Propbait
18 bass vs. 52 bass in 2024
Whopper Plopper 110 (bone)
Top Bass: 3-13 Knox County public strip pit – May 16
Top 2 Weight (only two at 12” or better): 4-14 (3-13,1-1)
Comments
I didn’t throw the Whopper Plopper as much in 2025 as I had during the past several years. The drop in use was primarily because I did not fish the Hennepin Canal as much as I had in previous years. My 54.25 hours on The Canal in 2025 was a significant decrease from 136 hours in 2024. The Canal is a very shallow fishery which sets up well for topwater fishing once the water warms. And the Whopper Plopper is quite effective in spots where you can avoid fouling the large treble hooks in the abundant weed growth.
History
From 2021 through 2024, I landed one hundred and fifteen bass on the Whopper Plopper, so my 2025 total fell shy of keeping up the pace. And my total was way down from a record haul in 2024 of fifty-two bass. It is a fun presentation and fits well with my fast, power fishing approach. However, it took a backseat this year to other topwater offerings and catch totals suffered from the diminished time fishing The Canal.
Video
The video of the 2025 Top Propbait Bass is kind of rough for a couple reasons. First, the wind was terrible on this day and ruined the audio. Therefore, the volume is way down on the catch and assessment portions of the video but turned back up for the release. Secondly, the video had to be spliced due to cropping certain sections for “security” reasons as the backdrop was a bit too revealing. With all my 2025 fishing taking place on public waters, there are instances where I choose to leave a little mystery.
Last Cast
I am still working on my game plan for 2026 so it remains to be seen what the time investment will be on The Canal where the Whopper Plopper shines. The strip mines also give up some quality bites as demonstrated by the video, but the wind and weeds can be a hindrance when fishing from the bank. If I were to make a prediction, I would anticipate similar numbers in 2026.
Another lure is on the way tomorrow so talk to you later. Troy