Poppers are one of the most effective lures for catching many species of fish. These topwater lures pop along the surface, creating noise and vibrations that attract bass and other gamefish.
Poppers are easy to fish, making them a great lure for beginners new to bass fishing.
We’ve compiled the best bass poppers on the market. These poppers are great for luring in bass and triggering strikes, with great noise, action, and quality materials.
Top 10 Bass Popper Lures
- Rebel Pop-R
- Arbogast Hula Popper
- Rapala Skitter Pop
- Heddon Chug’N Spook
- Arbogast Jitterbug
- Booyah Poppin’ Pad Crasher
- Storm Chug Bug
- Creek Chub Knuckle Head
- Rapala X-Rap Pop
- Yellow Magic Japanese Popper
Rebel Pop-R
The Rebel Lures Pop-R is one of the best bass lures, and our top bass popper. Rebel Lures is a brand known for a variety of top-notch lures, and the Pop-R lure is one of their best-sellers.
Bass anglers around the world and even tournament bass fishermen use the Rebel Pop-R to lure in bass.
The Rebel Pop-R can be fished fast or slow, making it a versatile topwater lure. The concave popper mouth spits water, creating noise and vibration to attract fish.
Each Rebel Pop-R is fitted with two treble hooks. It has a short feather-y tail to further improve its action, which already mimics that of a wounded baitfish. Use a straight retrieve or add erratic action to trigger strikes.
Arbogast Hula Popper
This is a classic and my dad taught me to fish this lure when I was 6 years old. I caught one of the biggest bass of my life just as the sun was setting and the lake was flat calm it crushed this hula popper.
The Arbogast Hula Popper is an especially disruptive popper. It chugs and pops along the surface to create a loud noise and big bubbles and vibration, luring in bass.
The Hula Popper is extra loud and displaces more water because it has an extra large mouth.
The Hula Popper has great baitfish action, and is also fitted with a silicone skirt for extra bass attracting power. It has been a favorite among bass anglers for over 60 years.
This popper has two extra strong treble hooks to make sure you hook those bass strikes. The Arbogast Hula Popper comes in 4 sizes and 15 colors.
Rapala Skitter Pop
Rapala lures are well known for their unique action and high quality components. The Rapala Skitter Pop is one of Rapala’s best popper lures, known for triggering bass to strike.
A classic topwater popper, the Rapala Skitter Pop spits water along the surface, creating noise and disruption to entice fish.
The Rapala Skitter Pop can be fished various ways: twitched, trolled, or the walk the dog action that many bass anglers use.
Even a straight retrieve can inspire a bite, because the action of this lure is so realistic. It is fitted with two treble hooks and a small feathered tail. The Rapala Skitter Pop comes in various sizes and colors, all with realistic detail.
Heddon Chug’N Spook
The Heddon Chug’N Spook is the popper version of the very popular Heddon Zara Spook stickbait.
The Chug’N Spook has a thin, torpedo like profile, so it moves quickly through the water. It is only slowed down by its chugging along the surface, which in turn attracts fish to come bite.
The Heddon Chug’N Spook has a loud, one-knocker rattle. It is available in freshwater and saltwater models, so you can safely use this lure for all forms of bass fishing. The Chug’N Spook is fitted with two treble hooks, and comes in a range of sizes and colors.
Arbogast Jitterbug
Another great popper from Arbogast, the Arbogast Jitterbug lure has a double-cupped lip for extra surface-busting sound.
It’s often used when night fishing for bass, since the noise attracts bass even when it’s too dark to see. The Jitterbug works just as well during the day, however, and it’s loud pop is sure to trigger strikes.
The Arbogast Jitterbug is small, making it easy to cast long distance. Use a slow to medium retrieve and get the bass fired up with the action on the surface.
The Jitterbug lure comes in 17 colors, each with incredible detail and a bright yellow eye to trick bass. It comes in lengths of 2, 2 ½ , and 3 inches.
Booyah Poppin’ Pad Crasher
The Booyah Poppin’ Pad Crasher is a versatile lure. It is a topwater lure, popper, and frog lure, all in one.
