Baits That Produce
Explosive Strikes

Given a choice, virtually all bass anglers would rather catch a bass on a topwater lure than by any other means. The reasons why need not be explained to anyone who has ever seen, heard and felt the explosive blast of a lunker on a surface bait. No other method of fishing connects you with the raw, predatory power of a bass to the degree that a topwater presentation can. Pity, then, that most bass anglers ignore or misuse these highly effective artificials. Sometimes a topwater presentation isn't merely a good choice, it's the best choice — yet the angler may fail to realize it. Other times the incorrect style or color can turn off the fish to your surface presentation. Surface baits are not created equal, and knowing the best times to reach for a certain type of topwater lure can spell the difference between no action, or the strike of a lifetime. I've fished with some of the best topwater anglers in the nation, and their input on topwater selection and presentation will make you a better bass angler.
Types Of Topwaters: You may encounter a seemingly endless array of topwater lures at your local tackle outlet or in the pages of a fishing equipment catalog. But a closer look will reveal that these may be classified into seven different types:
Crawlers - These are lures with a metal plate or appendages that create an erratic wobbling motion as they are reeled slowly and steadily across the surface. Examples of artificials in this category are the Fred Arbogast Jitterbug and Heddon Crazy Crawler.
Prop Baits - These lures have a propeller at one or both ends which creates a sputtering flurry when the bait is twitched or reeled in steadily. Some have a weighted tail. Examples of tried-and-true prop baits include the Devil's Horse, Bomber Rip Shad, Luhr-Jensen Nip-A-Diddee, and others.
Poppers And Chuggers - These baits feature a scooped-out head which creates a loud pop or gurgle and a splash of water when the lure moves. Examples include the Rebel Pop-R, Heddon Chugger and Arbogast Hula Popper.
Stickbaits - These cigar-shaped lures, also known as jerkbaits, are best worked with an erratic side-to-side retrieve known as "walking the dog." Examples include the Heddon Zara Spook and Ozark Mountain Wood-Walker.
Minnow Lures - These artificials float at rest and dive when twitched. They make less noise and surface commotion than other topwater styles. Effective minnow topwaters include several Rapala models, A. C. Shiner, Foe's Cruise Minnow and the Rebel Jumpin' Minnow.
Buzzbaits - These cousins of the spinnerbait create a frantic whirring action resembling the flight behavior of an escaping frog or baitfish.
Weedless Topwaters - This group has the ability to float through dense surface vegetation without hanging up. Most are made of soft plastic, such as Mann's Rat, Strike King Grass Frog, and others.
Which types of topwater lures work best under specific conditions?
Fishing In Low Light: Topwater crawlers like the Jitterbug are best used in low-light conditions. At night, they are easily the most effective topwaters of all. Pond and small-lake experts know that retrieving a crawler tight to a grassy shoreline after dark is perhaps the best route to a giant bass. Largemouth exceeding 15 pounds have been caught on crawlers. Crawlers are especially effective in hot weather. Some Southern bass anglers carve outrageous giant-sized versions of these baits for use in farm ponds. Because crawlers are so simple to use, anyone can use them to catch bass. They are the best lures for kids to experience the thrill of topwater fishing. Simply cast the lure out and reel it back in, using your ears to tell you if the bait is working right. It should emit a constant plip-plop-plip-plop sound as water rebounds off its metal plate. A slow, steady retrieve works best, rather than a stop-and-go retrieve. This gives a bass every opportunity to track and nail the bait, especially at night. If a bass blows up on a crawler and misses, just keep reeling. Often it will make a second attempt to eat the plug. Black is the universal color choice among anglers who fish crawlers like the Jitterbug. They believe the dark bait mimics the hues of a small rat or other terrestrial creature trying to swim across the water's surface.
Overcast Skies And Murky Water: Propeller topwaters are classic bass lures. A perusal of antique lure literature shows that lures with one or two spinning propellers have been around since the turn of the century. There's a reason for that: These baits, if used properly, tap into the aggressive nature of a big bass. Experienced anglers reach for a topwater lure with propellers when there is a slight chop on the water, when the water is murky, or when the skies are overcast or it's raining. A small, natural, tannic-stained lake with plenty of stumps and patches of submerged grass would be an ideal place for a topwater prop bait. The murky character of the lake might make a less noisy lure, like a minnow bait, hard for bass to find. In a natural lake or narrow river, prop baits work especially well because they seem to imitate the myriad of small creatures which use the water to get from one shore to another. Again, a dark-colored lure is advisable here, as black or brown mimics the color of many small land mammals and reptiles that might find their way into the water. In a small Wisconsin lake with a grass-rimmed shoreline, a frog-patterned prop bait would be hard to beat since these amphibians are especially abundant. Conversely, you wouldn't find frogs trying to cross a sprawling reservoir like Toledo Bend in Texas or Dale Hollow in Tennessee; here, a shad-patterned prop bait works best, especially on schooling bass. If fish are actively schooling, the prop bait is effective since it is designed to be worked more quickly than some other topwaters. One of the dangers in using topwater prop baits is that the whirring props can nick your line in midair during the cast. Always check your line by running the spot above the lure through your fingers; if it feels rough, retie the lure.
Close Quarters: Poppers, also known as chuggers, are great when you want to work a confined area slowly with your topwater bait. A popper can be cast, popped, then allowed to rest for long periods and still draw a strike. Professional bass anglers rely heavily on baits like the Heddon Pop-R when fishing holes in dense milfoil or hydrilla beds. The lure is twitched with a short stroke of the rod tip, causing the scooped-out face to dig into the water. The bait then makes a loud pop or gurgle. If you know a big bass is lurking in a specific spot, few artificials are better than a popper. Cast to the area, allow the bait to rest, then pop it. Let the water settle before popping the bait again. If bass are schooling or especially active, a series of fast pops will often out produce one or two well-spaced ones. Some anglers swear color makes no difference in a popper, but others have favorite shades. Bone white is widely popular. In clear water, gold or silver often works best. On overcast days, try black.
