The deadliest lure I've ever used for both largemouth bass and pike are the spinner baits that are kind of bent into a "V" shape with spinning blades on one side and the hook with a weight and some rubbery feathers on the other side. Use pure white.

The second best lure is an inline spinner such as a "mepps". It has a cylindrical weight with a 3 pronged hook on the end, a spinning blade towards the front end and some feathery strands near the hook. Use pure white again.

Use these two lures near a large mouth bass and you'll catch at least one.

As far as poppers, you may want to try them late in the evening just before dark when there's lots of activity on the surface of the water from fish feeding on bugs. Toss the popper as far as you can and let it sit still. Then all you have to do is occassionally "tap" the rod just enough to make the water ripple around the popper. This technique can be effective, but you have to set the hook at just the right time. If you can't cast the poppers very far, then put a bobber on the line about 4-5 feet up from the popper, then use the bobber as weight to help cast the popper further.