POPX

The POPX is a 64 mm topwater popper introduced by Megabass in 1996 and designed by Yuki Ito.

Rather than behaving like a conventional popper that primarily creates a loud splash, the POPX was engineered to produce several different types of surface action from a compact body.

Its distinctive HYDRO-CUP incorporates internal WATER DUCTS that channel water through the lure. This helps create a more natural bubbling sound while allowing the lure to spit water forward rather than simply producing a large splash.

Inside the body, Megabass' SIDE-STEPPING BALANCER contributes to the lure's characteristic rolling dog-walk. With subtle changes in rod input, the POPX can pop, spit, roll, walk from side to side, or remain working within a relatively small area.

Megabass describes the lure as capable of roughly ten different patterns of movement, making the POPX unusually versatile for such a small topwater bait.

The POPX occupies a special place in Japanese bass-fishing history.

Megabass describes it as a lure conceived and created by Yuki Ito, then refined through Japanese anglers and Japanese fishing culture. The company goes as far as calling it a "true Japan original."

When introduced in 1996, the POPX brought an unusually technical approach to the traditional popper. Instead of focusing only on making a large splash, its design explored how water flow, sound, rolling movement, spitting and precise rod input could be combined in a single compact topwater lure.

Its ability to respond to delicate rod movements is particularly suited to situations where anglers want to work a topwater lure precisely rather than simply retrieve it quickly across the surface.

More than three decades after its introduction, the POPX remains in the Megabass lineup and continues to be sold in both Japan and the United States.

The POPX can be fished in several different ways depending on rod movement and the amount of slack left in the line.

Short, rhythmic twitches can make the lure perform a tight rolling dog-walk, allowing it to remain around a productive spot for longer than a wide-gliding walking bait.

Sharper individual pulls make the cup and water ducts spit water forward, creating surface disturbance without necessarily producing an exaggerated splash.

Anglers can alternate between walking, spitting and pauses during the same retrieve. Around visible cover or a suspected strike zone, the POPX can be worked repeatedly within a relatively small area before being paused.

A faster cadence can also be used when searching for active fish, while slower movements and longer pauses are useful when bass are reluctant to commit to an aggressive topwater presentation.

Megabass notes that the POPX is not limited to dawn and dusk and can also be effective during the middle of the day.

• Calm to lightly rippled water
• Clear water
• Early morning and evening topwater periods
• Midday topwater fishing
• Around shallow cover and vegetation
• Bass feeding on small baitfish near the surface
• Heavily pressured bass
• When a subtle topwater presentation is needed
• When you want to keep a lure working within a small strike zone
• Situations where alternating between walking, spitting and pausing can trigger bites

The POPX approaches the traditional popper as a highly engineered surface bait rather than simply a lure designed to create a loud splash.

Its patented WATER DUCT system channels water through the lure to produce a distinctive bubbling sound and controlled spitting action, while the SIDE-STEPPING BALANCER helps generate a rolling dog-walk.

This gives the angler several presentations within one small lure: popping, spitting, walking, rolling and pausing can all be combined by changing rod input and line slack.

That versatility reflects an important aspect of Japanese lure design—refining small differences in movement and angler control rather than relying solely on stronger or larger action.

Introduced in Japan in 1996, the POPX later became established in the United States as well, making it one of the clearest examples of a Japanese-original bass lure that successfully crossed into the US market.