Matt, Check out the Hedden Zara puppy! It sits vertical, and it is silent. Smallmouth and Spots blast this bait!! Add 3 Owner hyperwire split rings in size 2 to all of the hangers, and Owner ST36 size 8! It's a perfect small baitfish imagination! Oh, look at the clear version and you can see how it is weighted. Thanks for all of your tips Eric
No other anglers ever told me this advice or showed me how to work a vertical lure to slap + dive in + rise . Matt great information you taught me today . Ive seen many top water i tried just rest on top only on a partial angle but never vertical. I can't wait to try this technique. New to me . Wear never to old to learn . Hard to believe eh . I am age 72 + live in my boat most of my life . Im going to my favorite bait shops in Quebec Canada to hunt for some of these lures you mentioned that are hard to find . Baron sports +Sail sporting are 2 of the best . Thanks again. Great . 👍.
Depending on the the bait I add the next size larger feathered treble hook (Owner Trournament Trailer) with a #2 or #3 oval split ring. I was shown this years ago on a saltwater pencil bait. You just let it bob up and down in the current. The fish would come up and crush it. Works great for bass.
I never fish topwaters straight out of the package. Been switching out most of my topwaters to larger rear feathered trebles and also a slightly larger split ring to add some weight. It's been making a difference ever since. Thanks for another hidden gem!
Thanks for putting this old trick back out there Matt. Your videos are always worth the watch. I started whittlin' chunks of cedar into somewhat crude plugs after I got my first pocket knife as a kid. Experimenting has always been half the fun for me. Testors' model paints, screw eyes raided from my dad's hardware bins, split rings and hooks swapped out from other lures in the tackle box, and chips from the woodpile whiled away many hours as I was growing up. Then I got into fly tying with a cheap kit from the tackle shop and I was in heaven! Keep the great tips and videos comin'. And Happy New Year!
Wow, this explains why I was catching bass very well with a Pop r that I had some treble hooks that I had a fly shop add some feathers and they were I think a size or two bigger and the fish loved that so much that I had a bunch tied up and still use to this day… great tip and one that I know works very well, for me it seems early and late in the year.
Thanks Matt and congrats on a successful 2023. Great information. Most people are aware of the Evergreen SB, comes with feathered treble hook. Look at Megabass Dog-X-Diamante, works great in rough water & fast paced WTD. I'm adding a feathered treble hook and slowing down even more in the hot zones.
One of the best tips ever. Thanks. Here's one for you. A top water frog with a 12 or 14 inch worm attached during the hot periods. Sometimes it'll trick the bass to go for a 2 for 1and it's going to be a head shot everytime. Blackie Thomas shared that last year and the 1st time I tried it I had a bluegill hit the frog so I've been sold on it. They try to drown the snake either way so the frogs gets the hook set
I actually got onto a bite on Toledo a few weeks back with a chug-bug but I replaced the smaller feather hook on the back with a bigger VMC bladed treble hook and i kept the front hook the same. I did it by accident I had to heavy of braided line on and I couldn't get my bait to walk right so I decided to try to weight the tail hoping to force it to walk but I noticed every time I stopped it it would stand up like that and I would get a swirl and my bait would disappear. I'm assumed it was because the water had dropped a couple degrees and they wasn't wanting to break the surface or because it was fall and they were keyed in on smaller bait but I caught a bunch of fish that day. Now that I've saw this video I'm gonna keep this in mind... Great video as always keepem coming brother!!!
The old Bill Lewis Slap-Stick was a jerkbait type bait that would sit in the water vertically and when you twitched it the bill would slap the water I'll have to dig them out, add a feathered treble and see if they work the same way. Thanks for the tip!!
Great tip. The panfish love that feathered treble too LOL. I airbrush paint lil 1 3/4" Popper blanks that sit that way. All size bass just seem to love them. It also has a very unique bloop when pulled gently or walks when reeled faster with rod twitches.
Thanks for another great tip. I will be putting this into action this spring for sure. I have noticed the same kind of thing with hollow belly frogs with how they sit in the water and how some days bass just want the one that sits more vertical but I have not tried it with other top water baits.
