when there is a top water bite, I prefer them to the spook.

2.5" Storm ChugBug!

Lake fishing, I usually have a buzzbait tied on one rod and it stays there pretty much all season.  If the weeds are too heavy or emergent for that, I  like a Spro Popping frog. BPS Slim Dog in open water.  In the river, I carry and will try (if the fish are looking up) Heddon Spittin Image, Baby Torpedo, Sebile Bonga Minnow, BPS Slim Dog, Storm Chug Bug.  I probably carry about 50 other topwater lures that have been favorites at one time or another. 

 

Fish have been feeding on whitefly lately, and when that is happening, the fly rod is the way to go.  I like to fish a Yellow Gartside gurgler this time of year, and there are many days I can school a spin fisherman with a fly rod.

I could state that I've caught more quality smallie a on a SuperSpook than any other top water, but that would be misleading. A Spook is the ONLY top water I catch them on. BTW, it's also the only one they catch me on. My last outing netted four SM over 3lb. and two hooks in my hand

Maybe I should spend more time throwing a big lure.  There have been years I only threw a long topwaterand although numbers are slightly lower, the top end usually goes up.  I usually try what is going to get the most attention from the most fish.  When topwater gets bit, I hand it to one  of my guests.  Funny thing about lure size, though, is that some of my best days for average size have been with a 3" long fly.  Last year I had 3 19" fish on one trip, with the fly, among lots of other good fish, during the course of a day that I also rowed 8 miles.

A  Pop-R type bait is my go to more out of habit than anything else. I have to remember to throw a spook for smallies. 

 

Lake fishing, I usually have a buzzbait tied on one rod and it stays there pretty much all season.  If the weeds are too heavy or emergent for that, I  like a Spro Popping frog. BPS Slim Dog in open water.  In the river, I carry and will try (if the fish are looking up) Heddon Spittin Image, Baby Torpedo, Sebile Bonga Minnow, BPS Slim Dog, Storm Chug Bug.  I probably carry about 50 other topwater lures that have been favorites at one time or another. 

 

Fish have been feeding on whitefly lately, and when that is happening, the fly rod is the way to go.  I like to fish a Yellow Gartside gurgler this time of year, and there are many days I can school a spin fisherman with a fly rod.

We have a whitefly hatch here on the West Canada Creek. Drives the trout crazy for sure and draws fishermen from all over. I fished the Delaware up near you a lot when I lived in Milford. Nice water. 

Impossible for me to pick just one. I love fishing spooks and skitter pops. I've been killing the smallmouth on torpedo's. And I love using a jitterbug after dark.

Hey papajoe222, what is your rod, reel n line set up for fishing smallies n the spooks ?

 

 thx

I catch more smallmouth in popper baits but catch bigger smallies on a buzzbait

River2Sea Rover, Sammys, Bonnies, Gunfish, Duo Pencil, spooks

Tie between an old frog coloured skitter pop with all the paint torn off and a black jitterbug.

Popper in a lake, buzzbait in a river.

 Last season it was a Duo Realis Pencil -

 

This years it's been the Yellow Magic Japanese Popper 

 

I think it might actually be a little magic too .. . . .

 

 

A-Jay

"Assuming that all weather conditions are equal" doesn't help me answer... I choose different baits based on different weather conditions.

 

 

 

BTW... LC Gunfish 95 and Frenzy poppers are great lake baits!

 

 

oe

If i had to pick one a Pop r

Poppers, Prop Baits, or Spooks - Size and action is dependent on what they're feeding on and how much action they'll respond to.

 

Any serious topwater angler is going to have quick access to all three.  They're also going to have a spinnerbait and soft plastic follow-up lure handy as well.

Spook or Hula Popper if I want to fish slowly. Buzzbait or Jitterbug for faster retrieves and/or after dark.

F13 orange Rapala.