Bass - Fishing Topwater Baits
Author: Jack Phillips
Bass fishing with topwater baits is without a doubt the most fun you can have fishing for large or smallmouth bass. People watch these bass tournaments on the tube and see all these pros using plastic and spinner baits jigs and crankbaits, forget about the fun and excitement you get with topwater baits. Topwater baits create great action and stories to pass on to family and fishing friends.
The best time I find for topwater bass fishing is in summer, the colder the water the slower the response, and the more you have to work that bait. Early morning and evening are best for topwater bass fishing.
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Of course weather effects your choice of lures also, on a bright sunny day it is better to have a light wind to go with it, a bit of a chop makes the bass less spooky. On a calm sunny day use a heavier lure and lighter line for longer casts. Bass tend to become real spooky in calm and clear water, so the further the cast from you the better off you'll be.
Wind can also change the type of topwater bait you can use I believe that when the wind comes up you should use a smaller bait that makes a lot of noise. The larger baits just plow through the chop, while the smaller baits ride the chop and still make that enticing noise to get the strike you want. Also try to fish through the troughs created by the wind.
Bass fishing topwater baits has some of it's own quirks you want to be able to make pinpoint casts to cover areas and make a clear retrieve. Most of your topwater bass fishing will be done in shallow water over weed beds, flats and around objects and shoreline cover. The majority of bass population remains in shallow water all summer.
To fish bass with topwater baits cast about a foot or two past your target and bring it as close to the cover as possible. If you do not get a strike after the first few feet reel in and try again and make another cast. Fishing cover like this there is no need to reel the bait all the way to the boat. Work the bait slowly to get that strike from the bass that is hiding in the shadows and under cover. Have patience when fishing topwater baits, let the ripples disapear, and let the bait sit a few seconds before you make you retrieve.
When the bass strikes a topwater bait, wait till you feel the fish before you set the hook. If you try to set that hook when you first see the strike you'll miss more than you will catch. I can't count the times that lure has been nocked back towards me by the bass striking that topwater bait.
Now for some of the most popular baits, Poppers are among the oldest of topwater bass fishing lures. They have the dished out face with the line tie in the middle. When retrieved they make a slash noise or "bloop" when popped. Poppers work best in warm, calm, shallow, clear water. You get your action from the rod tip not reeling. The harder you snap the bait the more noise and commotion created.
Stickbaits are rounded, hot-dog shaped lures usually plastic or wood. weighted to float nose up. The only action they have is what the angler ads to make them work. These baits have appeal for big bass, just using the jerk, then real up slack and jerking again produces a good eratic side to side motion that gets lots of attention from bass.
Propbaits are cigar shaped and fitted with propellers on one or both ends. Propbaits can be worked fast or slow, quiet or loud, but stop and go retrieves are best. The bass will let you know what is best so vary your retrieve. Be sure to experiment, propbaits are dynamite around sunken logs, lily pads, and shallow cover. Be sure the blades on the lure run freely,
Wobblers and Crawlers, these baits are particularly best at night or early morning, Examples of these are the Jitterbug or the Crazy Crawler. They make a loud plopping sound when retrieved steadily. Use a steady slow retrieve for the best results with this bass bait.
Buzzbaits are a little like spinnerbaits desingned to be fished on the surface. There are two types, the opposite wire types, with the blade above the hook, and the inline type with everything on one shaft. Excellent for clear water, and pick up less weeds. Again experiment with your working of this bait, twitching and vary speeds to create different noises.
Weedless Spoons are also in this category, designed to be fished in dense cover, either through the thickest weeds, lily pads, or grass. They go through the toughest cover you can find. Fishing with weedless spoons for bass you will want to be using heavy fishing tackle, rods and reels. I like to point my rod tip at the lure on my retrieve, and again here be patient and allow the bass to take the lure.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/bass-fishing-topwater-baits-54956.html
About the Author
Jack Phillips has been fishing Canada coast to coast for over 50 years. Fishing Canada provides solid advice for walleye, bass, pike, muskie, a variety of trout and more. Ideas on when and where to go on your next trip to Canada. Ice fishing tips. Delicious fish recipes to boot!
