Review: Whopper Plopper vs. Cavitron 2024
tcbass reply :
Fishing a lake that I've fished for a few years. It doesn't have a great topwater bite during the day, but have caught some fish during the day and evening with buzzbaits and KVD Sexy Dawg.
Went out yesterday with my friend and fished from around 5:30pm - 8:30pm. He used 2 different colored Cavitrons (our most successful buzzbait) in unknown weights and I tried a Whopper Plopper 110 in Munky Butt. Over the course of 3 hours he caught 1 bass, missed 1 with his buzzbait, and I caught 8 bass and missed 3 with my WP. He then tried my Whopper Plopper and caught a nice bass just under 2lbs.
So, for our unscientific, 1 day testing, the Cavitron caught 1 bass and the Whopper Plopper caught 9. That's a whupping.
I've only used the Whopper Plopper for 3 days I've caught fish in 4 ways. Letting it soak on the splashdown, within the first 6 inches of the retrieve, mid-retrieve, and stopping it mid-retrieve. The Whopper is definitely becoming my most successful topwater bait in quick order. I can't wait to try the Teckel Sprinker Frog because it has a Whopper Plopper style while being weedless. There was a lot of places I fished that day that had thin surface weeds that a frog would work well over but the WP was getting caught up on. My friend liked it so much he wants to buy 2 WP's now. I'll still stick with my Cavitrons but the WP is sort of like a buzzbait with the addition that you can stop it mid-retrieve and catch fish on the splashdown by letting it sit. Also, my friend said he just lost 2 of his Cavitron skirts for no reason, I know one was a brand new lure and the skirt came flying off on his first cast, he was upset by that. I said, skirted baits lose skirts, you can buy replacement skirts for about $4. He said he shouldn't need to on a new bait, which I agree, that one must have had manufacture defect. One thing about the Whopper Plopper is you don't need to worry about losing skirts. We'll have to try another Cavitron vs. Whopper Plopper contest this summer.
Ratherbfishing reply :
The whopper plopper strikes again!
J Francho reply :
And on the next day, the results might be reversed. Or the ribbontail worm. Or the spinnerbait. Or the...ad infinitum.
MassYak85 reply :
On 6/29/2017 at 1:36 AM, J Francho said:And on the next day, the results might be reversed. Or the ribbontail worm. Or the spinnerbait. Or the...ad infinitum.
Exactly. Lures are tools, the best lures will still produce bad results depending on the conditions. I think what you observed is that small differences matter. Both topwaters with similar styles but very different results. I've experienced the same where they won't touch a buzzbait but absolutely destroyed a plopper. IMO the whopper plopper is more versatile than a buzzbait but I'd still take the buzzbait in certain scenarios.
FCPhil reply :
The only reason I would fish a buzzbait over a whopper plopper is for the weedlessness. And if it is more than a little weedy I'll be throwing some type of frog instead.
BassWhole! reply :
On 6/29/2017 at 1:36 AM, J Francho said:And on the next day, the results might be reversed. Or the ribbontail worm. Or the spinnerbait. Or the...ad infinitum.
No, no. The way Lure De Jour® works is we say this is the best thing ever! and ignore the fact that (in this particular case) it jams with a barely perceptible piece of grass, has suspect hook up ratio, and lands like a grenade. Everyone buys a bunch, and then they move on to the next thing.
tcbass reply :
On 6/29/2017 at 6:01 AM, reason said:
No, no. The way Lure De Jour® works is we say this is the best thing ever! and ignore the fact that (in this particular case) it jams with a barely perceptible piece of grass, has suspect hook up ratio, and lands like a grenade. Everyone buys a bunch, and then they move on to the next thing.
Obviously you don't like it. That's ok. A lot of us have great success with it.
On 6/29/2017 at 1:36 AM, J Francho said:And on the next day, the results might be reversed. Or the ribbontail worm. Or the spinnerbait. Or the...ad infinitum.
Yep, what works today may not work tomorrow and may work again the day after that. But if you have the lure that is currently working today, then you're catching fish.
