I swear by the X-Rap Pop (Pearl Gray Shiner color) for White Bass and Smallmouth

 

If you can afford it, check out the Siglett.  You'll catch fish ALL DAY with this little guy.  Only problem is that two of them will cost as much as your whole tackle box.  Gotta put a decent treble hook on it too, otherwise you'll yank them out of the mouth all day long.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Megabass-GRAND-SIGLETT-Topwater-Lamune/dp/B011218MB4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1440699093&sr=8-5&keywords=winged+cicada+lure

Rebel makes a shallow diver that you can use as a topwater. I have it in cicada and junebug patterns. The trebles are tiny on them. If you're going to catch anything decent size you should change to a single, larger hook in the rear, turned up. Take the front one off.

 

http://www.basspro.com/Rebel-Bumble-Bug/product/39957/

In my experience, certain conditions must be in place to use topwater. It will always catch fish, but there are definitely special days where it out produces everything. About a month ago, I had a crazy day with hollow body frogs. Light wind blew a thin film of scum into a little back corner of a bay on a sunny day. I heard sunnies popping bugs, and heard/saw bass explode of those sunfish. Anyways, everything was set for topwater for that specific day. I went back the next day, expecting to pound the bass again, only to find that the film blew away. I still caught some fish, but subsurface lures would've been a better choice.

 

I had a late spring day like that. But I used the Torpedo to catch over 50. I was in the kayak and I was soaked from handling all those fish close to the water. It was overcast and even rained very lightly a couple times. They wanted a steady retrieve that day. A buzzbait would have probably been the ticket, but you gotta use what's tied on when you're in the kayak and they're biting it. A couple times when fish would strike the bait but miss it, I threw a wacky rigged worm to the spot and caught the fish.

 

I've also used the pollen slick for frogs. It's killer.

Dead stick big trout swimbaits work mid day, bright sun. Wake baits are another top water lure that works mid day bright sun. It's a mistake to think top water only during low light periods. Bass feed on or near the surface when the opportunity presents itself and the bass are active.

Keep you eyes open for surface activity.

Tom

Rebel makes a shallow diver that you can use as a topwater. I have it in cicada and junebug patterns. The trebles are tiny on them. If you're going to catch anything decent size you should change to a single, larger hook in the rear, turned up. Take the front one off.

 

http://www.basspro.com/Rebel-Bumble-Bug/product/39957/

 

I didn't know they have a cicada pattern, I'll have to check that out.  I've got the horsefly and Junebug and they work great.  I agree on the tiny trebles, I just removed the center and put a larger one on the back.  Any advantage to a single hook turned upwards?

Here's the conditions that fit for me to try topwsters: I want to use them, and the water is wet.

That's the cost of one lunch. I have eaten the dollar menu many times to keep the cost down to buy fishing lures.

I swear by the X-Rap Pop (Pearl Gray Shiner color) for White Bass and Smallmouth

If you can afford it, check out the Siglett. You'll catch fish ALL DAY with this little guy. Only problem is that two of them will cost as much as your whole tackle box. Gotta put a decent treble hook on it too, otherwise you'll yank them out of the mouth all day long.

http://www.amazon.com/Megabass-GRAND-SIGLETT-Topwater-Lamune/dp/B011218MB4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1440699093&sr=8-5&keywords=winged+cicada+lure

That's the cost of one lunch. I have eaten the dollar menu many times to keep the cost down to buy fishing lures. In the past I sacrificed to fish in the early days.

That's the cost of one lunch. I have eaten the dollar menu many times to keep the cost down to buy fishing lures. In the past I sacrificed to fish in the early days.

 

Lol, I like what I'm hearing!  Probably why I have too many tackle boxes and not enough hands!

Here's the conditions that fit for me to try topwsters: I want to use them, and the water is wet.

 

 That's as good of a reason as any. 

I didn't know they have a cicada pattern, I'll have to check that out.  I've got the horsefly and Junebug and they work great.  I agree on the tiny trebles, I just removed the center and put a larger one on the back.  Any advantage to a single hook turned upwards?

More weedless. I saw Bill Dance do it while fishing in a stream. But he probably had a barbless hook.

NathanW & the reel bass

#1 Texas Rig

#2 Jig-n-Craw

#3 Deep Cranks

#4 Spinner Baits

#5 Top Water

Texas Rig & Jig-n-Craw more than tripled the last three!

But when conditions are right!

I see you're from Pittsburgh, so I'm going to guess you're fishing at Arthur. If so, that's your problem...

No I was fishing a Northmoreland

I believe a bass will hit a topwater (incl buzzbaits) for different reasons than most other baits....it really ticks 'em off and they don't want that kind of thing moving into their neighborhood.  I have caught around 30 fish 6lbs +......a full 90% were on a topwater bait.   Confidence?  You bet!

That's like saying "why put up with women".

Because when it's good it just feels soooooo good my man. No other way to put it hahaha

Back in the dark ages the "proper" way to fish a surface lure was to cast it out and let it sit until all the circle ripples the lure made disappeared. You dead stick the lure for about 30 seconds, then twitched it and let it sit again, then retrieved the lure fast or slow, stop or go to entice strikes.

Today few anglers have enough patients to fish the old school surface lures like a Hula popper the way they are designed to work. Faster is better, run and gun, cast here and there without much thought as to where the bass are located, just cover water is today's technique and that doesn't work well with surface lures most of the time or most other lures for that matter.

Bass have eye near the top of their head for a reason, to see good looking upwards.

Tom

Tom you're spot on. Top water outside of a buzz bait is very presentation oriented. You have to make the bait act in a certain way which varies based on lure and conditions but the technique requires a deliberate approach. You won't always catch fish on a topwater bait but you will remember the ones that you do for awhile.

I live in CT and a lot of my ponds and tidal rivers turn to weeds in the summer. It is not uncommon for me to use topwater 85% of the time. Since May ive used Ribbit frogs witha 3/0 twist lock or weighted hook. I sometimes catch 15-20 bass off topwater and maybe a couple off a keitech swimbait while my buddy with senko gets 3-5 fish. And in CT I dont catch big fish. I catch tiny bass off frogs. I never caught anything off hollow belly frogs but I dicided to give the livetarget mouse a try and that is my new favorite lure. So easy to walk the dog in a tight little scattering look the fish just have to attack it. The key is to fish shallow around structure and trees and weeds. I almost always try and throw it up onto the bank and I will catch bass and pike in inches of water. Good Luck buddy, You might find there is nothing more fun than watching a bass make a V in the water and blow up on your lure. 

Tom you're spot on. Top water outside of a buzz bait is very presentation oriented. You have to make the bait act in a certain way which varies based on lure and conditions but the technique requires a deliberate approach. You won't always catch fish on a topwater bait but you will remember the ones that you do for awhile.

53 years ago at age 10 I watched a guy catch an eight pounder on a Heddon Dying Flutter, I still remember every detail of that explosion!