Whopper Plopper

[Red Childress]

I am finally going to order one after watching Larry Dahlberg's episode a few times last Spring and seeing his ad in the last issue of Musky Hunter.....definitely a fish catcher and built for durability.

Anyone own one of them??

[suskymusky50]

I don't own one Red, but I did watch his You Tube video on how to make them. Check it out it doesn't look too complicated. Just thought you would like to know.

[Red Childress]

The episode I watched had a very detailed, step by step way to make them out of stuff I had never heard of before. I would probably blow up my house if I tried it myself.

The intriguing part about this bait is that when he used it on a Minnesota lake (with a reputable local guide), the guide could not believe how many fish they had caught with it. I think the totals got into double-digits during the few days they had fished together.

I may as well buy it and check it out for myself especially since Fall is approaching.

Thanks for the info!

[Red Childress]

They are not available until October 1st from retail dealers and December 1st from the website. To get the website address, PM me or check page 12 of the August/Sept issue of MH magazine.

[Red Childress]

The Whopper Plopper release date is 2 weeks ahead of schedule and have arrived at Thorne Bros. They are 19.95 each. I ordered 2. The shipping was 9.75 for that order.

They have not been posted on their web site yet cuz they just came in yesterday.

[ray j]

Red,
I got mine from Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop last Friday. Nice lures. If you order online, it'll save you 5% ($1.00). Three lures delivered came to $66 something. Had to briefly try one out yesterday. No luck yet, but they need a proper soaking as soon as possible.

Good luck with yours,
Ray J

[Red Childress]

I usually get my stuff from the muskyshop (Rollie's) but I had to call Thornes about some hooks anyway plus I had read a post about Thornes having the WPloppers so I just ordered both items from there.

Thanks for the heads-up.

[Red Childress]

After a few test casts with the WPlopper, it is built like a tank and seems to ride a little lower in the water column than a top raider......different pitch/sound than TR also.

[catchandrelease]

Do they feel pretty durable?

[Red Childress]

Yes, very durable.

Had a fish blow up one the first day we tested last weekend.

[catchandrelease]

I was watching his show the other day, it definitely rides low in the water. Does the River2Sea version run on its side during the retrieve? It looked like it might in the show.

[Red Childress]

Have not even paid any attention to it. From what I could gather during Dahlberg's episode, he made the bait a little butt heavy so the plopping noise would be much deeper than others on the market.

[Red Childress]

Since we are talking about a Dahlberg lure, this is an interesting story to say the least. It was published sometime in 2000.

(For the record, I have the utmost respect for Mr. Dahlberg and love his shows. This is not an attempt to bash or discredit him in any way.)
________________________________________________


Legendary fly fisherman Larry Dahlberg was arrested by a Canadian federal fisheries warden last week and charged with “molesting” a steelhead trout. The host of ESPN’s “The Hunt For Big Fish” paid a $250 fine and stormed out of B.C.

The angry departure of Dahlberg has left the sports fishing community in Kitimat and Terrace aghast at the big one that got away. By that they mean Dahlberg, not the 18-lb. steelhead he caught, with camera running, on a fly rod in the Kitimat River last Wednesday.

The catch was to be the centrepiece of a show on fishing the Kitimat, and a juicy bit of publicity for the region's beleaguered sports fishing industry. Instead, an outraged Dahlberg paid his fine, collected his seized videotapes and told the local media it's unlikely he'll ever again promote fishing in British Columbia. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

"In my opinion, it was a million-dollar fish for the community," groans Colin Light, owner of Cutty's Fly and Tackle in Kitimat. "A fish like that, given proper airing, could have done wonders for tourism in our area." Light says Dahlberg has impeccable credentials as a catch-and-release conservationist. "It's not conducive to tourism to send him back with a $250 fine and his tail between his legs."

Two witnesses to the catch, Dahlberg's fishing guide Pat Wilson, and fisheries officer Andy Lewis, give different versions of the same event. For Pat Wilson of Alta/B.C. Guides of Kitimat and Calgary, landing Larry Dahlberg was no accident. It took months of correspondence and the lure of an all-expenses-paid visit to bring him to Kitimat. Wilson estimates he spent $3,000 for Dahlberg's week-long stay in an attempt to promote his business and showcase the region.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," he says. As Wilson describes the scene, Dahlberg caught the fish, reeled it in, then left it on the hook in the water for about 20 minutes before reeling it in again while an underwater camera shot a second version.