J Francho reply :
On 6/29/2017 at 6:08 AM, tcbass said:
Obviously you don't like it. That's ok. A lot of us have great success with it.
Yep, what works today may not work tomorrow and may work again the day after that. But if you have the lure that is currently working today, then you're catching fish.
It's of my opinion that you're on the fish that will bite that style of lure. I think most anglers don't move enough and also don't stick on biters long enough. Balance, find what's biting and why. It's usually tied to what cover is there, and what lure gets in their wheelhouse. Unlock that, and your game changes.
BassWhole! reply :
Yeah, I find when fish are on a top water bite, you can get them to bite several lures, which is a reason I don't usually throw a frog in open water. Usually, if I can't get them to take a popper or buzz bait, I'm doing something else (after showing them a wake bait)
tcbass reply :
On 6/29/2017 at 8:09 PM, reason said:Yeah, I find when fish are on a top water bite, you can get them to bite several lures, which is a reason I don't usually throw a frog in open water. Usually, if I can't get them to take a popper or buzz bait, I'm doing something else (after showing them a wake bait)
What do you normally do?
Bobby Uhrig reply :
Lost skirts HMMMMM send me your address and i will send you some replacement skirts- just tell me what color-- Sometimes if its hot out the bands become soft- and as you whip the bait out it could possibly come off- not to worry--
Again all baits have their time and place under various conditions.
I never mock any bait-or company -Use what is catching fish for you and what you have confidence in -
Koz reply :
I just bought a few Whopper Ploppers (Bone and Munky Butt) today and if the weather hold out tonight I will give them a try. Dick's is having a buy one, get one 50% off sale so I went a little nuts on lures and soft baits today.
As for the Plopper, Dick's only had 90's and 130's in stock so I bought 90's. I really wanted the 110's. Those 130's are HUGE. Someday I may have to try one.
SFL BassHunter reply :
So let me post my review on both.
Ain't caught a darn thing with either one. Review over lol 
BassB8Caster reply :
On 6/30/2017 at 12:43 AM, Koz said:I just bought a few Whopper Ploppers (Bone and Munky Butt) today and if the weather hold out tonight I will give them a try. Dick's is having a buy one, get one 50% off sale so I went a little nuts on lures and soft baits today.
As for the Plopper, Dick's only had 90's and 130's in stock so I bought 90's. I really wanted the 110's. Those 130's are HUGE. Someday I may have to try one.
I ordered my first whopper plopper yesterday with the sale at dicks. Bought a savage gear 3d line thru trout too. I bought the 130. it is 5" and ***/8 oz. My mh rods can handle that. I would not consider the 130 huge. I splurged for my first expensive lure, the spro bbz rat 40 that is 7.5" long total with tail. The fish love this thing. i would love to get the bigger one, but its a little too heavy for my rods and a rod upgrade isnt in the cards.
tcbass reply :
On 6/30/2017 at 12:52 AM, SFL BassHunter said:So let me post my review on both.
Ain't caught a darn thing with either one. Review over lol
Give it a few more tries. I didn't catch any fish the first couple of times I used a Zara Spook either.
BassB8Caster reply :
I have not caught anything on a buzzbait. Have had hits/bites but nothing landed. But to be fair, i have not fished it much. Just go watch videos on buzzbaits, the fish blow those things up. And people catch some big fish with them. So the lure does work. I also agree on the tool analogy. No guarantees in fishing, except that if you dont fish, you wont catch anything. And if you do try, you just may catch the fish of a lifetime.
SFL BassHunter reply :
Haven't caught a fish on the double plopper either. lol
tcbass reply :
On 6/30/2017 at 1:03 AM, SFL BassHunter said:Haven't caught a fish on the double plopper either. lol
Yeah, I stayed away from that one. lol
YoTone reply :
i prefer the buzzbait over the plopper.
the buzzbait is more versatile.
like someone mentioned you can fish it in messier situations.
tcbass reply :
On 6/30/2017 at 2:24 AM, YoTone said:i prefer the buzzbait over the plopper.
the buzzbait is more versatile.
like someone mentioned you can fish it in messier situations.
