Dairy King

When to use, best colors, best types, etc etc. Thanks guys!

Chuck7

I use mine mostly during the spawn when hawgs are boiling on the shoreline..OR when i fish low shoreline after the March through late spring..5 foot to 1 foot of water..

I walk the dog with a white Heddon Torpedo..When the fish explodes ..I hestitate about 2 seconds and rasie the rod tip..fish on..Top water generally produces quality fish..This year our water levels are low so one of my rods will have a topwater on it..from March 15th through the end of May.

I've also caught bass on the Devil's Horse


Below is a Heddon Torpedo my personal best topwater lure..

Dairy King

Thank you Chuck!

indianahunter83

So this all depends on the clarity of water you fish. In clear lakes you can bring bass up from even greater depths on topwater. Also in clearer water you don't want as much noise due to the fact it will scare more bass than you will catch. Lure choice is really up to what you are comfortable fishing. Topwater frogs over moss/algae/lilly pads can be deadly. Also open water buzzbaits along weed edges or through stump fields can also produce a lot of action. The prop baits that chuck talks about are also very effective however you have to let the bass tell you what they want. Color choices will all depend on the forage in your lake as well as again the clarity of the water. The most universal topwater lure is the white/chartreuse buzzbait as it can be fished almost anywhere. As far as putting action on the lures just try different retrieves and once again let the bass tell you what they want. Topwater patterns for bass can be incredibly easy and incredibly frustrating!

Chuck7

This is true..FISH THE LURE THAT YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE IN.as I was awakening this morning I was thinking about the thread..Dairy, when the fish are not biting I hunt for lures..I go to places where there are no boat ramps and I push my little boat in the water and glean the trees and brush of lures..I've collected a couple hundered..then, I try them all.

Another favorite among fishermen and one I've seen work effectively is the big 5 inch floating rapala..They call them jerk baits..Since I know they work..I carry a few in my tackle box..Our bass in Florida are quite aggressive when the spawn is on.Then, my Torpedo works great..I like the action of the Zara Spook Puppy as well..but the Torpedo has gotten me the most fish..

Also, I got up at 2:00 this morning and went to Wally World.I picked me up a Garcia 104 Spinning..just for top water..I stuck it on my 6 foot Lightning Rod..Thanks Dairy!!

There is quite an array of top water lures to choose from. I also like the old wooden big bass bugs.

SwampCollie

The best topwater time for me is post spawn and right through the summer. Buzzbaits work alright when the bass are a bit agressive, but I've found that there are a couple of baits in certain situations that seem to produce consistantly for me.

The most productive in my mind is the Rapala Skitter Pop. They make a couple different sizes, I prefer the smallest and the next size up, which I think is 3/16 and 1/4... but might be 1/4 and 3/8. I use the pearl/shad color mostly if I recall with largemouths and use either that or a clown/charteuse based color up north for smallmouth. I've had to replace the hooks several times, and it looks like I've been pike fishing with it its got so many scratches on its back from big bass gumming it. It does have trebles, so you need to fish it away from weed lines a bit or you'll bring in all sorts of trash. Its also a favorite bait of mine for stripers when they run up from the bay in the spring and get in the rapids around Richmond.

Another bait that I think is awesome in the dog days of summer is the Jitterbug. Its old as monofilament line, and it flat out works. Its simple to retrieve, and the bass just demolish it. On still mornings and evenings its easy to see where you have cast to already, because it leaves a trail of bubbles. Great for prospecting.

There are two baits that I use in thick crud, which where I fish is mostly lily pads. The fish love to get up under them during the middle of the day, and even in low light times. One is the scum frog. Its almost impossible to hang up on something even if you try. The only catch is you have to let the fish take it good. The hooks are right up againest that firm rubber frog body and the fish has to have bitten down on it for you to hook him. A good two or three count is a MUST. I look for open holes and cast just beyond them... lots of times I'll even try to flip it onto a pad and work it out towards the opening. Lots of times you are fishing and opening no larger than a basketball... which seems to fit the size of the mouth of some of the bass I've caught on it.

In those same conditions as above, I have found an unconventional topwater bait to work even better than the scum frog. I take a long shank worm hook and a 3 or 4" tube in a dark color like smoke or pumpkin seed and run the hook so the bend is just outside the tube. Basically the shank runs down the middle of the tube itself. Only trick is making it float everytime. You need to squeeze the water out after each cast. You can hang this bait up on pads, but its still fairly weedless and I have a lot more hook ups than with the frog, where a good day will have you hooking up one in four. Its more like 3 out of 4 with the tube. I've even tried putting expandable ear plugs inside the tubes, and that worked ok. With a bit of practice you can make that tube stay on top and walk the dog almost like a zara spook. Its very very subtle, works great in the shallows, and is flat out awesome on inactive fish and active fish alike.

The key to topwater tackle is having a fairly stiff rod, with a bit of a lively tip. If you are fishing in the thick stuff, I'd go with a medium heavy and at least 12# test. I tend to err on the side of light line... never been much on anything over 14# for bass.

But the real #1 secret is patience and presentation. Its a bit tough for a fish to hit a bait on the surface, so you have to make it easy on him. Sometimes they will swirl at it, you might have to let them see it a couple times. When the fish hits the bait, most people want to immediately set the hook... I always wait until I feel the fish pulling the bait away or down under the water before letting him have it. Sometimes they will hit it, pull it under but just as a sort of exploratory bite. If you set the hook, you'll pull it away from the fish, and probably catch it in the face as it whips back past you. Leave it sit, twitch it a time or two, and most often the fish will smash it. Sometimes there is more than one fish, and after one nibbles or swirls, another will get competitive and slam it. Gotta leave it in the strike zone.

rackaholic89

i love those mann's hardnose frogs

indianahunter83

I would agree except for one instance. I like to have a little flimsier of a rod when throwing buzzbaits to let the bass get more time to get its mouth around the bait. This helps because the instinct to instantly set the hook after a bass nails the buzzbait can lead to many missed fish. Other than that I totally agree.

JoshKeller

I fish all of my topwaters on a 6'4" rod, bait cast reel, and 17lb line.

I will throw a buzzbait in the spawn when I think females are just starting to come up and bed.
I will throw a zara spook or buzzbait in the post spawn. Those big females are hungry, and want a substantial meal.
In the summer, I throw poppers, spooks, sammys, buzzbaits and chuggers early in the morning, and late in the evening, mostly on break lines, flats, points, and rocks.
I will throw a snag proof frog all day long in the summer if there is lilly pads.
In the fall I throw the same lures, only worked faster, due to the cooler water temps, and bass feeding heavily.

Dairy King

What bout real thick moss blew up into a corner? I got a few hits and a couple landed on a plastic frog, but i cant remember the color and stuff.