Propbaits

[frogfisher]

Are Propbaits good topwater baits or should I just not waist my money with them and stick to poppers?

[WTL]

Yes, they are a very old style of bait but I still catch very good fish on them. They are best when you have some tangeble cover to throw to, if I want to cover water I'll walk the dog with a spook or a sammy, but if I see some good brush or grass I'm more often than not gonna pick it apart with a propbait - either a Devil Horse or a Luhr Jensen Nip i didee. Those are the two I normally use, some use heddon torpedos as well.

[Raul]

They are excellent topwater baits, the old reliable Heddon Torpedo catches as many fish today as it has done it for more than 3 decades, my only beef with them is that they can run out of tune after you catch a fish. Doesn´t happen the same with the Rapala Skitter Prop.

[frogfisher]

So would getting the Rapala Skitter Prop be a good deal... That's the one I was looking at getting

[WTL]

I would still go devils horse. Havent used the skitter prop, but I am a little wary - it looks like took just the same old skitter pop and added a prop to it. Not exactly deft lure design. The devils horse has proven itself over like 50 years. Same for the others.

[WTL]

What I like about a Devils Horse is its got a subtle blurp. A lot of people don't think of it this way, but when I fish a propbait I identify water almost like when I identify places to pitch a worm. Its a high percentage deal where you are picking spots. You want a lure that you can trust, that wont scare the **** out of the fish coming down or making too much racket. Slow down with prop baits. 1 pop - then let it sit a few seconds, then a couple more pops, let it sit, repeat and pull it in.

[frogfisher]

which color should I go with if I'm fishing a shallow lake with plenty of cover during the late morning, early afternoon or late afternoon, early evening

[carolina-rig-01]

prop baits are a great way to catch topwater fish. and all the baits mentioned above are great prop baits, can't speak for the skitter prop since i haven't used it but the rest of them i know will catch fish.

[WTL]

My father has his own pet colors that he swears by, for him its called a Jim Pfieffer - green with an orange belly - I myself think thats more of a mental thing with him. I have caught them on almost all the colors they offer, the fewest on black but I fish it a little less.

Anything with chrome or white is good. But I like the chartruse ones too. I don't think its as important as worm fishing. Casting accuracy is important. Action is important. Color is an afterthought IMO.

There is no doubt you are imitating a baitfish with these lures. Nothing else. So if you at least half-*** resemble your local baitfish colors you are definitly good.

[JB]

I learned something this weeked about prop baits, the cicadas were falling on the water like crazy, some locals were using the tiny torpedo to imitate the cicada moving on top of the water...I think every species of fish was geared to look up for falling cicadas these last few weeks, even carp were being caught on the torpedos.

[pignjig]

Ditto the Devil's Horse suggestion. There's a guy who used to fish the circuit down in Fla. All he fishes is the Devil's Horse all year... now, that's either devotion or madness.

[Jim80]

double on the devil's horse but i have also used the skitter pop and have no complaints about it the skitter is actually tied on one if my rods for tommorow .

[WTL]

pignjig, does that mean he fishes the Devils Horse at 12 noon in summer too?

[pignjig]

WTL, that's the way the story read in the Bassmaster mag. It came out, I believe, in the mid-90s. I know a guy who's a freak as far as remembering stuff like that. I'll ask him and look it up. But, the jist of the article was how unusual this fellow's approach was. They even had a photo of one of his tackle boxes and it was crammed full of DH's of every color available.

[mariner]

i cant seem to make them work, they work the first trip then they dont work right any more, and i cant seem to tune them

[pignjig]

Never be afraid to mess with the blades on a prop bait, Mariner. You can pull them forward to increase drag and make them noisier and move less on the retrieve, or you can push them back and decrease the noise and increase the speed and distance. Everything in between is possible. Also, turn the eye out some to make sure the props are as free spinning as possible. When you get the right retrieve at the right time, a prop bait is a deadly topwater bait...just some thoughts...

-Pig

[mariner]

thanks pig hehehehehe um like the devils horse is cool but i hope that helps
ill be sure to try it

[wareagle_fb5308]

on the reservoir me and my friends fish the heddon torpedo in gold black back is what produces the majority of our fish..they are hard to find where i live but they are some great lures!

