Is This Hot, New Lure Going To Stay Hot?

...Or is it going to go the disappointing way of oh so many other lures from the past: hot when they first come out but cooling, and in some cases, turning ice cold about the time you get enough of 'em on hand to satisfy all your wants.

The hot one I'm talking about here, of course, is none other than the Whopper Plopper (see the lure in angler's hand at right). At the moment, it seems to be all the rage.

Just yesterday, for example, I received a note from Ron, telling me about another productive trip he'd had with this bait. He had launched at West Landing Marina and gone to Cow Creek in the morning, where, despite seeing absolutely no baitfish activity, he managed to boat seven bass (six dinks, plus a 1-8)--all on the Whopper Plopper.

Charlie also is singing the praises of this bait now (just had a new email from him a few minutes ago about another haul he made today with the lure), as are different guys I've heard from and talked to in the Dewey Mullins Memorial Series.

As I continue reading and hearing all these reports about the success people are enjoying with Larry Dahlberg's Whopper Plopper, I can't help having flashbacks to the 2006-2007 timeframe, when another topwater bait, the Deps Buzzjet Jr. (see below), burst onto the scene in America, with an equally loud clamor.

After only a couple of memorable trips with the bait, I ran out and stocked up, despite a price tag that far eclipsed what I had paid for any other baits in my box up to that time...or since, either, for that matter. The going fare then--and now--for the "real deal" is $25 apiece. A little online research, however, soon revealed that I could buy unpainted knockoffs for a fraction of that cost, and even after having them custom painted, still walk away with a clear-cut savings.

Suffice it to say my supply, even if I never buy another one, will far outlast me. The unfortunate reality, though, is that these baits, regardless of what color I choose, rarely put a fish in my boat anymore. In fact, I can't even tell you the last time I caught a bass on one of them. It's really been that long.

While I readily admit to having some of these Whopper Ploppers in my own tacklebox, too, I assure you my experience to date with them could only be described, at best, as lackluster. Accordingly, I also can assure you that the numbers on hand don't even come close to my total stash of Buzzjet Jrs.

I'm fishing this hot, new bait, along with my INT, every trip, but until I see a dramatic increase in my success with the Whopper Plopper, there won't be a single addition to my current inventory. I'm not from Missouri, but you'll have to "show me" that these Whopper Ploppers are a bit better than the flash-in-the-pan my Buzzjet Jrs. have turned out to be before I go shopping for more of them.

Getting back to my original question, we all know it's impossible to predict whether the Whopper Plopper--or any lure, for that matter--will stay hot. I do believe that, in at least a few cases, fish become so used to seeing some baits, they automatically learn to identify them as being "bad news" and turn their noses up at the offerings.

As I've said many times over the years, I'm just waiting and hoping for the day when Bubba--you know what I mean, a fish similar to what you see in this photo--decides to strap on one of my lures, regardless of whether it's hot, cold or somewhere in between.

In the meantime, I'll remain content with the numbers I'm consistently putting up with my INT. Thanks to the effect that bait has had on my current season, I'm only 14 fish away from matching my totals for all of last year.