Dan Brozowski likes a good topwater bait in midsummer, and here he’ll tell you how to match the choice of prop or popper baits to the conditions.

“I don’t care for a topwater bite” said an angler, never! I’ve been casting baits for way more than 50 years now and I must admit, the spray and explosion created by the annihilation fish can impart to topwaters never becomes mundane. From my first topwater bass on a frog-colored Hula Popper, up till today, my heart still does that little stutter with each attack.

While I fish some type of topwater all summer long, with the current time period witnessing the earlier heat of summer, most fish have not yet moved to the deeper water haunts they will inhabit during the peak temps of summer. Some fish, depending on species and location, are just coming out of the spawn season, so feeding action can be quite heavy. Other fish are just hanging in the shallows, and a topwater presentation puts a bait right in front of their noses, much too tempting to pass by.

Bass certainly come to mind when topwater presentations are mentioned, and it is certainly a favorite approach to catching summer bass. But on waters with multiple gamefish species, topwaters attract exciting action from other inhabitants such as pike, muskies, stripers and white bass. Depending on bait size, they may even pique the interests of larger panfish. I even had a catfish bite some years ago while targeting bass with a popper bait. So, while bass might be your main target species, don’t be surprised at other fish you’ll find willing to take your surface offering.

In this discussion, we’re concentrating on only two types of topwater baits: poppers and prop baits. While there is a wide array of topwater options, this one/two punch for topwater action has been an incredibly successful approach for me during this time of the season.

The obvious question is, when to use either bait for optimal success? First off, both these bait types are open-water presentations, and both are equipped with a couple of treble hooks. So, these are not weed-friendly surface approaches. Around the edges of weed lines or over submerged weeds or cover, these baits work exceptionally well, drawing fish out of cover. But these baits become very ineffective once tangled with even a small amount of weeds, so in weeded conditions, choose a weedless bait option instead.

My favorite approach is using these baits to cover a lot of water, searching for active fish. In this search mode, prop baits are a bit more suited for covering more expansive water. I tend to use the popper when I want to rest a bait over certain areas, trying to draw a strike from the depths below; or especially if I encounter surface feeding activity. Poppers become more of target bait at this point. Retrieves for either bait varies greatly depending on conditions and fish response to the bait. It’s very difficult to narrow down a retrieve speed or cadence for either bait, so you’ll need to experiment on every outing.

Many anglers consider topwaters as only being appropriate for glass-like surface conditions. While they are effective, I prefer a little chop or ripple surface wise for both the popper and prop bait; I feel it gives the fish less time to scope out the bait and results in a quicker response to biting.

If you get a nice summer rain, topwater action can explode under these conditions; I tend towards prop baits during the rain, but have had success with both. If you like fishing after the sun sets, prop baits get the nod as well; the constant retrieve and surface disturbance is much easier fish to zero in on in the dark. As mentioned earlier, be ready with a topwater, especially if the waters you fish have surface bites such as fish busting schools of shad; this topwater frenzy can be one of the most exhilarating conditions to encounter.

So, whether you go prop bait or popper, get out and enjoy this midsummer surface bite!

For more insight and tips for fishing throughout the year, check out the articles in every issue of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.