It's the time of year where a lot of us will find ourselves picking up our topwater rods before anything else. The weather in California this year has been less than stable and we all know stable weather can create an epic top water bite.
I have been finding that I can still catch a lot of topwater fish but I have been having to refine and make small adjustments to turn missed fish in to fish in the boat. My first choice is almost always going to be a big swimbait but that is not really what I'm going to be talking about.
Searching
You have to start somewhere: my bait of choice for years has been the Super Spook. Recently I have been fishing the new 5" Lunker Punker a lot with mixed results. This is an amazing over all bait and I have caught a lot of fish on it - I'll come back to this later. The reason I like the walking baits to start is the draw power they have. Even if fish don't commit to these baits they will pull a lot of curious fish up. The reaction I get will either tell me to just stick with or or start refinement, then I will start to experiment with baits that make a different sound.
We all fish loud baits, but how often do you stop to think about what effect different rattle configurations have to do with with fish caught?
Refinement
Going back to earlier when I mentioned the mixed results with the 5" Punker: This has nothing to do with the action of the bait, but the sound it and other baits put out. There are times when a bait like a Super Spook will out perform any other. The reason behind this is the single knocker ball. I refer to these baits as 'one knockers'. I don't know what it is about a summer bite sometimes that bass will not touch anything but a bait with a single knocker. The same applies with bigger bait to an extent as well, however I feel the size of the bait overcomes the sound a lot in this situation. This being said I am referring to baits in the six to seven inch and larger class.
Color
Color for me is really important, and depending on the time of year fish key in on different prey. This time of year through fall baby bass is a good universal color. Matching your local body of waters shad is a must sometimes. It is a good idea to do research on what your favorite lakes shad population look like.
Size
Size can be a huge determiner in how many bites you get when your keying in on feeding fish for example. This usually applies to schooling fish more than the occasional fish you will pick up covering a lot of water.
Popping baits
When fish are just not committing to a walking bait, it may be time to slow down and make a commotion. I love fishing poppers, some of my favorites are the Pop Max by Mega Bass. These are good baits for followers because they are a little more erratic in there stop pop and go motion.
A couple Mega Bass Pop Max Poppers
Buzz Baits
There is nothing more basic and easy to fish than a buzz bait. When fishing around cover and structure they can be hard to beat. I really think fish just can't stand these baits and just hit them to stop the screeching in their ears sometimes. These are great baits to run past structure that feels as if it could be a bass's living room.
Location
Location has to be one of the most important things to me when fishing topwater. Pay close attention to bottom structure, wind, current, cover, heat concentration on the surface, etc. Topwater bites can be very specific- just because they are hitting on top real good in one area of the lake does not mean they will in another.
Pay attention to the detail and see if you can put together a pattern. Are the fish on points over bottom structure change? Are they suspending over under water trees, grass, or stumps? The devil is in the details. Remember fish are coming out of their comfort zone to eat your lure, so you want to position yourself and casts in such a way that fish feel like they have the upper hand.
Don't pigeon hole yourself
We all have our favorite baits and it is awesome when they work the way we want. It is important to keep an open mind and read the strikes you are getting and make refinements. I am certainly guilty of trying to force a bite I want to happen, fishing swimbaits has really made me a lot more stubborn so I have to force myself to adjust at times.
Some "one Knocker single rattle baits" a Super Spook, Spook Jr and a Zenith Z Claw
Throw Topwater All Day
To me, topwater is not just a low light technique. I throw topwater for bass all day long. Keep note at cloud cover and sun exposure each time you get a bite. You will be amazed at how many bites you will get in the blazing mid day sun.
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