Attention Bass Fishermen, Would you use these lures in a tournament?
Now is the time of the year where I make my occasional forray in to Bass fishing. I guess you can say I’m “old school” because I don’t use plastic worms, I do use the following and catch my share of nice fish.
1. Lazy Ike
2. Mirro-Lure
3. Jitterbug / Hula-Popper
4. Rebel Crayfish
5. Mister Twister (original) 3″ yellow and black
I went with a friend of mine who is a serious tournament angler
and he laughed his tail off when I took my little tackle box and
hanful of lures. I caught as many as he did. My question is that do any of you use some of these “old school” lures during a tournament, and if so, how do they perform ?
“so long as you fish them right on an ugly stik rod with a Penn reel…”
What else would I use ? LOL
I don’t tournament fish any more , but I’ll tell you something that you already know- fish tend to hit lures that is not thrown at them every day, all day long. Something that they have not seen, or perhaps ever seen can sometimes be deadly. And the lures that you have mentioned have stood the test of time, they caught fish when they were new, and they still catch fish. I have several “old reliables” in my box that I sometimes have to go to when the fishing gets too slow .There have been a lot of lures that took the market by storm, and after about 4 years, you couldn’t pay a fish to bite them- They will never attain the status of “old reliable” You see, evidently the fish didn’t know that they were not supposed to hit your lures.
out of these, which fishing lures are the best for bass?
ok, i have diving lures, fake frogs, spinner bait, popper, jitterbugs, and topwater lures. which ones are the best?
yeah im going for largemouth and smallmouth
yeah im going for largemouth and smallmouth
When I did Bass (still fish smally’s but not Black Bass anymore ~ got to d _ _ n commercialized for my likin’), a Spinner-Bait (always had a fetish for the color combo Chartreuse & White skirt
) with a “trailer” (link), produced a’ lot of em’. For Smally’s I use either Panther Martin in-line spinners and the good ol’ Rapala Original Floater (can be worked as a’ shallow runner and topwater/floater as well). Don’t know if you’d be fishin’ a Lake (both species) or river (smallmouth) but, water conditions, weather, etc., are goin’ to have a great bearing on the type to use. All of the ones you’ve listed work well ~ just have ta’ find out which one their wantin’ 
… Good luck and “Fish On” 
… < ' ( (( > < Rapala's Original Floater (Silver n' Black):
http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=original_floater&freshorsalt=Both
Trailers for SpinnerBait:
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=51870&hvarTarget=search&hvarAID=&cmCat=10003284
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=32792&hvarTarget=search&hvarAID=&cmCat=10003284
Note: There be a lot of trailers on the market ~ gave just a’ couple…
What would be the best lure to go with for winter largemouth bass fishing in eastern long island?
I know deeper waters and slower retrieve…but its still tempting to use my old standby a light colored jitterbug. Is it pointless to use a top floating jig in the winter? I fished a rattletrap and jig & pig at Ronkonkoma for six hours yesterday with nary a bite. Has anyone fished the Northwestern side(opposite of the falls) of Southard’s with any success? Whats the best overall advice for today’s trip? Thanks!!!
Sounds like you got everything covered.
Try to fish steeper banks.Bass like to move vertically in cold winter water. A jig and pig really cant be beat IMO for cold weather fishin’. Just crawl it along the bottom, and give it a little twitch once and a while. Being that it’s cold don’t expect a lot of bits. You can also give the good ole’ plastic worm a try.
You also might want to try Jigging a spoon just straight up and down. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but its something different when the bass have a case of lockjaw. Remember when your fishing in cold water bass aren’t going to chase your bait so 90% of the time your going to have to run it right in front of his face.
