Topwater Bass Fishing

Of all of the methods that anglers use in chasing after and landing bass, having one of these feisty fish explode on a topwater bait is one of my all-time favorites. In my early years of bass fishing and learning to catch them, topwater wasn’t part of my arsenal. As it turned out, my first encounter was more accidental than intentional. While stationed on Oahu during my military service, I often fished a freshwater lake in the middle of the island. Using a Rapala floating bait, it accidently got hung up in branches close to the water’s surface. In an attempt to free the bait, a peacock bass exploded on the bait. It had an impact on my bass fishing that I can still clearly see to this day! Now, with the advent of so many options for topwater fishing, you can chase after bass with any number of options.

TIMING

Topwater fishing tends to be best early in the morning as the sun rises, later in the evening as it sets, and on calmer, cooler days. You can ask yourself or any number of anglers as to when the best time is, and you’ll get the same number of varying answers. I’ve successfully used topwater baits throughout the day, and honestly, most of the success has been either early or late. Once the spring spawn is complete and surface water temps creep past the 55-degree mark, you can expect bass to eagerly take a topwater bait. For me, calmer days seem to work the best. Even as the wind picks up throughout the day, you can wait till things calm down to start again.

TOPWATER BAITS

Poppers – these baits attract bass by the gurgling and popping sound when retrieved across the surface. As you make your cast and the bait hits the surface of the water, hesitate a bit before making your first pull. I’ve had several instances where this slight pause, followed by jerking the bait, entices a bass to strike. You can fish these along weed lines, docks, and shorelines where a point or finger extends into deeper water.

Stick Baits

Stick Baits – these baits are exactly what they say, a stick with hooks. There’s no built-in action, and all of the movement or action is imparted by the angler.

Many of you will know the technique as “walking the dog”. These work very well in open water over weed beds and tree stumps, and along docks and shorelines.

I have a few, and one of the most common themes with these is that they all have a white belly. The top colors come into play as it is “walked,” and the flash of the white contrasted with the top’s color will give the bass the impression that a baitfish is scurrying across the surface in an attempt to find safe harbor.

Buzzbaits

Buzzbaits – to be honest, I have a couple of these, but they have not been my first choice when starting out early morning and late evening topwater fishing. However, they have been really good when there is some chop on the water. These baits make a ton of noise as they cross the surface and are typically retrieved at a higher speed, which leads to some amazing blowups and bites. As you fish these, you can throw them alongside a tree stump and bump it as it goes by.

Sometimes, that simple bump and hesitation in the bait will entice a fish to take it. Keep your rod tip up for better hook-setting control, and add a trailer to give it some lift and buoyancy. Adding a trailer hook will increase your odds of success when bass seem to be short-striking your bait.

Propbaits

Propbaits – these have really become popular over the last several years. Or at least I’ve heard more about them. These have a prop on the back of the bait or on the front and back. You can retrieve these across calm water with a steady retrieve, or pause them over potential bass hideouts. Either way you decide to fish these, they are incredibly successful at great surface action, especially in calm conditions. Like many topwater options, these are great over weed beds. Another bait that has been around a while has twin props, which is perfect for a stop-and-go retrieve.

JerkBaits

JerkBaits – This was the first one I used when I first started chasing after bass with topwater lures. The lure that I mentioned earlier was my introduction to topwater bass angling. I have used a number of these in various sizes, and, again, the common theme is the light-colored bottom. A trout-patterned one has been really good, as has a walleye-shaded bait. Cast these out and let them sit before giving them a jerk. It’ll nose-dive several feet as you do so, then allow it to come back to the surface and float. Most of the strikes will come at the pause or immediately after you begin the retrieve again.

When I first started using these baits, I learned to tie the Rapala Knot. Hard to master at first, but this loop knot allows the front of the bait to move freely as it is retrieved and paused.

The Frog

The Frog – One of the best baits to throw over lily pads and weedlines that are growing on the surface of the water. You can get this bait into places where you normally can’t toss a surface bait because, for the most part, it’s weedless. You can find these in a variety of colors and sizes, but I tend to stick to natural-looking colors to match the frogs I see in the area I’m fishing.

Of the baits that I’ve used, I’ve had an issue with short strikes on the bait, basically due to the length of the “feet” on the frog. I trim these a bit so that when the bass hit the bait, they hook up more often. One thing to remember about fishing the frog is to hesitate for just a second before setting the hook. That gives the bass an opportunity to close its mouth on the bait before setting the hook. Otherwise, you’ll see a frog come sailing right at you!

Topwater bass fishing is one of the most exciting techniques there is in bass fishing. Not only will these produce some memorable fishing moments, but it can also produce some of your best catches. Remember to take care of the resources we all share in this state, take someone new fishing, and…Tight Lines All!