I love frogging and poppers, but you can't beat walking a spook in the north west.

Good god...i dont know. I love em all!

I do tend to throw a sammy or vixen more than the other

If i had to pick one a Pop r

x2

It depends.

 

Spring a Cavitron works.

Summer a popper type like a Pop-R or a RICO along with a Zara Spook and the Cavitron, frog and toad.

Fall when the bait fish are their largest a larger topwater like a Chug-Bug, Sammy's along with the Cavitron, frog and toad plus fishing the popper baits slow.

Winter when the water is cold a slow moving Cavitron, frog or a toad.

 

Of course, the type of topwaters selected will be based on the cover, structure, depth of the water, water temperature, wind, weather conditions, water clarity, amount of pads and grass, wood, a lake, river or pond and most of all - the forage the bass are eating and their size and color.

 

So my list may be great for eastern Virginia waters while another guy's list will be super for their geographical location.

 

The bass will tell you what they want and how it is to be presented. This is the fun of bass fishing. Outsmarting those little green monsters.

Spooks and skitter pops have given me a lot of numbers and quality over the years. On top, I've found it's not worth worrying about size as much as find what type of presentation they're chasing and even color. I've oddly enough caught plenty of 8-12 in bass on spooks half their size. The thing is, once you get the hits from the topwater, you've found the fish and you can throw plastics, spinnerbaits, etc behind it and get hits from whatever is schooling or hanging to the cover.

Definitely spooks! Buzzbaits and frogs are some of my favorites as well.

Bone colored Super Spook jr hands down.

For smallies, it's hard for me to go away from them Tiny Torpedos if the top water bite is really on.  But, I'll also use a broken back rapala and leave it on top for about 30 seconds and get great topwater action too.  Sometimes cranking it a few turns then letting it floatback up gets it hammered when it surfaces. (Redeyes seem to really love this action too)

I always have luck with spook jrs, then pop-rs, and last ribbits

scum frog bigfoot

scum frog bigfoot

For smallmouth? I know some guys that have caught smallies on toads and a few on frogs, never heard anybody targeting them with frogs though. I bet that's a hoot. 

For smallmouth? I know some guys that have caught smallies on toads and a few on frogs, never heard anybody targeting them with frogs though. I bet that's a hoot.

Opps didnt see this was smallmouth.. my mistake.. I meant for largemouth... Silly me

Opps didnt see this was smallmouth.. my mistake.. I meant for largemouth... Silly me

Dang, I was hoping you had some technique to share with the class to catch smallies on frogs 

Dang, I was hoping you had some technique to share with the class to catch smallies on frogs 

i've never caught a smallie, but i see no reason why they wouldn't take a frog.

In my favorite lake it is VERY common to catch smallmouth on frogs, my grandpa right before he passed away caught a 5 pound pig on one last year. I have also caught many on frogs!

Username might give it away. Really like a spook or frog too. Just switched my frog set up. It is great

The stick bait is the bait of choice for me due to it's versatility. I can make long cast, but I can also cast it accurately on a shorter rod. Just by changing the cadence of my retrieve I am also able to give the fish a different look. You can pull schoolers up from deep water, or fish it around shallow grass. It also represents many different things smallmouth eat, from shad and other baitfish to snakes.

Definently a spook

Lunker Lure . Catching smallies on a Buzz bait is as fun as it gets. Try using five inch grubs with a large hook for weight , buzz it and watch out.

BUZZBAIT I just recently got into using buzzbaits but now I always have it rigged up. My favorite is the Buzz Plug made by Arbogast.in Frog White belly or Perch. It represents a frog or bait fish perfectly while still displacing water.

Buzzbait for sure.

Have had great success over the last 1/2 dozen years, with this inexpensive popper/walk-the-dog plug: It's called a "Pop-R" and is the easiest walk-the-dog top water I've ever used. Versatile too....you just slow down and pop it. Do not know how many LM & SM have fell victim to this bad boy!

 

Just reel a jitter bug pause than small twitch than reel but popers work

Is that a Jr. model?

Not a true top water. Reb & Rap  floaters.  Close enough.