Poppers are great baits to use for targeting bass throughout the majority of the year, with winter being the only exception. In the colder months, the water temps dip down below 60 degrees in most parts of the United States. And, while bass may eat a topwater from time to time in sub-60 degree water, the bite really picks up once the water temps rise above 60.

This means though that a topwater is effective from spring through summer and deep into the fall for many of us. And a small popper is among one of the first baits as well as one of the last to draw strikes effectively on top. Poppers even get bit well in the heat of summer too. So, let’s look at how to select and fish the right popper through those three seasons.

Spring -

As the waters start to warm coming out of the winter months, the bass slowly become less lethargic and more willing to chase a bait down. They’ll even get to where they’re more than willing to break the surface to take a bite. But, they may still prefer prey that’s a little less intimidating than a Whopper Plopper or even a Spook. And that’s where the popper comes in.

From right around the start of the bass spawn all the way through the various shad, herring and other bait spawns of the spring, a popper like the MONSTERBASS Mad Max is a great selection. This bait has a small profile and can be twitched with a gentle spitting action or walked for an even more subtle approach.

A white or bone color popper really shines during the shad spawn, while a bluegill colored popper is great for working around balls of bass fry too. These fry hatch out as the bass spawn winds down and the protective fry guarders—usually the males that were involved in the spawning process—have a hard time watching what appears to be a bluegill reek havoc on their babies. All of this means that poppers are one of the best baits for fishing from mid spring all the way into the summer.

Summer -

Once summer rolls around and the bass spawn has come to an end, don’t put down the popper just yet. This is a great time of year for fishing a bluegill or bream colored popper along the bank and in the backs of pockets and sloughs; because these are the locations where bluegill, red ear and other bream will spawn from May to September in many parts of the country.

Small schools of bass roam the shallows this time of year looking to collide with these beds and the bream that occupy them. When they do find a cluster of bream beds, they’ll either storm the bed as a group in hopes of one or two of them snagging a bite to eat, or they’ll sometimes sit near the beds, wait and watch—looking for one of the bream to become weary and start to flounder. Tossing a popper over top one of these beds is a great way to get bit in either case.

Mayflies and other insects hatch out in the summer too across certain parts of the country. These insect hatches draw bass and baitfish alike to them. The smaller fish gorge on the bugs and then the bigger ones take their place in the food chain, sucking down the unsuspecting smaller fish. Putting a popper into the mix here is another fantastic way to catch fish, as the popper appears to be a small baitfish eating the bugs.

Fall -

Fall fishing is synonymous with topwater fishing. Buzzbaits, Spooks, frogs, toads, Whopper Ploppers and more are all known to produce big bites as well as lots of bites as summer fades into the fall. As the water begins to cool from the 90s to the 80s and into the 70s, bait and bass come to the surface and return to the shallows in droves. And this is a great time to throw a popper as well.

A lot of the baitfish that are prevalent in the fall are small, like threadfin shad. If this is the case in your area, you should try a small popper like the Mad Max. At around three inches in length, the Mad Max imitates shad and other small baitfish extremity well in the fall. Bone and chrome are two great colors given this situation. The bone in particular shows up well in the green-tinted water color that you’ll often see in the fall.

Look for areas with a good concentration of baitfish, and then fire the popper right into the middle of them. If you’re fishing from the bank, the fish will be coming to you. If you have access to a boat or a kayak, you can catch the bass as they follow the bait balls and transition across points, down 45-degree banks and into the shallows of the backs of pockets and sloughs.

Final thoughts -

As soon as the water temps start to tickle the upper-50s in the spring, you need to at least start thinking about a topwater. As the spring and spawn really gets underway, you’ll see the bass get more and more active shallow. A popper is a great offering for a finicky fish shallow fresh off the spawn, as well as a fry guarder or even a bass that’s gorging itself on a shad spawn.

Then, in the summer, you’ll want to focus most of your topwater attention on bass relating to bluegill and other bream beds. If such a pattern is applicable near where you live, just take your popper and look shallow for this type of activity. Big concentrations of bugs are something to look out for as well in the summer.

Finally, in the fall, the popper is great for targeting bass that are returning to the shallows from the deep water that they’ve summered in. These fish are often relating to balls of baitfish that are migrating shallow as well. A shad color popper is great this time of year across a good chunk of the country.

In any case, from spring to summer to fall, a popper in the appropriate color is a great topwater for getting bit. And the Mad Max in particular is one of my favorites of all time for all these styles of fishing. These poppers come loaded with super sharp hooks that have a wicked bend to them. And the front being red and the back being feathered are both nice touches. These baits sit perfectly in the water, have a great spitting action and can be walked easier than most others. The Mad Max really is quite the little morsel.