By Jake Miller Considering a plopper for your tackle box? This review will help you decide. It covers the TRUSCEND PoPobait Double Blade Plopper. Is it right for your fishing adventures?
I’ve tried plenty of topwater lures over the years.
Some look great in the package but don’t do much once they hit the water. Others make plenty of noise but are harder to control than they need to be.
I picked up the PoPobait Topwater Bass Lure Plopper. I wasn’t interested in its look on the tackle bench.
I wanted to know one thing:
What does this little bait actually do on the water?
I spent time working it. I tried different retrieves and watched its surface behavior. My impression was clear.
The PoPobait is a compact, aggressive topwater lure. Its main idea is surface disturbance. It achieves this without a huge bait.
And that’s exactly where it makes the most sense.
Quick Take
What stood out to me most:
Compact profile that doesn’t feel oversized
Double blades create aggressive surface disturbance
Belly weight helps improve casting distance and stability
Easy to work with a simple straight retrieve
Can also be fished fast, slow, or with short pauses
Sharp treble hooks are ready for short-striking bass
Best around open water, grass edges, points, and scattered cover
If you like covering water with a noisy topwater bait, this one is easy to understand.
First Impression: Small Bait, Big Surface Presence
The first thing I noticed about the PoPobait was the size.
It isn’t one of those oversized topwater plugs that immediately makes you wonder whether smaller bass will commit to it.
The profile is relatively compact, which I like.
A smaller bait makes sense for feeding fish. It also appeals to a wider range of fish sizes.
What surprised me was how different it felt once I started retrieving it.
The lure might be small, but the surface disturbance definitely isn’t.
That contrast is probably the best way to describe this bait:
small profile, loud presentation.
The Double Blades Are What Make It Different
The biggest difference I noticed with the PoPobait is its double-blade design.
Most plopper-style topwater lures use a single rotating blade. They can make plenty of noise, but the PoPobait feels noticeably more aggressive once it starts moving.
Two blades work at the same time. The lure pushes more water and throws a bigger spray. It creates a louder plopping sound. This extra commotion gives bass a stronger target. I can call fish from farther away.
But the extra noise isn’t the only advantage.
What impressed me just as much was the stability.
Some single-blade ploppers lean or roll at speed. They can run inconsistently. The PoPobait stays balanced. Its two blades help it track straight. It does not constantly tip.
That means I can change retrieve speeds without worrying as much about the lure losing its action.
For me, that’s what makes the double-blade setup more than just a visual gimmick:
more sound, more splash, and a more stable surface run.
The PoPobait creates loud, struggling surface action. This action is hard for an active bass to ignore. It does not simply move across the water.
Casting Is Better Than I Expected
Smaller topwater lures can sometimes be frustrating to cast.
They get pushed by wind. They don’t travel far enough. They feel too light for covering open water.
The PoPobait uses extra belly weight. It has a built-in metal block. This makes a noticeable difference in casting feel.
For a compact lure, it carries well.
That matters because I usually fish plopper-style baits as search lures.
I want to make long casts along:
Grass lines
Riprap banks
Points
Shallow flats
Open pockets
Baitfish activity
The more water I can cover with each cast, the more useful this style of lure becomes.
Don’t Make the Same Retrieve Every Cast
One thing I would tell anyone fishing this bait:
Don’t just cast it out and reel it back at the same speed all day.
A steady retrieve is probably the easiest way to fish the PoPobait, and yes, it works.
But I think the lure becomes more useful when you start changing the pace.
Fast Retrieve
When fish seem aggressive, I like speeding it up.
The blades throw more water, the bait feels more urgent, and bass have less time to inspect it.
It becomes more of a reaction bait.
Slow Retrieve
Slowing things down keeps the lure in productive water longer.
As long as the blades work, reduce retrieve speed. This gives fish more time to track the bait.
Pause and Restart
This is one of my favorite ways to vary the presentation.
