There’s nothing more exciting in bass fishing than an explosive topwater strike. When the bass is actively feeding in the upper water column, topwater lures allow anglers to capitalize on reaction strikes and hungry fish looking for an easy meal.
But what earns a bait called “best topwater lure for bass”? Sight and sound trigger topwater strikes and all eight of these lures have been masterfully designed to pull bass to the surface.
Types of Topwater Lures
Poppers are short, tapered lures with a cupped mouth that make popping and splashing sounds to attract bass. They excel around shallow cover and are easy to work with twitches and pops.
Walkers or chuggers have a slim, cigar-shaped body and are retrieved with a “walk-the-dog” cadence, gliding back and forth across the surface. They cover water well over flats and along structures.
Spinnerbaits have a wire frame, blades, and a skirt covering the hook. Retrieved steadily or erratically, the flash and vibration provoke strikes.
Prop baits have either a front, back, or double propeller that creates water disturbance. Shaped like bluegill or shad, they draw hungry fish up from below.
Wake baits have a lip shaped to displace water and leave a “V”-shaped wake when retrieved. They resemble wounded baitfish struggling on the surface.
Crawlers have an elongated body with diving lips, leaving a crawling trail on their bellies. Their wounded baitfish profile triggers savage strikes.
Frogs are soft, hollow-bodied lures that slide and walk over heavy vegetation, allowing anglers to fish heavy cover effectively.
Best Topwater Lures for Bass: Reviewed
Rebel Pop-R
Pros: Easy to work for beginners yet deadly for seasoned anglers; Loud popping action; Available in a variety of productive colors
Cons: Treble hooks are prone to snags around heavy cover
The Rebel Pop-R has been a topwater staple for over 50 years, known for drawing explosive strikes with its loud popping action. Its ability to pop and gurgle on the surface makes it one of the most effective poppers for tempting bass blow-ups.
I’ve had countless days of success using lures like this. The noise and gurgling sound are completely irresistible for bass. Paired with an ultralight bait caster, it’s beautiful.
Heddon Zara Spook
Pros: Easy walk-the-dog action; Premium hooks; Variety of small shad imitating patterns
Cons: Not as effective in windy conditions; Less attractive to fish when at rest
The Heddon Zara Spook pioneered walking baits with its easy side-to-side glide that covers water and provokes aggressive strikes.
This upgraded version has an authentic Minnow profile, perfect for matching young-of-year shad that bass can’t resist. The Zara Spook is a modern take on an old-school fishing technique.
Storm Rattlin’ Chug Bug
Pros: Loud rattle chamber; Churns water on retrieve; Buoyant and easy to work
Cons: Short strikes are common; Limited color selection
Living up to its name, the lug-bodied Storm Rattlin’ Chug Bug agitates water on its side like few other lures when steadily retrieved.
Even at rest, the internal rattle calls fish to inspect the commotion. It’s an excellent chugger for baby bass imitation. Fishing these with steady retrieval or, in some light, moving water near a tributary is a great way to clean up.
Booyah Buzz Buzzbai
Pros: Emits sight, sound, and vibration; Easy to tune; Can be retrieved at any speed.
Cons: Not as weedless as other buzz baits; Prone to tangling
The Booyah Blade Buzz Buzzbait combines multiple fish-attracting triggers with its flash, knocking sound, and turbulence.
Premium components allow retrieving slowly or burning it back fast over any cover to draw explosive strikes. This is one of my favorite lures of all time.
Berkley Choppo
Pros: Great for shad/bluegill imitation; Easy to work action; Durable
Cons: Less effective with abrupt stopping; Only available in a few size options
If you want a prop bait that wins tournaments across the country, look no further than the Berkley Choppo. Whether fished over grass or offshore structure, its boot-shaped tail kicks up a commotion on the steady retrieve that calls fish up from below and triggers aggressive reaction bites.
PH Custom Lures Wake Up Topwater Wakebait
Pros: Precisely hand-tuned actions; Incredibly realistic wounded baitfish profile; Casts and walks easily.
Cons: Higher cost; Requires perfect hook sets to prevent missed fish
While expensive, PH Custom Lures spares no attention to detail and flawless actions, precision-tuning each lure by hand. The result is Wake Up’s incredible realism, with its subtle wake that perfectly mimics a struggling minnow across the surface.
Arbogast Jitterbug
Pros: Impressive castability; Generates strikes with a distinctive side-to-side action
Cons: Less detailed finish than modern crawlers; Single treble hook provides fewer hooksets
The iconic Arbogast Jitterbug set the standard for walking crawlers over 80 years ago. It continues drawing strikes today with its distinctive side-to-side sway and contrasting plopping sound on the retrieve. A time-tested lure passed between generations.
Scum Frog Trophy Series
Pros: Highly detailed finish for natural appearance; Premium double hook for solid hooksets
Cons: Not as easy to walk as other frog baits; Higher price point
When targeting big bass in heavy cover, the Scum Frog Trophy Series is the best soft plastic hollow-body frog with its ultra-realistic finish and sturdy Gamakatsu double hook.
Made of floating plastic, it easily walks over mats and skips under branches to deliver bass over 10 pounds. The unique profile design of this frog allows for just enough of it to stick out of the water, making it much easier to fool the bass if you toss it into the weeds.
Final Thoughts
With various actions, profiles, and attributes covered in this roundup, a confidence-inspiring topwater lure is tailored for every situation to catch bass on top during active feeding periods.
If the water is warm and the season is heating up with falling barometric pressure in early-mid spring, this is when I like to start pulling out the best topwater lures for bass.
Pay attention to the forage fish and conditions to select your lure, and work them aggressively to trigger explosive strikes.
- Flipping Rods: Experts Punch, Flip and Pitch the Best Sticks - May 2, 2024
- A Comprehensive Lowrance Active Target Live Sonar Review - March 20, 2024
- How to Choose a Fish Finder For All Times and Conditions - March 1, 2024
Shawn Hamrick
Thursday 28th of December 2023
Where is the Boing Lures in this article? Need to hook some on next time you go saltwater fishing too!