The popping version of the Pad Crasher lure by Booyah, this frog is sure to trigger strikes. Like other frog lures, it can be fished in areas of heavy cover and vegetation, with weedless hooks placed alongside the body.
The Booyah Poppin’ Pad Crasher loudly pops along the surface, moving the water and making noise to lure in big bass.
This lure works well in heavy cover or over clear water. A straight retrieve is all it takes to trigger strikes, but more erratic or stop-and-go motion work as well. The Poppin’ Pad Crasher comes in 8 enticing colors, each with two tails to mimic frog legs.
Storm Chug Bug
A frog and popper lure in one! The Storm Chug Bug is a classic topwater popper. It spits, chugs, and pops along the surface, all with the erratic movement of an injured baitfish.
The Storm Chug Bug has a weighted tail, making long casting easy and ensuring that it stays balanced on the retrieve. If its popping action wasn’t enticing enough, this lure has a loud rattle to lure in bass.
The Storm Chug Bug also features a special iridescent FlashTail trailer, adding to its already alluring action. The detail on this popper is extremely focused, with big eyes and life-like scale patterns. It comes in 10 colors, sure to attract bass.
Creek Chub Knuckle Head
The Creek Chub Knuckle Head lure has a unique design. Its jointed head allows the body to have an intense swivel action, similar to the action of a real fish.
This unique action, plus the popper mouth that causes noise and water disruption creates a killer combination for attracting bass and other gamefish.
The Creek Chub Knuckle Head has a feather-dressed tail covering the back treble hook, further luring in fish while also improving hooksets.
This popper is heavy duty and saltwater safe, so it can be fished in various environments. The Creek Chub Knuckle Head comes in a range of colors and sizes.
Rapala X-Rap Pop
Another Rapala popper, the Rapala X-Rap Pop is yet another top-rated Rapala lure. This popper has a deep cupped mouth, for extra loud pop and splash action along the surface.
That action is further improved by its tail-down design, creating a livelier retrieve with each snap of your rod.
The Rapala X-Rap Pop has an internal long casting system, textured scales, gills, and fins, and a feathered tail for a realistic appearance. It comes in a variety of colors and sizes for all forms of bass fishing, and is also versatile enough to attract a range of gamefish.
Yellow Magic Japanese Popper
The Yellow Magic Japanese Popper is a classic, top-notch popper lure. This popper is crafted with cutting-edge techniques and serious attention to detail.
Yellow Magic lures are made with high quality materials, so this popper is durable. The Yellow Magic Popper is known among bass anglers for its great balance and action.
Yellow Magic Japanese Poppers are colored with hand-painted finishes, and hand tied-on feathers on the tail. Their popper mouth creates a very noisy distraction, sure to lure in bass.
What Are Popper Lures?
Poppers are topwater fishing lures, fished along the surface. They are called poppers because they tend to pop along the surface, spitting or chugging water as they go.
Poppers are designed with a cupped mouth that takes in and spits out water, making a loud popping noise that attracts bass. The vibration and water displacement from the popper also entices fish.
Most poppers have two treble hooks, although each popper is different. The treble hooks make them more likely to snag, so most poppers are not weedless lures.
Different poppers have different actions and noises, and the mouth shape can affect how they attract fish.
How to use Popper Lures
Poppers are fished along the surface of the water. They are easy to fish, since they work well with a straight retrieve along the surface; their popping action will lure in fish with all the popping action and sounds.
You can, however, jerk, twitch, or use erratic motion with a popper to trigger strikes from agitated fish.
Poppers can be fished fast or slow. If the bass are active, try reeling your poppers in quickly to trigger strikes.
On calm waters and quiet days, a slower retrieve may serve you better. Topwater lures, including poppers, are best fished during low-light periods.
Try fishing poppers over clear waters during dawn, dusk, or at night and near structure for the most success.
Final Thoughts
Poppers are a type of lure that every angler needs to keep on hand in their tackle box. You never know when the conditions will be just right to slay some monster bass on a popping lure.
The strike on a popper lure is unlike anything else. Go out and get yourself a nice set of popper lures!
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