Toppies

Toppies at Charlie's Fishing: tungsten jig heads, weights and toxin-free softbaits

Toppies is an independent European tackle brand from Switzerland, started by the brothers Robin and Sven, who have Swiss and Dutch roots. Their idea is simple: tackle that performs, lasts and respects nature. That is why every Toppies weight and jig head is made of tungsten or brass instead of lead, and why the softbaits contain no PVC and no plasticizers. Every product is developed and tested on the water before it goes on sale. At Charlie's Fishing we stock the Toppies range for perch, zander and pike: tungsten jig heads and dart jigs, drop shot, bullet, nail and Fastach weights, the Pintius, Skeletonius, Provius and Wormius softbaits and the Primos twitchbait. Below you find what each one is for.

Why tungsten: smaller, faster, more feeling

Tungsten is much denser than lead, so a tungsten head or weight is far smaller for the same weight. That means less air and water resistance, longer casts and a faster drop, and because tungsten is hard you feel every stone and every touch on the bottom much more clearly. And because it is lead-free, you can fish it on waters where lead is banned.

Toppies tungsten jig heads and dart jigs

The Toppies Tungsten Jighead is a round tungsten jig head with an ultra-sharp Mustad hook and a bait holder that keeps your softbait in place without tearing it, from 3,5 to 10,6 g and hook #2 to 5/0. For bigger softbaits and deeper water there is the Toppies Tungsten Jighead BIG series up to 28 g. The Toppies Tungsten Dart Jig is a Swiss-developed dart head that makes a pintail shoot unpredictably sideways like a fleeing baitfish, in 5, 7 and 10 g. The Toppies Double Dart Jig puts two connected dart jigs of 5 and 7 g on one line, so two small shads cross and dart independently, imitating a group of fleeing baitfish for active perch and zander. More heads in our Jigheads collection.

Toppies tungsten and brass weights

For drop shot there are two shapes: the Toppies Tungsten Drop Shot Round for hard bottom, where it rolls and adds extra movement to the bait, and the Toppies Tungsten Drop Shot Stick for stony ground, where its cylinder shape snags far less. For the Texas and Carolina rig there is the Toppies Tungsten Bullet Weight, and the Toppies Brass Bullet Weight as the cheaper alternative in brass, harder than lead and with the same click against a glass bead. The Toppies Tungsten Fastach Sinker twists onto a shallow rig or big bait in seconds to fish it deeper, and the Toppies Nail Sinker slides into a softbait for finesse rigs, made to fit the Wormius. The Toppies Bone Rig Refill Kit Screw lets you build your own shallow rigs and stingers. See all Weights and Terminal Tackle.

Toppies softbaits: Pintius, Skeletonius, Provius and Wormius

All Toppies softbaits are made of a light floating, flavoured material without PVC and plasticizers, so the tail rises off the bottom and the bait stays alive when you stop. Keep them apart from other brands' softbaits, whose plasticizers can damage them. The Pintius is the pintail: on a drop shot, a Texas or Carolina rig, or a dart jig, where it shoots sideways like a fleeing fish. It is tougher than most pintails and survives nose-hooking far longer. We stock the Toppies Pintius 7 cm and the Toppies Pintius 9 cm. The Toppies Skeletonius is an ultra-soft shad in 7 and 10 cm with the MAT (Memorizing Action Tail) that turns up to three times around its own axis and fine vibrations from the ribbed body, for pike, zander and perch. The Toppies Provius is the full-body 14 cm paddle tail with the same MAT tail, high-frequency action even at low speed and a slightly buoyant body that stands up on the bottom like a feeding baitfish. The Toppies Wormius is a 9,5 cm finesse worm with a double channel for a Nail Sinker and an offset hook, for drop shot, Carolina, free and wacky rig. More in Zander and Perch Softbaits, V-Tails and Pintails, Paddle Tails and Ned's and Worms.

Toppies Primos: suspending twitchbait

The Toppies Primos is a 7,5 cm, 9 g suspending twitchbait with BKK hooks, running 0,5 to 1 m. It swims straight on a steady retrieve, stays stable at speed, and comes alive when you twitch it: sharp darts to the side and a perfectly balanced pause where the follow turns into a take. Made for perch, zander, asp and trout. See all Crankbaits and Twitchbaits.

Which Toppies product for which job

• Shad on the bottom for zander: Tungsten Jighead with Skeletonius or Provius.
• Darting presentation for perch and zander: Tungsten Dart Jig or Double Dart Jig with a Pintius.
• Drop shot: Pintius or Wormius with Drop Shot Round on clean bottom, Drop Shot Stick on stones.
• Texas and Carolina rig: Tungsten or Brass Bullet Weight with a Pintius or Wormius.
• Getting a big bait or shallow rig deeper: Fastach Sinker.
• Twitching for perch and asp: Primos. See Perch, Zander and Pike.

Why buy Toppies at Charlie's Fishing

We fish Toppies ourselves and stock the tungsten heads and weights in the sizes you actually use, together with the softbaits they were designed for. Every product ships from our own stock in the Netherlands with fast delivery across Europe, and we can tell you which head weight or weight shape fits your water. The Charlie's Fishing Giftbox regularly contains Toppies products too.

Where does Toppies come from?

Toppies is a Swiss brand, started by the brothers Robin and Sven, who have Swiss and Dutch roots. All their weights and jig heads are lead-free and the softbaits contain no PVC and no plasticizers.

Is tungsten better than lead?

For jig heads and weights, yes in most cases: tungsten is denser, so it is smaller for the same weight, casts further, sinks faster and gives much better bottom feeling. It costs more than lead; brass is the cheaper lead-free alternative.

Why should I store Toppies softbaits separately?

Toppies softbaits contain no plasticizers. Softbaits from other brands often do, and those plasticizers can attack the Toppies material. Keep them in their own box or a clean tackle box, away from heat.