You have to try the Tiemco Red Pepper bait. Its a killer bait that sits vertical in the water! This kind of top water is very but very common in Brazil. We called topwater stick with bunch of options very used tor snooks and peacock bass
🍺I personally have feathered trebles on both the front and back of all my “popper” style top waters. I couldn’t agree more about the aggressive pop that can cause the popper to actually sub-merge. You can actually jerk your popper vigorously all the way back to the boat and it’ll actually walk the dog underwater. If have had some 20lb bags doing this over vegetation that is still a few feet from the surface. At times they smack your topwater on the surface but don’t get hooked. They almost always get the bait when it’s semi submerged. I ❤️ Love the topwater bites. So exciting and fun with anticipation🤠…Let’s go Huskies.
Golfers use a lead tape to add weight to their "Driver Clubs" in order to get extra range out of their golf balls. I've used that same lead tape to add weight to some of my lure. They weren't top water lures but the reason for the tape was the same. This tape has a sticky side just like regular tape so it' super simple to wrap the exact amount you might need to get the exact amount of weight, and it's low profile.
thanks for the tips, Matt... usually, i found most Japanese topwater baits seat vertically like that, especially saltwater poppers or swimbaits... yes it is really hard to find topwater baits for freshwater that seat vertically, especially in Malaysia... good content, Matt, appreciate it 🤩🤘🏾
Interesting tip Matt! I'm going to try this with an old school Bass Oreno. Use a larger rear feathered treble hook and add some weight to the back. The lip should help this lure dive really well and wobble when you twitch and pull it through the water. Also, I want to try this on a Storm Chug Bug.
Matt, a while ago I was at an Academy Sports store (don't know if they have those up where you are), and they had boxes of baits on clearance, real nice deals. I was thinking it would be a really cool show if you were there digging through those bins picking out the must-have baits of various brands and styles at the best bargain prices. Good time of year for that. I grabbed a Yozuri 3DB SP 110 jerk bait, ghost sexy shad, for $7 for starters. Couldn't find another one.
I’ve used something similar at Clear lake. The baits I have is a Sammie. Not sure who makes it, maybe Heddon. It was the only thing we got them bite on that day. Walk it a foot or so and pause for a few seconds and they would blast it. Great info.
i got one old bait that does that. Cordell crazy shad. bit more elliptical & shorter than a spook; has a longer shank w a round weight on it in front of the rear hook ring. sits vertical. w a hand- tyed feather treble its a good bait that nobody throws anymore.
Great tip. I stumbled onto this by accident. Found a popper on the bank, only had larger feathered trebles at home so i put them on. First cast I was bummed because the hook weighed the rear down and it would sit vertical. After a couple casts i was about to cut it off because to keep it from bobbing i had to constantly move it to keep it horizontal. Well I made this last cast, was working it, and then a dog walker asked me a question so i paused. I looked back, my bait was gone and line was running. Landed that one and then repeated it, twitch, pop, pause and again my bait disappeared. It was unreal. I’ve weighted a large portion of my poppers now. I’ve added chartreuse around the mouths to make it easier to see. It’s become my early morning, calmer condition go to.
LC Sammys do this- and they have the feathered rear treble- at least the few I have do. My bother gave them to me years ago- I think he got them when they first came out. I've seen several that don't have it- must be a thing they just do sometimes. I've caught a ton of big ones on the Sammy- I think everyone has, it was pretty popular there for a while. But I never thought about weighting my other top waters to sink in the rear as well- I'll definitely give it a shot. The Sammy gets hit a lot on the pause, maybe this is why.
vertical jigs are big in ice fishing. You already found silkies maybe more things from the ice fishing world have a place the rest of the year. It will be a different presentation at the least.
Personally, I don't like the vertical look. Only for my wooded poppers do I like them vertical bc she bounces on top. Crucial for the pause. As for that diving action, saltwater stickbaits do that. You'd have to build your vertical diver should you want that bc it's not to be found.
Thank you former video that revealed Heddon Big Bud is good topwater. Try two size of Nories Tough Bug with straight Fluorocarbon line. Sounds crazy I know but Tough Bug is exceptional bait to use FC line. It recommended by designer Norio Tanabe. I refused FC line topwater at first, but later changed my mind. I still using mono line for other poppers. Check promotional video. You’ll know it except for language. ruclips.net/video/z6FZJPw33KY/видео.htmlsi=hiWabj5gqUQFlxI8
Matt,
Check out the Hedden Zara puppy! It sits vertical, and it is silent. Smallmouth and Spots blast this bait!!
