Walk-the-Dog Topwater & Pencil Baits

Match bait size to forage first: 4 to 4.5 inch baits cover most largemouth situations, while 3 inch versions work better for finicky smallmouth or heavily pressured lakes. Look at the nose and belly shape too, since a wider belly and flat nose gives a tighter, faster walk while a rounder nose walks wider and slower, which matters when bass want a specific cadence.

Low light is prime time, so dawn, dusk, and overcast days will get you the most reaction strikes, especially over grass flats, points, and shallow flats in spring and fall. Calm to slightly rippled water lets bass track the bait, though a true pencil popper can still draw fish in light chop when a softer walker gets lost in the surface noise.

Most anglers use a 6'8 to 7 foot medium action rod with a fast tip, paired with 12 to 17 pound monofilament since it floats and gives the bait slack to dance side to side. Braid or fluorocarbon sinks and kills the walking action, so stick with mono unless you're adding a short fluoro leader for extra clarity in gin clear water.

Yes. Every order ships free with no minimum, with tracking included. We currently ship to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and cannot accept orders from other countries at checkout. Orders to the United States and Canada typically arrive within 8 to 13 business days, and orders to the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand within 13 to 23 business days, counted from the moment you order. Most orders ship directly from our suppliers' warehouses in China, which is why those windows are longer than next-day retail. These are estimates based on typical transit times, not guarantees.