Tossing Topwater

Tossing a topwater seems easy enough. After all most are pretty heavy and can be tossed a really long distance. Twitch it a couple of times and wait for the bite. Simple, right? Well, it is never that easy. First, knowing how to truly work a topwater bait is essential to catching fish. Walking the dog is perhaps the most popular and reliable technique. This is where you twitch the bait back and forth in a "walking method". The key to this is the speed of your approach. Sometimes fish want it fast and other times slow or even dead still. A common mistake is holding the rod tip up. You should always hold the rod tip down. This does two things. It helps you work the bait better and when you do get a hit, you will have a better chance of hooking the fish. There have been many times, the strike has occurred when the lure has stopped. Other times, it is when it is in full retrieve. The key is to be aware of the reaction of the bites you are getting and adjust to it. Perhaps, the biggest mistake made while top water fishing is knowing when to pull. Pulling too soon will result in many missed fish. Plus, if you pull the bait too soon, you will move the bait away and the fish will not come back for it. It is almost better when you do not see the bite. Feeling the bite is better than seeing it. It takes practice and patience which is difficult when you have a really big fish explode on your lure. Color can be important also depending on the amount of light and water clarity. There are a bunch of baits to choose from. Popular colors are chartreuse, bone, black, chrome, gold, orange, purple, clear, and a combination of these. There are a wide variety of sizes also, from the smaller popping baits like the Rebel "Pop R" to really big baits like the Reddens Super Spook. So, with so many choices, where do you begin? Everyone that fishes a lot will have a different view on which bait works best. My favorite and a good bait to start with if you are a novice is the Mirrorlure Shepup with high pitch rattles in a chartreuse bottom. The black and chartreuse is also a good one. But to be honest, learning how to work the bait may be more important than color. Companies tend to paint baits that look appealing to fishers rather than fish. Perhaps the biggest question is when to use a topwater bait? This may remain a mystery forever. I have caught fish on days that in no way they should have been hitting top and have struck out on days they should have been on. Some days they hit all day, some only early morning and some right at dark. If you are using a popping cork and fish are hitting the cork, they will certainly hit top water. I also look for schools of baitfish. This can be shad or mullet, both are great feed for big fish. It is not just big trout either, redfish, bass, gar, sacalait and a whole host of offshore fish will hit top water. So if you really want to get your heart rate up and possibly catch a monster fish, try some topwater. There is nothing more exciting for certain. Good luck fishing. Hope to see ya on the water.

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 8, 2017 at 6:26 AM

    Bob ,

    I fish top water all the time , SHE DOG & SHE PUP are great baits that is all I use. You have to stay with .

    ReplyDelete

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