Add 3 Owner hyperwire split rings in size 2 to all of the hangers, and Owner ST36 size 8!
It's a perfect small baitfish imagination!
Oh, look at the clear version and you can see how it is weighted.
Thanks for all of your tips
Eric
Thanks for sharing!
Good stuff Matt!
No other anglers ever told me this advice or showed me how to work a vertical lure to slap + dive in + rise . Matt great information you taught me today . Ive seen many top water i tried just rest on top only on a partial angle but never vertical. I can't wait to try this technique. New to me . Wear never to old to learn . Hard to believe eh . I am age 72 + live in my boat most of my life . Im going to my favorite bait shops in Quebec Canada to hunt for some of these lures you mentioned that are hard to find . Baron sports +Sail sporting are 2 of the best . Thanks again. Great . 👍.
Awesome! Never to old to learn
Depending on the the bait I add the next size larger feathered treble hook (Owner Trournament Trailer) with a #2 or #3 oval split ring. I was shown this years ago on a saltwater pencil bait. You just let it bob up and down in the current. The fish would come up and crush it. Works great for bass.
Awesome!
I never fish topwaters straight out of the package. Been switching out most of my topwaters to larger rear feathered trebles and also a slightly larger split ring to add some weight. It's been making a difference ever since. Thanks for another hidden gem!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for putting this old trick back out there Matt. Your videos are always worth the watch. I started whittlin' chunks of cedar into somewhat crude plugs after I got my first pocket knife as a kid. Experimenting has always been half the fun for me. Testors' model paints, screw eyes raided from my dad's hardware bins, split rings and hooks swapped out from other lures in the tackle box, and chips from the woodpile whiled away many hours as I was growing up. Then I got into fly tying with a cheap kit from the tackle shop and I was in heaven! Keep the great tips and videos comin'. And Happy New Year!
Thanks
Wow, this explains why I was catching bass very well with a Pop r that I had some treble hooks that I had a fly shop add some feathers and they were I think a size or two bigger and the fish loved that so much that I had a bunch tied up and still use to this day… great tip and one that I know works very well, for me it seems early and late in the year.
Glad it helped!
Thanks Matt and congrats on a successful 2023. Great information. Most people are aware of the Evergreen SB, comes with feathered treble hook. Look at Megabass Dog-X-Diamante, works great in rough water & fast paced WTD. I'm adding a feathered treble hook and slowing down even more in the hot zones.
Go for it!
Thanks for all the good tips, Matt !
You bet!
Nothing like a few more topwater bites! Priceless
Yep!
Great tip Matt, I’ll try adding some weight to different baits at home and let you know what works best.
Go for it!
One of the best tips ever. Thanks. Here's one for you. A top water frog with a 12 or 14 inch worm attached during the hot periods. Sometimes it'll trick the bass to go for a 2 for 1and it's going to be a head shot everytime. Blackie Thomas shared that last year and the 1st time I tried it I had a bluegill hit the frog so I've been sold on it. They try to drown the snake either way so the frogs gets the hook set
Very cool
I actually got onto a bite on Toledo a few weeks back with a chug-bug but I replaced the smaller feather hook on the back with a bigger VMC bladed treble hook and i kept the front hook the same. I did it by accident I had to heavy of braided line on and I couldn't get my bait to walk right so I decided to try to weight the tail hoping to force it to walk but I noticed every time I stopped it it would stand up like that and I would get a swirl and my bait would disappear. I'm assumed it was because the water had dropped a couple degrees and they wasn't wanting to break the surface or because it was fall and they were keyed in on smaller bait but I caught a bunch of fish that day. Now that I've saw this video I'm gonna keep this in mind... Great video as always keepem coming brother!!!
Thanks for sharing!
The old Bill Lewis Slap-Stick was a jerkbait type bait that would sit in the water vertically and when you twitched it the bill would slap the water I'll have to dig them out, add a feathered treble and see if they work the same way. Thanks for the tip!!
Yep I’ve caught lots on the slapstick
Pure juice. Thanks for the content sir.
