Need some topwater help.

[pinoyboykev]

Hey guys, for some reason I need some serious help using topwater baits. The only things I have caught bass on is a rapala skitterpop. I usually fish a lake that is stocked with bass and I think bream or sunfish. Whenever I use a senko, or roboworm I can catch up to 4 or 5 bass in the course of an hour or two. If I switch to a spook, LC sammy, gunfish, or g splash then I cannot seem to get bites at all. The closest action I got was when a little 1 pounder followed my popper for 10 ft and just stared at it the whole time. I have a lot of confidence in these lures because of what I heard about them, but for some reason I cannot for the life of me get any bites. What sort of action am I to partake with the WTD lures? I can walk them no problem, but maybe am I going to fast? Should there be a long pause like on poppers? What are the best time of day/ color to be using for topwater? I usually fish them along the banks because I do not have a boat, but am I supposed to use topwaters out in open water and just blind cast to random spots? I have the LC gunfish in Skeet bluegill, the sammy in MS black, g splash in american shad, and a skitterpop in frog. A wide array of colors that just doesnt seem to work for me! I live in central Florida and its hot hot hot! Any of you guys got any tips on when to use topwaters / best retrieves?

[darrin]

A lot of things must be considered when throwing topwater. When and where are 2 very important factors. I only use topwater in the morning during low light. As the sun gets higher, they go back in the box, with 2 exceptions. Frogs and a buzzbait. Make sure you are throwing in the right areas. Around weed beds and any cover is a good place to start. I throw in open water if the water is clear and I know the fish are positioned in a certain area. Just too much to get into in a forum (i.e. different baits for different types of weather for different times of the year). Try reading up as there are many good sources of information. As for working a bait, I usually let the fish tell me. But there a few rules I use. The warmer the water, the faster the retrieve. Poppers for me are a "spot" lure. So I usually work them slowly, but it always pays to experiment. Color for me usually isn't too much of a concern. I keep it simple with shad colors. The only concession for me is clear water, when I like ghost colors. But since you're in Florida, not sure how much clear water you really get. The other factors are much more important such as presentation and location. Hope this helps a little. Like I said, get on the net and start reading! Good luck

[FishBlock]

for me topwater is most productive first sign of sunrise and first sign of sundown. my retrieve varies. if the bass are a lil shy and just swipes at it, i usually slow my retrieves or pause a little long with little pops. if the bass are really active i make really hard pops or almost as if i am ripping a lipless crankbait. hope this helps

[panda_slicks86]

get a heddon torpedo and a jitter bug both are killer dont get too small cause they will be`a pain to get un-hooked .... p.s both of these baits do the deed and give you the option to pause the bait and alot of the time it makes a world of deference .. you will need to tune the torpedo's prop to get the best action out of it. i have caught 60ish % of all top water bites to these 2 baits...good luck........... also caught a 5 pound catfish on a torpedo whoot top water cats wtf?

[dragon1]

A chop on the water + a fast/frantic popping/walking cadence can result in explosive strikes...even at mid day.

Otherwise, cover and low light is key most of the time for topwater. Presentation depends on what the fish want...watch the surface if they are chasing other fish or terrestrials, the fish will generally let you know what mood they are in.

Good luck.

[SmallieSmasher]

I know that topwater anglers insist that having a white colour and a black colour are a necessity in your tackle box.

[chadlikeshad]

that ms black sammy should kill it. i have the best luck with sammies walking them on the edges of submerged vegetation and over deeper water where i know there is structure that holds fish. also i absolutely love a white popper. splash it in place as much as you can. the fish will tell you the cadence they want. somebody else mention jitterbugs. a black jointed jitterbug is a necessity at night. never tried it during the day for some reason. i should do that. buzz baits are money around here from may well into june. and they might produce the most ferocious bites on any bait that i have tried. i had a lot of luck on ghost colored wake baits last fall. i like wake baits and propbaits with a little chop on the water, but with poppers i like it to be pretty calm and quite. but maybe thats just me. as many have already mentioned, you want low light, i.e. sunrise, overcast skies. but i've seen sammies pull them out in blue bird skies at nearly midday. topwater fishing is the best, stay with it. it will pay off.

[mcha16]

try fishing the gunfish parallel to the bank.
do like 3 pops, then pause 3 secs.
2 pops, pause 1 sec,
continue like that,
that works best for me.
open water cast really depends where your at.