I’ll retrieve the lure past a piece of cover, stop it briefly, then start it again.
That change from:
noise → silence → movement
can make the presentation feel less repetitive.
Sometimes it’s the change in rhythm that gets the reaction.
Where I Would Fish the PoPobait
This lure makes the most sense when bass are willing to look toward the surface.
For me, that usually means:
Early mornings
Evenings
Overcast conditions
Shallow feeding areas
Baitfish near the surface
Grass edges
Points
Riprap
Open water around scattered cover
I especially like this type of bait when I’m not sure exactly where the fish are.
You can cover water quickly and see whether bass are willing to react.
One Important Limitation
The PoPobait uses exposed treble hooks.
I will not throw it into thick grass mats. I avoid heavy vegetation. I fish a hollow-body frog differently.
I’d rather work it along the edge of cover than straight through the middle of it.
That will save you a lot of snags.
The Hooks and Finish Feel Legit in this plopper review
I always pay attention to hardware on hard baits.
A lure can have great action. But if hooks are poor, nothing matters. Not once a fish actually strikes.
The PoPobait comes with sharp, rust-resistant treble hooks, which makes sense for this type of presentation.
Topwater strikes aren’t always clean.
Bass may:
Swipe from the side
Hit the back of the lure
Roll on it
Miss the center of the bait completely
Multiple hook points help when the strike isn’t perfect.
The lure also has 3D eyes, detailed paint, and a reflective coating.
Do I think the paint job is the main reason a bass attacks a loud topwater bait?
No.
The surface disturbance is doing most of the heavy lifting.
But when a fish gets close, I’d still rather have realistic details than a cheap-looking finish.
What I Like Most
For me, the biggest strengths are simple.
1. Easy to Fish
You don’t need a complicated retrieve.
Cast it, get the blades working, and adjust your speed.
2. Compact but Aggressive
It doesn’t look huge, but it creates plenty of disturbance.
That makes it useful when I want attention without throwing a giant topwater bait.
3. Good for Covering Water
The added belly weight helps make longer casts, which is exactly what I want from a searching-style topwater lure.
4. Easy to See and Hear
Topwater fishing is visual.
You can see exactly how the lure is moving and immediately tell whether the blades are working properly.
That makes it beginner-friendly too.
What You Should Know Before Buying
No lure is perfect in every situation.
The PoPobait is a fairly aggressive topwater presentation.
That means there are times when I would choose something quieter instead.
On ultra-calm water with heavily pressured fish, a subtle walking bait or smaller popper may be the better option.
And because of the exposed trebles, I wouldn’t consider this a true heavy-cover bait.
So I see the PoPobait as a lure for anglers who want to get noticed, not disappear into the background.
Who Is This Lure Best For?
I think the PoPobait works especially well for two types of anglers.
Beginners
It’s easy to understand.
You don’t need to learn an advanced walking cadence or complicated rod movement before the lure starts producing action.
Experienced Anglers
More experienced fishermen can use retrieve speed, pauses, casting angles, and cover placement to get more out of the bait.
So while the lure is simple, it isn’t necessarily one-dimensional.
Final Verdict
After fishing the TRUSCEND PoPobait Double Blade Plopper, I think its biggest advantage is pretty straightforward:
It creates a lot of topwater presence in a compact package.
The double blades create the commotion.
The belly weight helps with casting.
The smaller profile keeps the bait approachable.
And the treble hooks give you multiple chances when a bass doesn’t hit it perfectly.
Would I throw it every time I go bass fishing?
No.
Fish are active near the surface. I am fishing relatively open water. I want to cover water with an obvious bait. This is the bait I want tied on.
And honestly, that’s part of why I keep coming back to topwater fishing.
You see the wake.
You hear the blowup.
The bait disappears.
Then the rod loads up.
There aren’t many bites in bass fishing that are more fun than that.
If the fish are willing to come upstairs, the PoPobait gives them something very hard to ignore.