You bet
I was scraping the paint off a popper today at work so guess what I did when I got home. Can't wait to use it now
Sounds good!
Great tip. The panfish love that feathered treble too LOL. I airbrush paint lil 1 3/4" Popper blanks that sit that way. All size bass just seem to love them. It also has a very unique bloop when pulled gently or walks when reeled faster with rod twitches.
Awesome
Thanks for another great tip. I will be putting this into action this spring for sure. I have noticed the same kind of thing with hollow belly frogs with how they sit in the water and how some days bass just want the one that sits more vertical but I have not tried it with other top water baits.
Glad it was helpful!
Matt, your hack videos are so exciting to view.
Thank you for sharing.
Glad you like them!
Picked up some Core Tackle hover rigs from my local tackle shop and I can’t wait to put them to use!
Awesome!
You have to try the Tiemco Red Pepper bait. Its a killer bait that sits vertical in the water! This kind of top water is very but very common in Brazil. We called topwater stick with bunch of options very used tor snooks and peacock bass
I’ll check it out
Thanks for sharing Matt
You bet!
🍺I personally have feathered trebles on both the front and back of all my “popper” style top waters. I couldn’t agree more about the aggressive pop that can cause the popper to actually sub-merge. You can actually jerk your popper vigorously all the way back to the boat and it’ll actually walk the dog underwater. If have had some 20lb bags doing this over vegetation that is still a few feet from the surface. At times they smack your topwater on the surface but don’t get hooked. They almost always get the bait when it’s semi submerged. I ❤️ Love the topwater bites. So exciting and fun with anticipation🤠…Let’s go Huskies.
That submerge can be so good
Golfers use a lead tape to add weight to their "Driver Clubs" in order to get extra range out of their golf balls.
I've used that same lead tape to add weight to some of my lure. They weren't top water lures but the reason for the tape was the same.
This tape has a sticky side just like regular tape so it' super simple to wrap the exact amount you might need to get the exact amount of weight, and it's low profile.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Matt Love the feather hooks.
Me too
thanks for the tips, Matt... usually, i found most Japanese topwater baits seat vertically like that, especially saltwater poppers or swimbaits... yes it is really hard to find topwater baits for freshwater that seat vertically, especially in Malaysia... good content, Matt, appreciate it 🤩🤘🏾
You bet!
Thanks for the tips Matt 👍
You bet!
Genius! Thanks for this!
You're welcome!
Great tip. I appreciate you sharing this.
Glad it was helpful!
Great tip Matt! I want to try that with my poppers and Spooks!
John McHatton
Go for it!
Thank You, Matt! 👌🙌
Thanks!
I'll try that look to me like it should work 100% thanks for the info brother
It does!
In the east coast surf the pencil popper sits in a similar fashion.Very effective in a calm or rough water
Awesome!
Awesome tip. Great explanation. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Interesting tip Matt! I'm going to try this with an old school Bass Oreno. Use a larger rear feathered treble hook and add some weight to the back. The lip should help this lure dive really well and wobble when you twitch and pull it through the water. Also, I want to try this on a Storm Chug Bug.
Sounds great!
Mike Swofford Great Tip , Thank Matt
Thanks
Good luck in 2024@@MattStefanFishing
Good suggestions. What type of feather do you recommend adding to the rear treble? Flash, bucktail, hackle or marabou?
I like flashabou
Nice I'll give it a shot.👍👍👍👍👍
Go for it
I never thought of this thank you I will for sure try it out
Give it a try
Matt, a while ago I was at an Academy Sports store (don't know if they have those up where you are), and they had boxes of baits on clearance, real nice deals. I was thinking it would be a really cool show if you were there digging through those bins picking out the must-have baits of various brands and styles at the best bargain prices. Good time of year for that. I grabbed a Yozuri 3DB SP 110 jerk bait, ghost sexy shad, for $7 for starters. Couldn't find another one.
I love digging through bargain bins!
I’ve used something similar at Clear lake. The baits I have is a Sammie. Not sure who makes it, maybe Heddon. It was the only thing we got them bite on that day. Walk it a foot or so and pause for a few seconds and they would blast it. Great info.
Lucky craft makes the sammy.
Good bait!
