Picking the right plug when the topwater bite catches fire.
Pick a day and find a picket fence of surfcasters along any stretch of the Striper Coast, and my bet is that most of them will be throwing some type of surface plug. No doubt, topwater plugs are super-popular with the daytime surf crowd for both stripers and blues. The thrill of a hit on top is heart stopping, and under the right conditions, these surface dancers are very effective catchers.
Over the years, I’ve caught a lot of big stripers and blues on surface plugs. My most memorable fish came when I landed a striper that I estimated to be 50 pounds! Because there were large menhaden in the area where I was fishing that day, I decided to fish one of my large homemade yellow poppers. That fish produced the most spectacular surface hit I have ever experienced as the Moby striper erupted on my popper and sent water spraying in all directions. That’s why most anglers are addicted to fishing surface lures.
There are loads of topwater plugs to choose from and all can be effective under the right conditions. Bait, however, dictates the surface plug that I’m fishing for the most part. All surface plugs are not created equal and some surface lures will outperform others.
Most topwater plugs fall into two categories, poppers and spook-type plugs. Poppers have a flat angled face to them with some (standard poppers) having larger faces than the pointier pencil popper, and that affects how they move in the water. Standard poppers throw a lot of water on the retrieve depending on how much pop you put into the rod tip. Small-faced poppers like a pencil popper tend to create less splash, but the tradeoff is that they feature a lot more sideways movement. Both types are great casters since most of their weight is situated toward the back of the plug. They also work well in strong currents and moving water.
The other class of topwater plugs are the spook-type plugs. These all have rounded noses. They dance alluringly on the surface as the surfcaster adds the action with subtle, short pulls of the rod tip on a slow retrieve. They will dart and dip and move from side to side in an erratic dance. Freshwater fishermen often refer to this as “walking the dog”. These spook-type plugs come in different sizes. Names such as Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow, Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil and the larger Doc lures are just a few popular models. While these spooks don’t tend to cast as far as standard poppers, their movement is what sets them apart and makes them so effective, especially with fussy stripers.
I often base my topwater choices on the prevalent baitfish that are around. A big chugging popper can be a good choice when larger baitfish, such as menhaden, are around. They might also work well when other large baitfish such as ocean herring, squid or mullet are present. Standard poppers are also good choice in rough water or when a strong wind is blasting your face. Pencil poppers are super choices when long skinny baitfish such as mackerel are around. Many striper sharpies made a living using pencil poppers in the Cape Cod Canal when stripers were chasing mackerel, but they excel in the open surf, too.
Spook-type plugs shine in the finesse game. Plugs such as the Jumpin’ Minnow and the beefier Hydro Pencil are excellent choices when stripers and bluefish are feeding on small bait such as bay anchovies, silversides and even peanut bunker. These surface lures are also more effective in quiet backwaters locations where fish tend to be fussier.
And, finally, we have the mega spooks such as the Doc. These lures sometimes measuring 9 inches long can attract the attention of big fish that might be lurking. I suspect large stripers love the challenge of tracking down one of these big offerings, and you might experience spectacular action with these plugs. They have been popular with big fish hunters in recent years.
So, if you are wondering which topwater plugs are best, there is no clear answer here. Like in many fishing examples, it depends on the prevalent bait and the surf conditions. So, I’d advise surf fishermen who like to fish topwater plugs to stock some variety in their surf bags; a couple of standard poppers, a few spook-type plugs and at least one Doc. I like all of these in a white color. And, once at the shore, pay close attention to the bait situation since that will most likely help me make the best choice.