How is the buzzbait more versatile? I agree it's a bit better in weeds, but not much.
The Whopper Plopper is similar to a buzzbait but can be stopped mid-retrieve, can just sit after splashdown and catch fish, can be fished very fast, very slow, or in between wherein the buzzbait has to be retrieved at a fairly constant speed. The WP also has two treble hooks so you don't need a stinger hook like you do with a buzzbait if they are striking short.
frosty reply :
On 6/30/2017 at 1:30 AM, tcbass said:
Yeah, I stayed away from that one. lol
Why? I ask because I got one in an MTB box and I haven't used it yet.
tcbass reply :
On 6/30/2017 at 6:57 AM, frosty said:Why? I ask because I got one in an MTB box and I haven't used it yet.
I just don't want to spend $17 on a buzzbait. Buzzbaits tend to get destroyed easily because of the thin wire. It's just the nature of the beast with buzzbaits; like Senkos and Flukes, they aren't a permanent lure. We've gone through a lot of Cavitrons but they've caught a ton of fish, however, they aren't $17 a piece either.
A WP could cost the same but being a hardbait should last much longer.
RB 77 reply :
The Whopper Plopper is legit!
YoTone reply :
On 6/30/2017 at 5:57 AM, tcbass said:
How is the buzzbait more versatile? I agree it's a bit better in weeds, but not much.
The Whopper Plopper is similar to a buzzbait but can be stopped mid-retrieve, can just sit after splashdown and catch fish, can be fished very fast, very slow, or in between wherein the buzzbait has to be retrieved at a fairly constant speed. The WP also has two treble hooks so you don't need a stinger hook like you do with a buzzbait if they are striking short.
i used the 130 almost exclusively for 4 months straight so i know its power.
just saying i prefer a buzz bait because i can fish in more situations where i wont get hung up on stuff like laydowns and sparse vegetation where i do fish a lot.
admittedly, if i had better aim i would fish it over the same situations but i find the buzz bait more forgiving.
tcbass reply :
On 6/30/2017 at 7:57 AM, YoTone said:
i used the 130 almost exclusively for 4 months straight so i know its power.
just saying i prefer a buzz bait because i can fish in more situations where i wont get hung up on stuff like laydowns and sparse vegetation where i do fish a lot.
admittedly, if i had better aim i would fish it over the same situations but i find the buzz bait more forgiving.
Ic. You may want to try the Teckel Sprinker frog if it ends up being good.
Sinilar to a WP/Buzzbait but weedless. Might be perfect for your area.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I have lakes I fish a bunch where they kill a plopper but ignore a buzzbait and vice versa. No idea why, but I'm not wasting time throwing one when they're killing the other just because they should eat one if they're eating the other.
I personally prefer the buzzbait, but I've got a couple dozen ploppers so I'm not against throwing them either.
tcbass reply :
On 7/1/2017 at 2:52 PM, Bluebasser86 said:I have lakes I fish a bunch where they kill a plopper but ignore a buzzbait and vice versa. No idea why, but I'm not wasting time throwing one when they're killing the other just because they should eat one if they're eating the other.
I personally prefer the buzzbait, but I've got a couple dozen ploppers so I'm not against throwing them either.
Why do you favor the buzzbait?
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 7/1/2017 at 4:46 PM, tcbass said:
Why do you favor the buzzbait?
Probably because I've been fishing them my whole life and caught a ton of big fish on them. They're pretty inexpensive, can go through about anything, and they catch big fish, plus they're easy to fish.
IndianaFinesse reply :
The only time I'm going to pick up a whopper plopper over a buzzbait is when the buzzer is a little to fast moving for them, or during a downpour when I need all of the water displacement I can get. The 130 size is used during the down pour, and the 90 when they want a slower buzzbait. I use buzzbaits for everything else.
