Catch more trout with these 3 topwater lures for fall

Walking-the-dog, popping, and buzzing all catch topwater trout

It’s tough to beat the speckled trout bite in the fall along the coast of the Carolinas. And for most anglers, nothing tops catching them on topwater lures. It’s the perfect combination of sight, sound, and feel that you can only get from using surface lures. And trout are very cooperative at this game, especially in low-light conditions like early morning.

Plenty of topwater lures are on the market, and most of them do a decent job at catching trout. Here are three that can help you boat your share of specks this fall.

The Top Dog

MirrOlure’s Top Dog. This lure comes in two sizes – a 4-inch model and a 4 9/16-inch model.

A typical walk-the-dog action is the way to work these lures. This is done by twitching the rod tip, reeling in the slack, and repeating this until the lure is all the way back to the boat. Twitch, reel, twitch, reel, twitch, reel. It’s an easy lure to work, and you can change the speed you work it if the fish aren’t responding.

The Mullet Popper

LIVETARGET Lures Mullet Popper. These lures are some of the most realistic-looking lures you’ll find by any manufacturer, which isn’t surprising coming from LIVETARGET.

This lure looks so life-like that you’ll be tempted to break out the knife and turn it into cut bait.

The Mullet Popper is available in two sizes (3 1/2-inches, 4 3/4-inches) and several colors. A clear cupped face makes a gurgling or popping sound when retrieved, but the angler can cause a louder noise with more commotion simply by pulling harder when working the lure.

A quick pop, followed by a quick pause is the best way to use this bait. Anglers should take care in not pausing for too long. Trout are accustomed to chasing baitfish that are trying to get away from them, and will turn away from a lure that sits still too long.

The Whopper Plopper

River2Sea Whopper Plopper. This lure came on the fishing scene hot a few years ago. It’s worth the hype. It’s a versatile lure than can work well in many situations. A steady retrieve creates a constant buzzing sound and kicks up a disturbance that will have specks investigating. Jerk it and pause it for a quick buzz followed by a pause that often draws crushing strikes. Reel it fast, reel it slow…you really can’t go wrong with this lure.