The landing was witnessed by two conservation officers on the far shore, who ordered the fish released and charged Dahlberg with "molestation" of fish. "That looks really great, eh," says Wilson. "Molestation." Wilson, who has a degree in biology, says the fish was unharmed.

"This fish was in the water the whole time. It was respiring fine. It never went into oxygen debt, which creates lactic acid build-up in the muscles and then they die." The camera caught the fish swimming away after its release. "This fish was fine. The issue was that we were holding on to it for 20 minutes."

Although the multiple takes would be edited into a clean landing and a quick release, Wilson says journalistic integrity isn't the issue here. "The issue is not whether it's staged, whether we're doing WWF wrestling, fishing-style. That's something totally different. The issue at hand is we were trying to promote this province and the department of fisheries is making life miserable as far as I'm concerned."

From Andy Lewis's viewpoint, across the river through binoculars, Dahlberg played in the fish three separate times over 25 minutes. He calls it a clear violation of Section 4 of the B.C. Sports Fishing Regulations, which state: "no person shall molest or injure fish."

Lewis says the fish could legally have been killed, if shown to be from a hatchery, but its abuse is prohibited. He concedes he doesn't know the health of the fish, which was released. "But, if you play a fish three times in a row, it's probably not very happy." Lewis says he did not know of Dahlberg, whose show is primarily broadcast in the U.S, but it would not have altered his decision if he had.

"We fishery officers try to be as professional, consistent and fair as possible and I would suggest it wouldn't matter whether he had a big-time fishing show or not." Besides, says Lewis: "I would suggest that an angler who calls himself a professional as Mr. Dahlberg does, would treat fish with more respect."

The incident has spawned a long discussion on the internet newsgroup rec.outdoors.fishing.fly which details all the arguments for and against catch-and-release fishing in particular. And, if you think Dahlberg was molesting fish, read the next item where state biologists will be shocking up fish just to show people how it’s done on June 12.

Dahlberg's Response To This Story Was Deleted by A Hacker in 2000, shortly after the incident took place.

Minnesota DNR On Dahlberg Fish Molesting Incident

Filming a fishing show in exotic locales poses risks--and not just the run-of-the-mill white water, piranhas, and crocodiles. Last May, while filming a segment on fishing for steelhead on the Kitimat River in British Columbia, Dahlberg was cited and fined $250 under a provincial regulation that "no person shall molest or injure fish." According to federal fishery officer Andy Lewis, Dahlberg played a steelhead at least 25 minutes, bringing it to hand several times before releasing it. Dahlberg said he delayed landing the fish several minutes, letting the fish rest behind a riffle, so that his cameraman could retrieve his camera from a distant boat and film the landing. The steelhead was then landed and released.

"Officer Lewis and I disagree not only about some details of the incident, but also over interpretation," Dahlberg said. "When we film the landing of a fish, by necessity we keep it under control a bit longer than we would if we were fishing only for sport. But we did everything we could to protect the fish in question. When the Kitimat segment airs in March on ESPN, the close-up footage will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the fish was never mishandled or unduly stressed and was released in perfect condition.

"Obviously, this incident is both embarrassing and distressing to me. Earlier in the year I had received the highest award for conservation from the International Game Fish Association for releasing dozens of potential world records instead of killing them for the sake of getting my name in the record books. I've devoted my 39-year career as a professional angler to the principles of selective harvest and the responsible, ethical management of all our resources, and I will continue to do so."

This note was written by Stephen Wisner for the Minn. DNR's web site: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer...00/nofear.html

According to the Minn. DNR the writer Wisner spent six years working as a fly-fishing guide in Idaho. He is a field editor for Midwest Fly Fishing magazine. He lives with his wife and son in Eau Claire, Wis.

[muskyjerk]

Fished whopper plopper yesterday and even while burning the lure there was only 10 degrees of rotation in the body. I did swap the body treble for a 7/0 short shank tyrant treble.