Poppers, chuggers, spitters. Call 'em as you see 'em. They've emerged as the hottest topwater baits of our time. And oh the fun of them. Only a tournament head wouldn't prefer to catch a 5-pounder on a topwater lure over a 7-pounder on a crankbait. Consider scenarios such as these:

TIMING THE POPPER BITE
Spring -- The attraction of poppers to largemouths in spring seems to stem from the fish's natural inclination to move into shallow cover-filled bays that warm fast in the early spring sun. Fish bask near the surface, apparently soaking up the warmth to boost their metabolism. They're easily spooked and not aggressive, but will softly engulf a lure floating on the surface, or gently twitched near a stump or over a weed clump.

Note, however, that this fast charge into shallow bays is characteristic only for largemouth bass of the north-central region. Farther south, the progression into thin water is gradual. Bass pro Danny Joe Humphrey, a longtime topwater expert from North Carolina, considers 60F the threshold for poppin' action in mid-south reservoirs like Buggs Island. Humphrey, who markets several Japanese-made poppers in the Viva Series, prefers subtle poppers like the Viva Pencil Popper prior to the spawn.

Fall -- At the other end of the seasonal scale, poppers can be the best bait to throw late in fall, once vegetation has thinned and bass hold among shallow wood and remaining clumps of vegetation for their final meals before ice covers the lake. Smaller poppers, as well as floating minnowbaits consistently take largemouths at water temperatures down to about 45F.

Summer -- Admittedly, though, poppers and chuggers are in their prime from the Spawn Period through the Post-Summer Period, the period of the In-Fisherman calendar that begins when water temperatures first decline in late summer and ends at Fall Turnover. The food web is in high gear during midsummer, and that's when bass do the bulk of their annual feeding. Few baits draw strikes from active bass as surely as poppers.

The fast skittering, spitting retrieve that's the standard for summer daytime fishing in impoundments imitates the sight and sound of panicked shad. For when bass and predators sense that other fish are feeding, they want to join the feast.

During summer, poppers also appeal to largemouth and smallmouth bass that hold in cover but are ready to feed opportunistically. In rivers, all species of black bass choose holding positions that give them shelter from current but allow them to scan the water moving by, to pick off potential prey. During low water in summer, which also brings clear water, smallmouths hold by boulders and deadhead logs in the main channel.

Big smallmouths bit best when the popper drifted alongside the cover object, and then was popped and allowed to settle. In the clear water, the bass could be seen easing out, nosing up to the lure, then smashing it with a vengeance. In productive areas, almost every log and rock held a fish.

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