Popper question

Need advice

Over the last five years I have become good with poppers -rico yellow magic splash it pop r. I have fished several tournaments and always get a good limit and can catch fish others are missing. My problem is I am always in need of one or two 3 lb plus fish. If I could just figure a way to target bigger fish for the 1-2 bigger bites. Do I upgrade to the 1\2 oz size? Are there other poppers that catch bigger fish better? Not sure what to try. Any suggestions welcome....I am trying to turn some of those 3rd 4th 5th places into wins or 2nds

I've pretty well quit throwing the smaller versions. I feel like I get just as many bites with the bigger size. Way easier to cast and work too.

6th sense popper is the best popper I’ve ever used

Love the splash it popper.

When this happens I switch to a walking style topwater

Too many variables for that question. Open water, heavy cover and so on. I would work on limit and use other lures to up grade catch. My best big fish lure all time is a jig in cover. Fishing open water I would fish under schoolies it looks like you are catching. Need to swing for fence if you want to hit the home runs.

Have you tried a popping frog?

I like the p70 popper good size and walks good.

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Originally Posted by n2ratfishin

Have you tried a popping frog?

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Would be my suggestion as well. Seems like for whatever reason the frog profile triggers bigger bites.
Plus side is you can skip a frog under overhangs to get to fish you can't with other top waters

I have considered the popping frog option

My better fish on a popper come when it is sitting longer. It seems the smaller fish just attack it, but the bigger fish just suck it down as it is sitting there. My theory is bigger fish don’t want to spend as much energy chasing a small bait. Drives my partners crazy when I just let it sit, but I like asking for the net.

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Originally Posted by TFB

Need advice

Over the last five years I have become good with poppers -rico yellow magic splash it pop r. I have fished several tournaments and always get a good limit and can catch fish others are missing. My problem is I am always in need of one or two 3 lb plus fish. If I could just figure a way to target bigger fish for the 1-2 bigger bites. Do I upgrade to the 1\2 oz size? Are there other poppers that catch bigger fish better? Not sure what to try. Any suggestions welcome....I am trying to turn some of those 3rd 4th 5th places into wins or 2nds

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Are you thinking that bigger fish are rejecting your poppers?

If not, the tactics need to adapt, not the lure selection.

However, the larger poppers do cast further, so fishing them at a greater distance might get you a bigger fish once in a while.

Maybe once you establish that they will commit to top water try a spook or similar. I use an Ima skimmer because almost no one else does. I have caught lunker on it during a tournament and we also placed second by virtue of big fish. Its not the lure that I try to wear fish out with. Its for money time only. Every bass I have caught with it was over 3 pounds and most of them tried to commit suicide by inhaling it and getting the hooks caught in their faces. Food for thought.

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Originally Posted by Phoenix Jim

When this happens I switch to a walking style topwater

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Exactly. A spook will produce bigger fish on average.

I use the "Splash it 2". I have caught bass from 6" to 8lbs on them.

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Originally Posted by RonCat

My better fish on a popper come when it is sitting longer. It seems the smaller fish just attack it, but the bigger fish just suck it down as it is sitting there. My theory is bigger fish don’t want to spend as much energy chasing a small bait. Drives my partners crazy when I just let it sit, but I like asking for the net.

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My biggest fish with a spook or a devils horse seem to happen with the lure just sitting there. What was possibly my personal best happened because I had a nasty birds nest casting into a gust that took a long time to fix and it attacked it as I was reeling in the line I pulled off the spool.