I brought this up last year and would like to suggest again this year.If you can find a storm chug bug in phantom 510 give it a try!Wow the smallmouth loved this popper last year.I can what to try the rage tail shad this year . What was your favorite top water last year?

Popper: Rapala Skitter Pop (Clown)

Walker: LC Sammy 100 (MS)

Floating Jerk: Bomber Long A (Bone)

Black Jointed Jitterbug

Sammy 115 in Pearl Ayu. Later in the year i did decent on a black Chug Bug, but the Sammy was #1.

Stanley Ribbit (High Floater)

If you threw a buzzbait last year, and there was a smallie within 100 feet, it would eat it. Best topwater year ever.

For Brown Fish -Rico's and Sammy

For Green Ones - Homemade swimming spoon and Rico's

Boone

Yo Zuri ZZ Pop

LC Gunfish. It's like a popper/spook hybrid. It sputters water while you walk it, and just makes a ton of noise. Smallies absolutely love it. Plus it casts for.......ever.........

I love the Sammy over deep water humps for smallies. Have had better luck on LM with the Chug Bug though. Maybe I'll have to revisit it this year for smallies, thanks! 

I love the Sammy over deep water humps for smallies. Have had better luck on LM with the Chug Bug though. Maybe I'll have to revisit it this year for smallies, thanks!

However, my biggest fish have come on a Spook.

Black Spro Frog.

SM: pupfish

LM: buzzbait

both: pop-r/splash-it

I had a  Heddon Tiny Torpedo in baby bass color that got aggressive bites pretty much all year.

Chug bug is not my first choice in top water but in this clear plastic finish with the black high lites on top,the smallmouth loved it. This one will always be stocked  in my tackle box and used shortly after getting on the water. not a miracle lure but some days wow! And some days not.

I have done real well with the Spro Hydro Pop, Yo-Zuri ZZ Pop, and Heddon Spit n Image Jr.  Any of these with a light colored belly worked great for me.

I throw a 3/16 ounce floating shad rap and just twitch it on top water.

Albino Super Spook.

Change the factory hooks out to Owners.

where i fish a jitterbug is best to fish with at night, the color depends on the moon, light night or dark night clouds will also come into play.

  day time- a fluke, torpedo or sputterbuzz works good for me. sometimes i'll skip a senko across the top of the water.

Tiny torpedo and crippled killer.

Rebel J1086, 3 1/2" jointed in natural perch

I mostly threw a Sammy 100 in Ghost Minnow this past season.

Heddon Spit'n Image

I don't know what it was called but it was a bit like a soft rat only it had a treble hook buried in the back and it had a black plastic mouse tail.  It's almost completely weedless and the percentage of hook sets was outstanding.  I wore mine out  :-[ and have been looking for a replacement.

farmpond1,

What you describe sounds like it might very well be a Mann's "Phat Rat", which sports a single rear treble hook.

It has a hollow torso, and the hook wraps around the rear end of the rat body, to give it a weedless effect