By Tackle Warehouse | February 2024
A lure category that’s often overlooked when compared to buzzbaits or walking baits, propbaits offer an enticingly slow and subtle topwater presentation that’s deadly when you encounter calm weather and slick water. Popularized in Florida and the southern US, propbaits are a classic topwater technique for aggravating bedding bass and fry guarders during the spawn and post-spawn but are also highly effective around the autumn months when the fish are fattening up on baitfish.
Designed to mimic egg and fry-eating predators like bluegill or baitfish, the main strength of a propbait is its unique ability to stay in the strike zone longer than traditional topwater lures and be worked in place over suspected bedding areas. In this gear guide, we will go over the best fishing gear to throw a propbait, offer up rigging methods to improve your efficiency, and provide some retrieve techniques to improve your success with propbaits!
Choose a casting rod with a medium to medium-heavy power rating based on the size of the lure you intend on fishing. Most importantly, you’ll want a rod with a moderate or parabolic taper to keep the treble hooks pinned as you are fighting the fish back to the boat and allow the rod tip to load properly when you’re delivering a cast with lightweight lures. The ideal rod length varies based on your fishing style, but the range falls somewhere between 6’10” and 7’5”. A shorter rod is convenient when you’re fishing close quarters or making target-oriented casts to cover, but if you’re using a propbait to cover large sections of open water, you may want to increase rod length. A short handle type is also something to consider if you’re popping and twitching the bait frequently and don’t want to catch the handle on the sleeve of your long-sleeve sun shirt or hoody.
In most situations, high-speed gear ratios are less important with propbaits, as the action is traditionally imparted with slow and deliberate twitches of the rod around specific targets and isolated pieces of cover. A smaller, more compact baitcasting reel in the 100 to 150 size range with a 6:1 or 7:1 gear ratio provides low-profile handling for delivering accurate casts with a midrange retrieve speed that allows you to stay efficient without overworking the lure. Keep in mind, if you are using a propbait to search large areas of water or need to catch up to a fish that bites and swims toward you, a faster gear ratio may be preferred to help you cover more water or load the rod faster for a better hookset.
Most anglers prefer a braided mainline to a short and heavy monofilament leader for propbait fishing. Braided lines in the 30- to 50-lb range offer easy long-distance castability, zero stretch so they can be snapped free from cover, and floating properties that help keep the bait running properly on the surface. A short, heavy 20- to 30-lb fluorocarbon or monofilament leader (approx. 1 ft) provides just the right stiffness to prevent the braid from fouling as well as some shock absorption for those heart-stopping blow-ups that keep us daydreaming long after we leave the water!
If you prefer running straight braid or monofilament, try adding a few punch stops in front of your knot to improve the stiffness, straighten your line, and prevent line tangles without having to tie a leader. Spawning bass are notorious for bumping or short-striking lures, so if you’re missing fish consider upsizing your rear treble hook by one size to encourage the lure to sit slightly tail-down in the water. Adding a rear feathered treble hook with some chartreuse in it is great for mimicking the tails of bluegill, and the secondary action of the feather can help entice a few extra bites when it's paused above a bed. Propbait topwater bites are often fast and aggressive, so it’s always smart to double-check the sharpness of your treble hooks and swap them out as needed.
When topwater fishing, there’s often a cadence or retrieve style that works best for that particular day, so keep an open mind and let the fish clue you into how fast they want it or how long you should pause between twitches. After the bait hits the water, let the rings around the lure dissipate for a moment, and make slight twitches and pauses with the rod tip pointed toward the water, much like a popper. Propbaits can be worked subtly or aggressively based on the situation, but the retrieve is often less of a jerking motion, and the best action is achieved by pulling the lure across the surface to get the blades turning.
Propbaits are great for mimicking different types of forage with long and slender body shapes that imitate shad or baitfish and shorter fat-bodied propbaits that more accurately resemble bluegill or panfish. During the spawning season, bluegill patterns are a top choice as female bass move shallow and begin to defend their nests, but always try to match the color of your propbait to the forage in your area based on what you think the fish are keyed in on. Ultimately, it’s best to keep it simple when it comes to color selection and stick with your favorite bluegill, shad, foil, or baitfish patterns and adjust based on the water clarity and weather conditions.
While they’re known for being particularly effective around the spawn, propbaits trigger explosive strikes anytime the bass are shallow. A propbait should be in every angler’s bag of tricks for its sheer versatility; it’s a viable search bait for covering water to locate a school of fish while also being a deadly choice for targeting bass in shallow, isolated cover.
Walking Baits Gear Guide
Buzzbaits Gear Guide
How to Change Treble Hooks