What a great tip, thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Pencil popper does. My favorite.
Thanks for sharing!
Can’t wait to try this!
Hope you like it!
i got one old bait that does that. Cordell crazy shad. bit more elliptical & shorter than a spook; has a longer shank w a round weight on it in front of the rear hook ring. sits vertical. w a hand- tyed feather treble its a good bait that nobody throws anymore.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Matt,a boy howdy sits that way also.
Yep!
Great stuff matt
Thanks
Thanks!
No problem!
What about wrapping a little lead wire around the top of the rear treble?
You can do that too
Just picked up a Berkley spin rocket, think that might work with a feathered treble?
Yep
Great tip. I stumbled onto this by accident. Found a popper on the bank, only had larger feathered trebles at home so i put them on. First cast I was bummed because the hook weighed the rear down and it would sit vertical. After a couple casts i was about to cut it off because to keep it from bobbing i had to constantly move it to keep it horizontal. Well I made this last cast, was working it, and then a dog walker asked me a question so i paused. I looked back, my bait was gone and line was running. Landed that one and then repeated it, twitch, pop, pause and again my bait disappeared. It was unreal. I’ve weighted a large portion of my poppers now. I’ve added chartreuse around the mouths to make it easier to see. It’s become my early morning, calmer condition go to.
Thanks for sharing!
LC Sammys do this- and they have the feathered rear treble- at least the few I have do. My bother gave them to me years ago- I think he got them when they first came out. I've seen several that don't have it- must be a thing they just do sometimes. I've caught a ton of big ones on the Sammy- I think everyone has, it was pretty popular there for a while. But I never thought about weighting my other top waters to sink in the rear as well- I'll definitely give it a shot. The Sammy gets hit a lot on the pause, maybe this is why.
It’s a good topwater
Evergreen jt 95 does this perfectly out of the box , I add a feather tail and they eat it all the time like you say , just like a bobber going down
I love those bites
What about using suspend dots or strips on the rear of the bait.?
That can work as well
That's a great idea.
It is!
vertical jigs are big in ice fishing. You already found silkies maybe more things from the ice fishing world have a place the rest of the year. It will be a different presentation at the least.
agreed
The old Smithwick carrot top was a bait like you described.
Thanks for sharing!
Third lol, or maybe first, looking at other comments, seriously the best fishing info on youtube
Thanks for the support!
The old “Spittin Image” is like that. I still catch bass on those.
That’s a good bait!
You started my wheels turning.
Nice!
🍺Let’s go Huskies🤞.
20-13 right now…gonna be a good ending
@@MattStefanFishing everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Our star quarterback is missing wide-open players we’re 😡
@@heinrichkellogg7563 drops aren’t helping
I’ve seen whopper ploppers sit up like that but not exactly perpendicular.
Interesting
doesn't the old chug bug sit like this? maybe not completely vertical.
not really
The Old SmithWick Tooth Pick sits in the water like that.
Awesome
That is like the old carrot top we had when i was a kid
Awesome!
The POP R 70 sits nose up.
Thanks for sharing
Wow it kind of looks like a spit n image , but with a prop in back
It’s a winner
Personally, I don't like the vertical look. Only for my wooded poppers do I like them vertical bc she bounces on top. Crucial for the pause. As for that diving action, saltwater stickbaits do that. You'd have to build your vertical diver should you want that bc it's not to be found.
Thanks for sharing!
Shh !! going too far bro I like to share too, but this is the kind of thing you gotta figure out by yourself.😄
Sorry
Cordell boy howdy tail weighted bone or blue nose just make sure to put a feathered hook on tail
Amen!
Thanks for sharing
Thank you former video that revealed Heddon Big Bud is good topwater.
Try two size of Nories Tough Bug with straight Fluorocarbon line. Sounds crazy I know but Tough Bug is exceptional bait to use FC line. It recommended by designer Norio Tanabe. I refused FC line topwater at first, but later changed my mind. I still using mono line for other poppers.
Check promotional video. You’ll know it except for language.
ruclips.net/video/z6FZJPw33KY/видео.htmlsi=hiWabj5gqUQFlxI8
Enjoyed the video so very much !!! Impressive collection of finesse poppers. Topwaters on BFS gear is a beautiful thing...
Awesome