Hope this helps…Good Luck
what is the best thing to use for spring bass fishing in a lake?
i live in folsom california
tomorrow i am going to go fishing at folsom lake .
i am going to fish off the shore
i will start fishing at about 7:00 am
tomorrow it is supposed to be 50 degrees at 7:00 am,
53 degrees at 9:00 am, 65 at 12:00 pm, 68 degrees at 3:00 pm
it is going to be partly cloudy all day.
what kind of bait should i use and what time of the day should i use it.
i have a white spinner bait
black exude worms
i might get senko worms
i have a black jitter bug with yellow eyes.
i have some lures i dont know what kind of lures they are
but here r the pics of them:
http://s751.photobucket.com/albums/xx158/bballa4life/Fishing/?action=view¤t=SANY2448.jpg&newest=1
should i get anything else like live bait if so wat kind of bait and when should i fish that.
how should i fish a jitterbug and how should i fish those lures i have.how should i fish the exude worms. how should i fish the spinner bait.
and if i get the senko worms what type should i get.
and when should i fish those and how should i fish them.
where in the water should i fish all this stuff
please help
thanks
the red and white and silver and small gold one good spoons
multi color feather is a rooster tail black feather is a shister looks old school i got some of them
fish are funny try any and every thing swish the rod tip in the water like a fish struggling bass call this the ‘dinner bell’ i use it
get you some PET SPOONS # 12 AND 13 !!!!!
ALSO MISTER TWISTER WORMS AND ROAD RUNNERS
good for whites also, bass attractant is a plus your choice
the worm is ripple worm designed to cause noises and waves
go to mepps.com
minnows are always a good choice for live
always around stuff
stumps, weeds, rocks, pilings, docks , best to fish from in the water towards bank
sunken trees are good
throw and retrieve not slow but not fast , practice,
never used senko worms
but blue worms , creature baits all colors and styles let sink to bottom , lightly jerk and reel,let sink then repeat, wiggle some while up in water ‘be the worm’
a good rig is a texas rig
worm hook you pull the eye through the head and stick the body just enough to hold it straight on the hook
but DO NOT let the hook show through the body
install a bullet weight ahead of the eye of the hook so it is not destroyed when pulled through the water and stuff
bass like to ambush their prey from the bottom and behind
frogs ar good top baits cast, let ripples settle, pop and reel slightly keep line tight though to set the hook if a strike comes
repeat
patience
practice
luck
Beginner Topwater Bass Fishing Help?
I went to the tackle shop today and saw two baits that looked worth buying. The Jitterbug and the Rebel-Pop-R. I already have a Rebel Pop-R but I wanted to get one in a different color. I never fished the jitterbug before, but I wanted to give it a try. If I could only choose one of these lures, which one would be the better bet? Also, how and when are these baits fished (probably just after sunrise and just before sunset, but still)?
Both of your baits you mention are fine topwater baits and will work well in many situations, as far as when to fish them… the pop r will work best in low light conditions with am and evening being best.
The jitterbug is a terrific topwater bait … but! it needs to be worked at NIGHT to really let it prove its deadly action.
You will want to retrieve the jitterbug at a painfully slow retrieve, as slow as you can go so that it still keeps it action . that wobble coupled with the gurgling sound are a deadly combination in the middle of a still dark night … one of my all time favorite lures and ways to fish .
With that being said I will also recommend a few others to your arsenal.
The buzz bait … tremendous topwater bait that can be fished day or night, hot or cold,in flat calm or choppy water you wont get a lot of bites on a buzz bait BUT !! those you do will be BIG BASS.
Lastly the ZARA SPOOK is a MUST have bait for top water ..learn how to ” walk the dog” which is nothing more than retrieving your lure with a slight jerk and pause retrieve on slack line… practice it and you will be able to make it dance and catch lots of bass.. my biggest bass to date came in under 3 feet of water in the middle of the day in the dead of summer on a SPOOK..
Have fun