Topwater Tips

Best Lures, Tackle, And Presentations

For all around bass fishing excitement, nothing beats a surface shattering topwater strike.

Matching Lures To Weather and Water Conditions: Because topwater success often depends on lure placement, subtle deception and timing, weather and water conditions are prime considerations. Murky or choppy waters call for noisy topwater lures. good choices are steady, slow sputtering models. Three bladed buzzbaits will climb to the surface and stay there at a extremely slow retrieve speed. Keep in mind, bass generally will not chase potential food as far in stained water. These big, noisy lures provide an easy target in murky or wind swept waters, and a lure that's easy to find is easily caught. In deeper clearer water, a different variety of lures can be chosen. Most anglers think of surface strikes coming in shallow water 2 to 6 feet. Many do, but bass will rise 20 or more feet when the proper presentation is made. In this situation, a side to side , "walk the dog" presentation works wonders, and surface plugs like the Zara Spook and Ozark Mountain Woodwalker are recommended choices. The darting, zigzagging commotion created by these baits will attract bass from great distances. Test these lures and the presentation around steep bluff banks, boat docks and long points. In calm water conditions, use smaller surface plugs, like the 2 inch, 1/8 oz. Zara Puppy. With a slight chop on the surface, use bigger baits like the Original Zara Spook, measuring 4 1/2 inches and weighing 3/4 oz. Unparalleled for popularity and effectiveness are the minnow plugs. Rapala and Rebel Minnows and A.C. Shiners have fooled a large share of fish. Worked around cover, even in open water, these plugs swim silently with enticing action and little evidence of being artificial. Anglers can retrieve a floating/diving minnow lure in a number of ways. After the cast it can be: 1) allowed to rest for several seconds 9at least until the ripples disappear) and twitched along the surface with a steady cadence; 2) retrieved at a slow, stop and go surface pace imitating an injured minnow; 3) ripped beneath the surface with a sweeping rod motion, then allowed to return to the surface; 4) wobbled slowly just beneath the surface; or 5) quickly retrieved until the lure dives to about 1 1/2 feet, then brought all the way to the boat below the surface with an occasional twitch. As simple as the last technique sound, it does the best job of producing bass weighing more than 5 pounds. When using floating/diving minnow lures, attach a split ring to the line tie. The split ring gives the minnow lure a more dramatic free swinging action, a deadly method for spring and fall bass in water less than 8 feet deep.

Walking The Dog Basics: Cigar shaped surface lures, known as stickbaits, may be ordinary in appearance, but a popular retrieve called "walking the dog" makes them fish catching wonders. This presentation closely imitates the action of a crippled baitfish struggling on the surface. With practice, you can perform this zigzagging action to move a stickbait right or left of its usual retrieve. Areas over submerged weeds or brush are prime for walking the dog, because hungry bass often hold in the structure waiting for prey to pass by. With rod tip pointed at a 45 degree angle to the water, apply a sharp twitch, letting line go slack while the lure skids to one side. When the lure stops, twitch again to the other side ( letting line go slack while the lure skids in the other direction). Continue twitching to make the lure walk in a zigzag path. To walk the lure to one side, make jerks in rapid succession rather than waiting for the lure to stop. A fast action rod with a springy tip works best for walking the dog. With this type of rod, you can twitch the lure sharply from one side to another. Use a light monofilament line with this technique (8 to 10 pound test) so the lure swings freely from side to side.

Special Presentations: Some conditions demand added consideration. Water color, for instance, is a characteristic that makes anglers plow through their tackle boxes searching for that "just right" offering. Here's a good starting point to make choices simple, yet effective: In clear water, use silver or metallic blue plugs; in stained water, try gold or fire tiger patterns. Special situations include times when schools of bass are chasing baitfish on the surface. In this instance, Rebel's Pop R in bone or silver colors can produce bass throughout the feeding frenzy. In flowing water, one basic rule stands out: Because current dictates feeding opportunities, bass face upstream. Any lure should be cast above the bass holding area and retrieved with the flow. Topwater casts that are made above cover and allowed to float past are often attacked by bass eager to abandon a favorite haunt for an easy meal. Farm pond bass blast surface lures with the same gusto as fish from bigger water bodies. Use a quiet approach and silent baits, like a minnow lure, first to keep from disturbing the wary shallow water bass. Another sound idea: Start by fishing parallel to the shoreline, then place follow up casts at 2 foot intervals toward the center of the pond. Known as "fan casting" this is a good way to cover all available water. If subtle lures are used without luck, switch to a stickbait, then a popper or buzzbait. After sundown, a new world of fishing opportunities is opened. Lakes, rivers and ponds come alive in the darkness, and predatory bass leave deepwater sanctuaries with a healthy appetite, easily susceptible to offerings that skim the surface. When fishing at night, dark colored lures work best, and they should be retrieved slowly and steadily so bass can target the offering for a solid strike. The advantages of fishing at night are obvious: light winds, no waterskiers and few anglers on the water. "After hours" bass fishing also requires additional caution, however. Bring, and wear, a Coast Guard approved personal floatation device. Make sure all boating equipment is in good operating condition and leave your navigational lights on at all times, even when fishing.

Tackle Choices: A good, all around rod choice is a 5 1/2 foot medium action graphite. The length and action handle most situations. Baitcasting reels offer solid construction, strength and high gear ratio for ease in retrieving all types of topwater offerings. For most uses, a premium monofilament line of 12 or 14 pound test is best suited for surface striking encounters. 

Temperature, Technology and Tips: A bass's activity level is often determined by water temperatures. Strong feeding, for example, begins at 50 degrees. As fish move to more shallow, quickly warming waters, they begin to eat everything that moves. As water warms, a bass's metabolic rate increases substantially. Quite simply, fish become more active, expend more energy, feed more often and also digest quickly, optimum conditions for the anxious angler. The use of any thermometer will enhance one's understanding of fish movements and moods. The best results for topwater fishing, especially for trophy sized bass, requires one of two retrieve styles, regardless of the lure. Either a painfully slow retrieve or a high speed return will trigger the most strikes. Keep in mind, this rule applies to trophy fish. A big bass is wary, and more likely it has seen many lures (it may even have been caught by one). The slow retrieve imitates a frightened or crippled shad; the slower it moves, the more it appears to e helpless. A slow moving bait, combined with a lifelike presentation, makes the lure irresistible to fish. The rapidly moving lure appears to be a potential meal attempting to escape. Many times, even the more cautious, bigger bass react by attacking the swift moving bait. Perhaps the bass is thinking, I'd better grab it now before it passes by." So when one extreme doesn't work, try the other. Patience and repeated casts to the same area are sometimes necessary to provoke a strike from big bass. When choosing from the wide assortment of topwater lures available, take a minute to consider: What natural bass food is found in the water you're fishing? Whether it's minnows, shad, frogs, snakes or mice, all have been recreated in an artificial form. Remember, too, the shape and color of the lure's underside is what fish see. 

Many special memories have been made by topwater strikes of bass. If you've witnessed a big largemouth shattering a mirror like surface to devour a topwater lure, you understand why it's an unforgettable experience. Years ago, anglers decided that's the way fishing was meant to be. And if we keep our waters clean, and release the big fish to fight another day, it can be the same for years to come.