There is no part of Bass fishing quite as rewarding as the art of fishing topwater lures. I call it an art, as there are fishermen like Charlie Campbell and Sam Griffin who have spent a lifetime developing the art. Envision a small lake on a quiet morning at sunrise covered with patches of lily pads and seeing large bass busting the surface in pursuit of bait. This is when you grab a rod with a topwater lure tied on and get ready for the experience of a lifetime. This doesn't mean that this is the only time you can fish a topwater lure, as they will work almost anytime and under many conditions.
Topwaters are best when fished around heavy cover. Look for areas that have fallen trees, grass, bulrushes or even an old boat dock. If you become adapt to throwing the lures around this type cover with good accuracy, you will catch many fish. Open water areas surrounded by submerged grass can be an excellent place to have a bass crash your lure.
There are basically four types of topwater lures in common use today. These include Chuggers, Stick baits, prop baits, and soft plastic weedless lures. Chuggers are those lures like a Storm Chug Bug, Pop"R", and or the old Heddon Chugger. Probably the most famous stickbait, made famous by Charlie Campbell, is the Heddon Zara Spook. A good example of a soft plastic topwater would be a Scum Frog or Rat. And then maybe the easiest of all to fish is the prop bait. The very popular Devils Horse and "Tiny Torpedo" are very easy to use and produce thousands of fish each year all over the world. My personal favorite is handmade custom bait by Fish Head Lures.
The most common failure among topwater fishermen is impatience. You must slow down and take your time when fishing topwater lures. Just enjoy the surroundings and cover each area thoroughly and completely.
If there is a breeze blowing over the water a prop bait or larger lure will work the best. With no wind or water movement then a more subtle approach should be used.
If you will try some topwater fishing this season you will that the attack of a largemouth on a topwater is more exciting than almost any other type of fishing. Take these tips and HAVE FUN.
