Waters warming up. Broke 60 degrees. Mornings are still chilly. What’s your favorite top water? Popper, buzzbait, frog, plopper, walking bait? What do you like to throw

Not necessarily in order but these listed are what I have the most confidence in once water temps reach 60 degrees

Floating jerk bait in gold/black back/gold belly - specifically a Smithwick Rogue or Cordell Redfin worked slowly

Prop bait like the Smithwick Devils Horse , Cordell Boy Howdy or Heddon Baby Torpedo

Zoom Horny Toad

Buzz bait

It's been a tale of three summers:

2023: Whopper Ploppers

2024: poppers

2025: walking baits

2026: We'll see!

Floating minnow baits like the Bomber Model A, the Model A with a prop and buzzbaits.

Popper, karashi, silent spook.

Fuzzy Senko has also worked exceptionally well as a top water lol but that requires hanging your line over a tree branch.

Popping Frog/Plopping Frog/Buzzbait/Floating worm/Popper.

2018: killer buzz bait bite

2019: killer frog bite

2020: no topwater bite

2021: no topwater bite

2022: no topwater bite

2023: no topwater bite

2024: no topwater bite

2025: no topwater bite

2026: why even bother

I fish many topwater baits, but could easily get by with only a buzzbait, and a popper.

Chopo and poppers killed it for me last year. But I don’t think I was trying this early in the year honestly. I threw a buzzbait and chopo last weekend with no bites. But our water temp is 60s and air is 40s early in the morning.

Choppos have always been my go-to, but I picked up a walking bait last year and while it hasn't been quite as productive as a choppo, they really crush the walking bait when they do go for it.

I did pick up a few buzz baits to give them more of a try this season.

Thanks everyone this is a fun topic. What’s yalls preferred depth? I’ve had success from 1-6 foot

Poppers and walkers.

Walking baits are probably more FUN to work but poppers are more EFFECTIVE, at least for me.

I fish mostly just two:

PopMax

Showerblows

surface - zoom horny toad

subsurface - karashi

Poppers

Walking Baits

Jitterbugs

Buzzbait

Scramble 106

Propbait

I like the 110 Plopper from prespawn until they won't bite it in the cold late fall. I have caught a couple bass on it in February. As May approaches I'll start trying out the Super Spook Jr. and maybe a Chug Bug. I had a killer day in June last year when I caught bass all day in braod daylight on the Spook. Later, around early fall, I'll try the standard size Pop R. The Pop R is also a good bait for when you find bass schooled up. Just toss it in there and make noise. I'll use a toad around sparse or submerged vegetation and a frog on the mat. But I will come back to the Plopper the whole time. Big bass have made me a believer in it. You may go a while without a bite. But that's because big bass aren't a dime a dozen.

As you can tell, I'd rather catch one bass on top than 2 on the bottom. I mean, I do what I have to. But if they'll cooperate, I'd prefer topwater all the time.

The first topwater of the season, for me, is a Cordell Crazy Shad. I'll opt for a PopR if the water is very calm, but living where I do, that isn't very often.