Big-Bass Topwaters: There's something about a stickbait that drives lunker bass wild. These cigar-shaped lures, like the Heddon Zara Spook, have caught more big largemouth - and smallmouth - than you can shake a rod at. Unlike some of the other baits mentioned, stickbaits like a Spook require a great deal of skill to work properly. The key to "walking the dog" is the right blend of tackle, line and timing. A short, fairly stiff baitcasting rod is required for walking the dog. While standing, make a long cast with the stickbait. Point the rod tip near the surface, then slap the slack by slowly and methodically moving the rod tip. At the same time, turn the reel handle. This causes the lure to dart one way and then the next in an erratic surface action reminiscent of an injured baitfish. A 14 pound line fished on a 5.1:1 reel is recommended. This line has the perfect weight and stretch to make the lure move vigorously without over or under working it. Many bass pros fish stickbaits in clear water. They're ideal for drawing a suspended bass to the surface. Fish the lure off a long, tapering point, next to a sheer rock bluff, around a rock pile, or in similar offshore, deep spots. On cloudy days, try a black bait, On bright days, use a reflective or clear "shore minnow" finish. For big smallmouth, tiy a hot-colored stickbait, like yellow or fire-tiger.
Finesse Topwaters: Experts believe minnow lures are the best topwater choice for the toughest fishing conditions - bright, sunny days, gin-clear water and during frontal passages. Minnow lures have the long, slender profile and natural look of live baitfish, and thus are among the best artificials to use on lure-shy fish. Topwater minnows may be fished in a variety of ways. Because these might be regarded as finesse lures, the biggest (and most common) mistake anglers make when using them is fishing them too hard. A gentle twitch, a series of repeated pops, are all that is needed to draw a strike. Jerking the lure too hard and too often will do nothing but turn off the fish. The following is a favorite topwater minnow retrieve that will catch both largemouth and smallies. In a clear lake, move well off a gravel or shale bank and cast a silver or white minnow. Let it sit motionless on the surface, then use the rod tip to twitch it under. Just as it rises to the surface, twitch it again. This will create a small splash of water that looks just like a shad flipping on top. A long, soft-action rod is a great choice when fishing minnow lures. Use 4 to 8 pound low-diameter line and attach a small wire snap to the lure. This will enable the bait to have a more lively action when twitched. "Dead-sticking" a minnow lure is a great ploy on a windy day. Cast the bait out and simply let it float. This works especially well on a sheer bank where waves are sloshing back and forth.
Close To Cover: Buzzbaits can be fished quickly, combing a wide area to locate bass. And best of all, they're big-fish lures. When one boils up on a buzzbait, chances are it'll be a big bass. Most anglers fish buzzbaits early in the morning and late in the evening, running them over submerged logs and saimps. But few bother to fish them in the middle of the day-yet these lures will work in high-light periods as well. The key to success on a buzzbait is fishing the lure very close to cover - even knocking cover with the lure occasionally. A directional change in the lure will often trigger a strike. Buzzbaits are big-fish lures, yet they can be difficult to fish on a heavy rod. A long, medium-action baitcasting stick is ideal, many buzzbait fanciers use 7-footers. Heavy lines are recommended 20, even 30 pound test. The use of extremely stiff rods should be avoided, since bass will inhale a buzzbait and you may pull it away from the fish if the strike is telegraphed quickly by a stiff rod. When the strike comes, wait until the lures is out of sight before setting the hook. Here's a trick to make your buzzbait more appealing. Tie the buzzbait you intends to use to your truck's antenna and leave it there while driving to the lake. The blade spins in the wind and develops a distinct squeal as it wears down the metal wire that secures it. "There's something about a squealing buzzbait that bass just can't stand," he swears.
Topwaters For Dense Cover: The combination of dense vegetation and topwater lures can be an exciting one for bass anglers. The recent influx of junk weeds like milfoil and hydrilla into previously clear lakes has created a boom of sorts in weedless floaters like Mann's Rat and Strike King's Grass Frog. Unlike other bass lures, these artificials can be fished right over the tops of the thickest vegetation. Some of these baits are hollow. One angler I've fished with cuts a slot in his Rats and stuffs the lure with pinched-off pieces of soft-plastic worm, as well as some glass worm rattles. This makes the bait weigh more, but still allows it to float. The extra weight lets him get away with casting the Rat on heavy line, a tremendous plus when gunning for rankers in heavy grass. The rattles help the bass home in on the lure in thick cover. When fishing a floating weedless bait on mat vegetation, keep your boat well away from the edge and work the scumline out into open water. A great many bass may park at the extreme outer edge of the mat, hiding there to ambush passing baitfish. If a strike doesn't occur shortly, park the boat at the mat's edges and cast far back into the cover, concentrating on running the lure across open holes. Be alert for bluegills popping or wakes indicating fish movement under the vegetation; direct your casts to these1 areas and hang on! A slow, constant retrieve, in which the lure scoots and tumbles across the vegetation, will usually produce a strike. You'll probably hook up only 50 percent of the bass that blow up on these lures, probably because their visibility is so limited by the dense vegetation. When a bass hits, let the lure disappear. Count to three and set the hook hard!
Topwater lures can produce heart-stopping action and big fish, but the key is to learn which type of topwater works best in a given situation. Keep those topwaters in the top tray of your tackle box and use these guidelines on your next fishing trip. When the largemouth of a lifetime explodes all over the surface, you'll be glad you did.