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Posts: 333
Location: Long Prairie, Minnesota | Friend and I were having a discussion the other day about what is your preferred choice of topwater? He swears by prop baits (Topraider, Pacemaker, etc) because he doesn't think that walk the dawg style doesn't make enough noise to attract fish. I think he is off his #*^@ rocker. I love the noise and sound that Weagles make when you are working them. Almost more than prop baits. Anyone else think prop baits are way better for noise and attracting fish? |
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| Don't know about noise, but I know I have a lot better hook up percentage with Fat B*****, Nite Walker, Pacemaker than a Weagle. Weagle moves more water. |
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Posts: 64
Location: Minnesota | I think it's situational. Personally, I think prop baits probably do make more sound and vibrate more overall, but sometimes the fish want something less than that, which walk the dogs are. |
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Location: PA Angler | I’ve had better luck with walk the dog styles at night. During the day whopper ploppers. |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | Solitario Lupo - 6/2/2023 6:57 PM
I’ve had better luck with walk the dog styles at night. During the day whopper ploppers.
When you say at night, are you running your WTD's at dusk only, or well after dark also?
To the original poster, the noise is different but they both make noise. Hooks banging on lure sides/water movement for WTD, with the obvious squeeks and chatters of rivets/tubing/moving parts on the tail bait. You can tell your friend that you choose to use a certain WTD because it produces less sound, and it be a validated reason. It's sort of a bucktail vs glider thing. Wouldn't leave home without either. |
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Posts: 1183
| Pick one and work it slow! |
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Location: PA Angler | Reef Hawg - 6/2/2023 10:34 PM
Solitario Lupo - 6/2/2023 6:57 PM
I’ve had better luck with walk the dog styles at night. During the day whopper ploppers.
When you say at night, are you running your WTD's at dusk only, or well after dark also?
I’ll throw them in the dark. If you hear something jumping and hitting the surface is a great time to throw them. |
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Posts: 20179
Location: oswego, il | I think it's got more to do with it you want to cover water or slow down and pick apart water. |
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Posts: 374
| Choosing WTD versus prop is definitely situational. For me after sunset I would definitely go with a prop bait. If you do choose WTD and have multiple people fishing be sure WTD is casting out the back of the boat. |
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Posts: 357
| ive always felt WTD generated more strikes with a lower hookup percentage. |
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Posts: 770
Location: Delavan, WI | I agree with RJ692 on this |
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Posts: 386
| I'd just rather fish the prop bait cuz it's easier and I can cover water faster. Both are effective and I use both depending on the situation and what the fish are doing. |
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Posts: 600
Location: Michigan | Prop bait when searching for fish, Weagle when you've found them. |
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Posts: 1969
| definately situational , could write a 50 page essay...but in general I like WTD better than prop baits when surface temps are less than 68 and vice versa..but again thats a very general example of a very measurable variable - and then to muddy watters further (pun intented) plenty of times a hawg wobbler or flaptail outfish them both |
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| Going back to the original post and question about noise, when out earlier this week on a very calm day, thought I would compare. I guess I have always focused on movement and how much water a Weagle was pushing, but when I focused on sound, was surprised the Weagle did make almost as much noise as a Fat B. |
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Posts: 1183
| A couple of years ago Rollie & Helens made video of all the different top water lures with all the different sounds they make.
They all catch fish, the right speed for the right lure, and they have to be tuned. (some are better hooker then others) And some you have to play with the hook arrangements. |
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Posts: 7
| If fish are aggressive/chasing- prop baits all day long.
If fish are tight to cover and not chasing- weagle all day long |
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Posts: 205
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota | Walk the dog to me seems to have such a low hookup rate that it is a last resort. If I want to fish a topwater slow, I have way more confidence in the big hawg wobbler, a flaptail, or a big tailbait with a ticker on it. I generally always try to fish with the highest hookup ratio baits I can get away with, and there aren’t many times for me when that is a walk the dog |
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Posts: 1183
| There are day's when nothing is working and put on a Creeper, Flaptail, or a Marv's Twin Bladed Spinnerbait crawl it on the surface and some big girls will come up for a look. They won't hit, but now you know where they live. |
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Posts: 571
| The way I've always looked at it is this:
Any and all straight-retrieve topwaters are best under conditions that fish are generally active/aggressive. E.g., active fish will find and hunt them down.
Walk-the-Dog topwaters are the poorest % hooking baits known to mankind, but definitively still deserve to be thrown. These are best for adverse situations, e.g., where you know where a very reluctant fish is located. Accentuate the pauses and exaggerate the "whooshes" to trigger strikes. Good luck hooking up and keeping 'em pinned. |
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Posts: 1183
| The Weagle is way better than the old Jackpot. |
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Posts: 309
Location: Selkirk, Manitoba | WTD is probably one of my most productive lures in finding new fish, but very low on the hooking percentage, especially muskies (better with pike, who are more persistent). Prop-style just doesn't get it done often for our group - although we still give them a fair shot. The waters I fish I think see a lot of smallmouth guys throwing whopper ploppers, so I think there is some follow fatigue on those perhaps. WTD or really any topwater also a good way to give the body a break from blades, big rubber ( better hooking percentage stuff) and can get into some gnarly weeds, super shallow rocks that these baits not really great in. As far as the sound theories - muskies or any big predator are pretty aware of what's up if either in their zone - don't think sound volume a huge factor in why the fish show. |
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Posts: 156
Location: Alexandria, MN | jasonvkop - 6/16/2023 11:54 AM
Prop bait when searching for fish, Weagle when you've found them.
This^^^ Weagles make a great cast-back lure on a previously raised fish, or when working a "spot on a spot" at prime time. I use prop baits almost like a bucktail - for searching - and if I'm lucky, one will eat it. |
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Posts: 3774
| I don't know how or why but I have a Topraider that squeaks just like a lost duckling. Muskie magnet. |
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