Total Score: 9.0 + Ultimate Enthusiast Award

Introduction: If given a choice of any method by which to catch a dream fish, most fisherman would agree on a topwater strike. Regardless of the species, there can't be a more exhilarating angling experience than having a fish explode on your lure right before your very eyes. Given an unlimited selection of baits from which to facilitate this guaranteed dream catch, chances are pretty good that more than a handful of bass anglers would select a Megabass PopMax. Come visit with us and discover what dreams are made of.
 

 
In hand, these lures are truly stunning. So much so, it's a little difficult moving past one's appreciation for their shear artistry and actually tie one to the end of the line to fish! At the same time, the anticipation to throw this lure is incredible as one is forced to wonder what benefit, if any, all the high tech water chambers and balancing systems has on actual fishing conditions - oh the conflict!

The Field Tests: We closed our eyes and tied one of our PopMax baits to the end of some 14lb test Berkley Fireline which was spooled on a Daiwa Pixy mounted on a Kistler Helium He69APC. We don't normally fish topwater baits on superlines, but we did not want to take any chances with this bait!

Fortunately, the soft tip of our He69APC coupled with the low rate of retrieve on our Daiwa Pixy made it possible to properly present this lure. Among our destinations with this setup, of course, were the vast waterways of the California Delta.
 

Casting: At half an ounce, this lure hardly qualifies as a light weight and casting was seldom a issue. However, where as we commonly throw poppers such as a Pop-R and the high priced Rico lures with little regard to stickups, trees, or other above water obstructions, we really found ourselves hesitating, on occasion, to throw this bait near effective structure for fear of losing it. We had to really bear down and concentrate to accomplish our casting goals. This was truly an unexpected obstacle but one we were obviously able to overcome.

Presentation: Once in the water, this bait is a real kick to work. Not only does it "bloop" like a traditional popper, if you use a snap swivel or other clip to fasten the lure to your line and retrieve it with a series of short, sharp twitches, it will walk like a cigar bait just under the surface. At pause, the lure assumes an upright position where, in quieter coves or bays you can hear the weights inside shifting rhythmically serving as an internal clicker. One of the marketed features of the bait is, if retrieved subsurface, it wobbles like a crank bait. Despite countless efforts, we're disappointed to report we were unable to create this action in the lure.

Durability: The paint on our PopMax lures, we found, to be on par with other lure manufacturers. Fished under normal circumstances with none of our typical torture tests, we found some of the finish wearing around the rim of the bait's mouth. The Megabass supplied hooks held up well to repeated hookups and our baits, otherwise, held up well.

Application & Effectiveness: Did we find our Megabass PopMax any more or less effective than other topwater baits? It certainly FELT more effective given it's versatility and internal sound producing capabilities. There's no doubt in our minds its an effective bait. One interesting note, given the size of this lure, we were able to fish it in conditions where other popping baits would be lost - most notably under windy conditions.

The 1/2 ounce weight of the lure makes it easy to cast under such conditions, and the large mouth enabled us to produce enough splash, sound, and action to maintain the baits effectiveness. It's an intriguing lure to say the least.

Ratings:

  
Pluses and Minuses:

    
Conclusion: Never had we experienced such initial, internal turmoil over the prospect of chugging a lure out into the water. The Megabass PopMax is truly capable of inspiring such unreasonable conflict. Of course, all that conflict is erased after that first, violent explosion beneath the lure. Topwater fishing can be heart stopping experience and such excitement is only heightened when using a bait built with as much thought, attention to detail, and crazy features as the Megabass PopMax. Collect it, fish it, or both, but no enthusiast should be without one. It is, in the mind of this editor, the ultimate enthusiast's lure!