Bobby Uhrig reply :
Amazed about how many people not catching fish. Well here's your next tackle bag lol
tcbass reply :
On 7/2/2017 at 12:50 AM, Bobby Uhrig said:Amazed about how many people not catching fish. Well here's your next tackle bag lol
On a hunting forum a guy said he'd been hunting for 21 years and hadn't ever killed a deer yet.
You'd think he would have at least killed one with his car! "A" for persistence though.
Todd2 reply :
On 7/1/2017 at 2:52 PM, Bluebasser86 said:
I personally prefer the buzzbait, but I've got a couple dozen ploppers so I'm not against throwing them either.
Wow...24 whopper ploppers, It hurt my feelings to buy one last summer. I've been throwing it on 17lb Stren so I won't lose it. Maybe I'm cheap. 
WP seems to be a high risk / high reward deal for me. I don't catch a lot but when I do it's a nice fish and a lot of fun. I've only tried it at night.
NorcalBassin reply :
I happened to throw the 130 for the first time last evening and have to say it was pretty awesome. I landed 4 up to 3 pounds and had another swirl on it in about 2 hours of dedicated throwing. Topwater is always a good time and watching/hearing them slam that thing was very cool.
Bobby Uhrig reply :
Don't let anyone kid ya. The ploppers catch giants.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 7/2/2017 at 1:13 AM, Todd2 said:Wow...24 whopper ploppers, It hurt my feelings to buy one last summer. I've been throwing it on 17lb Stren so I won't lose it. Maybe I'm cheap.
WP seems to be a high risk / high reward deal for me. I don't catch a lot but when I do it's a nice fish and a lot of fun. I've only tried it at night.
I throw mine on 30lb braid and have my rods for guide trips rigged with 20lb braid. Had 3 trips in a row that one of the guys lost one of my ploppers even with the braid. The fun part is, they're paying so not only am I out a plopper, but I have to give them another one and hope they don't lose it. That's why I have so many though, have to have multiples in case a certain size or color is producing best.
Koz reply :
I caught a few more on my WP 90 last night. There were many times when the fish tried to hit it and missed. But it does generate a lot of action.
I also spent 30 minutes last night fishing for one of my Ploppers. My son is learning to tie his own knots and last night the results were mixed Luckily my trusty Rapala Husky Jerk trailing a bunch of weeds came to the rescue. Saved my son from extra chores this week.
tcbass reply :
On 7/3/2017 at 12:34 AM, Koz said:I caught a few more on my WP 90 last night. There were many times when the fish tried to hit it and missed. But it does generate a lot of action.
I also spent 30 minutes last night fishing for one of my Ploppers. My son is learning to tie his own knots and last night the results were mixed
I'd let him try tying his own knots on cheaper lures. lol.
I lost about a 9lbs. walleye at the boat as a kid because my older cousin used a shoe knot to tie my Rapala on.
Used the Whopper Plopper 110 In Munky Butt again last night while my bro used 2 different Cavitrons. After seeing me catch 3 nice bass he put away the Cavitrons and put on a Whopper Plopper 90 in Bone. He started doing better than me! Part of the problem was there was a lot of weeds just underneath the water and the WP 110 was so heavy it'd go deep on splashdown and catch weeds, because the WP 90 was lighter it didn't happen. He ended up catch 6 I think. He did say the WP 90 had way less action than the 110 which I too noticed but apparently the fish didn't notice.
So, once again, WP beats the Cavitron on the 2nd unscientific test.
I won't throw away or stop using my Cavitrons, but as my bro said, "My new favorite lure!"
kickerfish1 reply :
Unless there are weeds to the surface I am taking the plopper every time. The ability to stop them and pause them plus the casting distance are great attributes to me. Plus the plopper is more durable. I caught a few fish on a Cavitron (nothing over a pound and a half) and the frame get bent pretty bad. I don't boat flip fish so it was not as result of that.
Both have their time and place but for me plopper is open water and buzz bait would be sparse surface weeds.
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