Featured Bait: Team Ark Topwater Popper
Walking right into the topwater party, the Team Ark Topwater Popper 70 took all the finest qualities of a great popper and molded it all into one. A deep front lip cup pushes plenty of water to call the big bass from a distance and get them to investigate. Easy to cast, the tight walking action, and the correct angle of tail down lay in the water, put the Team Ark Topwater Popper 70 high on the list for anglers looking for the best attributes in a popper at an economical price. Keep the bass breaking the surface without breaking the bank.
With a deep color palette to provide a perfect forage match at any watershed, the Team Ark Topwater Popper 70 took professional input and has made matching the hatch in the lower 48 as easy as it gets. A razor-sharp rear feathered Mustad treble hook provides extra fish tantalizing action to an already realistic offering that bass simply can’t resist. Next time you want to fool the stubborn ones, hit the water with the Team Ark Topwater Popper 70 and show them the closest thing to the real thing they have ever seen.
How to Rig
We recommend rigging the Topwater Popper 70 with 12- to 15-pound mono or 20- to 30-pound braided line, ARK Rods Tharp Series One Eye Jack (TS69MRC) or Invoker Pro Series (IVP610MRC) with 7:1 gear ratio reel.
How to Fish
The Topwater Popper 70 shines during the warm water months, especially in the early morning or late afternoon. Dark area around the shaded pockets or any lowlight condition areas at where bass usually hide will be great too.
The Topwater Popper 70 sits about 45 degrees on the water. It is one of the easiest walk-the-dog action poppers and it spills water during the action too. If you jerk it slow and steady, it pops a lot of water and makes great sound to attract fish from distance.
Featured Pro: Bradley Roy
Bradley Roy has collected 11 Top 10s and 22 Top 20s in his professional career.
More Tips and Techniques
Having the TP-70 tied on will be crucial when targeting fish that have recently spawned and are aggressively feeding before heading back out to offshore destinations. Right after the spawn, targeting laydowns, pushes and docks in spawning pockets can be a winning pattern. The Popper excels in pulling fish from multiple directions, so if you can’t decide between casting to one bush or another in close proximity, cast between both of them to draw fish from both locations. This bait also excels during a shad spawn, where white/bone is the ideal color choice. During a bluegill spawn, consider adding more of a chartreuse-colored Popper to your lineup.
The ARK Popper TP-70 is specifically designed for walking and chugging or “popping” presentations. Varying your retrieve between these two options is key, while inserting pauses into your retrieve can be crucial to trigger aggressive strikes. This is where the popper shines versus a buzzbait, as you can pause the floating popper on the surface and increase the time spent in the strike zone.
