The River2Sea Whopper Plopper is one of those baits that sat in my TackleWarehouse shopping cart on more then one occasion prior to actually being purchased. It was a bait I had a hard time wrapping my head around and I just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on this $12.99 lure.. and since as you know I'm Canadian that $13 quickly turned into $17 after the exchange!
But the more I read about the bait the more I was intrigued by it. Every angler that I know that had used a WP was ecstatic about, and wouldn't hesitate to tell you how much they enjoyed fishing with it. The term "big fish bait" was often thrown around, and once I'd heard that from multiple sources, this perennial shopping cart bait finally made it to checkout.
Before we get to the Pro's and Con's section, I will say that I believe I made a grievous ordering mistake by choosing the 90F size, what seemed like it would be an Ok sized bait, ended up looking tiny when out of the package. Sure it still caused some serious commotion on the water, but the smaller profile doesn't scream "big fish bait" to me.. Ok on with the review
PROS
First and foremost the Whopper Plopper stirs up water like no other bait Ive tied on. Its not a walking bait, and its not a buzz bait, its the perfect marriage of the two, and that says a lot. The stream of bubbles that this bait churns up is truly awesome, the tail offers up a mix of plop/clacker sound when retrieved that might as well be the theme from Jaws, it causes so much tension that I'm on edge for every crank of the reel... you know its just a matter of time before things go sideways (in a good way)
The 90F is the smallest size available and still casts fairly well. the larger sizes will get you some added distance and visibility in those times in which both are needed. again go big, don't make the same mistake i did.
We all know what its like to constantly untangle the front and back trebles on smaller walking and popping baits, this is rarely if ever and issue with the Whopper Popper as the fat spinning tail seems to get in the way just enough to keep things tangle-free which is a huge plus in my books.
As a guy that likes to add some flash and motion to my top water baits, I really appreciated the fact that the rear treble could be removed easily to allow me to switch it out and add a custom feathered treble in it's place. This was not the case with a certain Jackall top water bait I also tested this season.
With 3 sizes and 15 colour options there are not many other baits that can compete with the level of choice offered by the Whopper Plopper. Again avoid the toy model 90F
CONS:
Lets start with the obvious, this is a pricey bait, and in all honesty although they fish well, nothing about most River2Sea baits screams high quality components to me. meaning what am I paying for? This really should be an $8.99 bait (and up) but when it works as well as it does, any complaints about price are quickly silenced.
Availability is a tough one here as well. Many of my local shops carry some River2Sea products (mainly Frogs and Spinnerbaits) but I was not able to pick this up locally and had the choice to drive 2+ hours to the BPS or order on line from TackleWarehouse.
Size does matter, and this style bait performs much higher in a larger size, Im not sure the 90F shouldn't be listed as a panfish bait in order to avoid anglers like me making the poor decision on going small. But with that said, I liked the bait enough that I went out and purchased the larger size.
REPORT CARD:
Quality: B+
Popping: N/A
Walking: B
Casting: A
Options: A+
Price: C
Where to purchase:
Tackle Warehouse ($12.99-$20.99)
River2Sea ($13.74 - $17.39)
Bass Pro Shop ($12.99 - $16.99)
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