[1FASTLASER]

Originally Posted by WTL

What I like about a Devils Horse is its got a subtle blurp. A lot of people don't think of it this way, but when I fish a propbait I identify water almost like when I identify places to pitch a worm. Its a high percentage deal where you are picking spots. You want a lure that you can trust, that wont scare the **** out of the fish coming down or making too much racket. Slow down with prop baits. 1 pop - then let it sit a few seconds, then a couple more pops, let it sit, repeat and pull it in.

A man after my own heart and speaks words of wisdom. The devils horse The original shaped ones not those panty waist small thin ones in the right hands is a deadly tool. You must tune the props correctly to get that swoosh sound. WTL knows what I am saying. The torpedo is another....not quite as effective as the devil but does the same thing. Its all in the tuning and knowibg what the fish want that day and WHERE you throw it

[1FASTLASER]

Originally Posted by WTL

pignjig, does that mean he fishes the Devils Horse at 12 noon in summer too?

Thats one of the secrets shall I say about the horse and the pedo. they catch em when the sun is blistering your skin.............you gotta have patience and know when to throw em. I now have to hunt up some of the old colors again since some ******* stole everything I have but I will find em again. I have caught my kicker fish countless times at noon on that same color phifer mentioned. You just gotta LEARN when to throw it and how to tune it. Once you learn how to tune it it takes seconds to do it.

[JB]

I know ya experiment with retrieves due to the fish's mood , but which one works most of the time. ? a couple of pulls an let it rest?

[Raul]

Originally Posted by JB

but which one works most of the time. ?

This business isn´t like a kitchen recipe where you add two of this, three of that and a pound of these, mix well, cook and voilà !

[JB]

yea i know, jus sayin'

[Lancer6]

And in summation, Ladies and Genitals of the Jury...

Of virtually ALL lures where color doesn't matter quite so much (but size does, according to my girlfriend, a Miss Aldonza Plugg,) it's the topwater plug, especially when fished for the noise effect and with some rapidity. After all, the bass don't get much of a look at the top of the bait EXCEPT when in rolls due to torque from the blades; "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."
Re the aforementioned blades: When you bend them to increase or reduce sputter 'n fuss, be mindful of altering the pitch. It's wayyyyyyy easy (kinda like Aldonza) to eliminate the pitch of the blade on one side or the other.
My method of bending a prop is as follows: Using a needle-nose pliers, I firmly pinch the center of the blade (you know, where the little hole is.) Then, using another pliers of the same type, I bend each blade to the desired pitch and angle relative to the center. This way, I achieve uniformity and do not warp the center circle of the prop.
More about color...There are times when I'm pretty selective, but in the case of Torpedos (I use the Tiny more than the larger, especially in relatively clear and "flat" water.) I generally stick with chrome OR clear.
When it comes to the venerable Debbil's Hoss, I kinda like the yellow with black bars or a perch scale pattern. Dunno why, maybe something related to catching lotsa bass on those two colors long, long ago in Louisiana.
Modifications: I sometimes remove the FRONT prop from a Devil's Horse. This allows the tail of the bait to sink a bit, the lure now resting at a slightly nose-up angle (color might be more at issue here), I fish that setup with very sharp jerks and, frankly, I think it even more resembles an injured prey fish.
When you remove a prop from the D-Horse or 'Pedo to tune it, be certain to replace the two little cupped metal caps on the shaft, fore and aft of the blade. These are your prop "bearings". AND...When you screw the shaft back into the tail of the lure, go only so far as it takes to reduce wobble of the prop but be careful not to pinch the prop to a point where it does not rotate freely. When you think you have it right, blow on it. If it spins easily, without oscillating all over the map, you are there!
Also, apply a TINY droplet of Gorilla Glue to the very tip of the threads, or, better yet, use a round toothpick to force a tad of glue into the hole in the tail of the bait. You must avoid any hint of glue on the shaft that might interfere with blade rotation. Don't use super glue...take my word for that.
Handy and valid tip: When working on treble-hooked lures, place those cute lil' plastic hook bonnets on the trebles. This prevents blood loss and bad language. JUST DO IT!

Now, where did that #^%@! Aldonza wander off to? (All this talk of shafts, rotation, wobble, cups [She's a 34D, BTW], more wobble, and equal and opposite reactions, y'know?)
Happy Fourth!

Lancer6

[carolina-rig-01]

the woodchopper is another good topwater bait that has caught a lot of fish around here over the years. they are hard to come by anymore but deffinatley worth owning a few if you run accross them.