I live in Oklahoma so it doesn't get super super frigid. I'm curious how late into the year will bass stop hit topwater. I've heard it shuts off when it gets cold, but then heard of people tearing them up on a buzzbait, which I love to throw. Have I been missing out on topwater action because I believed wrong? 

I’ve never tried a buzz in 30 degree weather but I have caught a few on poppers. 

Only one way to find out! 55 degree water is about as cold as it has worked for me for largemouth. White bass have hit spooks and poppers for me down to 46 degree water

There's a video out that shows a bass busting ice to get to a topwater.  So I guess that's a yes.   But I wouldn't say it's a pattern.

A friend and I got in big trouble on Christmas eve once.  We were spooning for bass and heard some fish busting the surface.  We got to catching them on top water baits and lost track of time until it got dark.  Then we had a 2 hour drive back home.

1 hour ago, Luke Barnes said:

I live in Oklahoma so it doesn't get super super frigid. I'm curious how late into the year will bass stop hit topwater. I've heard it shuts off when it gets cold, but then heard of people tearing them up on a buzzbait, which I love to throw. Have I been missing out on topwater action because I believed wrong? 

Super super cold, no bass can't go through the ice.

Tom

11 minutes ago, WRB said:

Super super cold, no bass can't go through the ice.

Tom

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/icebreaker-bass-breaks-through-the-ice-to-hit-topwater-lure/

21 minutes ago, 2tall79 said:

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/icebreaker-bass-breaks-through-the-ice-to-hit-topwater-lure/

There is your answer

I found bass will hit topwaters late fall /earl winter at times . Late winter/ early spring I havent had any luck . 

Here in south Louisiana I've caught bass on topwaters after a warming trend in the winter.

 

If it's been a really calm day with a lot of sunshine, a topwater jerkbait (Rogue, Redfin, Long A) or Devils Horse fished slowly during the last hour of daylight can produce extremely well. 

colder it gets the better, up until the water goes under 50. Mountain lakes are a little different i would say they are good until the water gets below 45, we used to go jitterbugging on fontana and hiwassee and it would be absolutely freezing with the pontoon boat, would sit a kerosene heater in between the front two seats as we parallel down the banks blooping our jitterbugs wearing them out. Grass lakes topwater is good until the grass is gone, usually when they start dropping the water on chickamauga the majority of the grass dies but if you can find it, they'll eat top water through December 

Depends what your definition of 'hitting topwater' is. We had an old river rat up my way that would talk about a topwater bite in late fall. He would let a spook float downstream and give it the occasional twitch and catch smallies.

 

While I didn't doubt him I also never experienced that for myself until last fall or two falls ago. Was on a different river in November around noon, water temp maybe mid 40's... nicer morning with some sun and I was throwing a square bill letting it go downstream and working it back with various retrieves. I picked up three good fish (18, 17 and 16) in short order on "topwater" letting it float and giving it twitch. I got one other fish on a suspending jerkbait. 

 

My theory is I hit a feeding window at just the right time and just happened to catch them on "top".

 

Yeah I'm talking trust topwater lures. I mainly use buzz baits but I have some poppers and jitterbugs. I may just have to try it next time I go out. I'm still seeing them busting on top for whatever. So was hoping I could still topwater fish. 

Topwater fishing can be great when it's snowing if the water temps aren't too cold yet due to the low pressure system associated with snow fall. LOZ fishermen get giddy when conditions are right to toss a buzzbait in snow.

Generally speaking, if the air temperature is cold but the water temps are still reasonably warm, bass will still bite a topwater.  But once water temperatures drop much below...45 or 50 degrees, bass are much less inclined to do so.  It wouldn't be a technique I would spend much time on unless I saw bass busting shad or something like that.

 

Note:  Many power plant lakes, especially, have considerably warmer water than the air temperature might suggest.  

I catching them on a jerkbait 5 days after ice out on a small Canadian smallmouth lake. I figured I'd try and get them to hit a spook since the jerkbait was crushing them. It took 2 casts and I caught one on the spook, water temps about 40 degrees.

On 11/18/2019 at 10:53 AM, 2tall79 said:

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/icebreaker-bass-breaks-through-the-ice-to-hit-topwater-lure/

 

 

That's crazy. lol

Ecosystem dependent.  Up here after the thaw there's an Alewife die off and Perch spawn.  Too much subsurface food.  Around 50 degrees we start getting spook fish.

Surface presentations & Cooler water can be a tricky deal.

For the Brown Bass here, I use 50 degrees as my line in the sand.

In the spring with water warming, it's where I usually start throwing topwater.

May not get bit right away but add a little sun and it can get good.

In the fall, it's pretty much when I stop throwing topwater. 

Again some sun will help it and clouds & / or cold wind, will usually shut that action down, hard. 

Started my last day on the water in Oct 2018 with a topwater fish - water temps near 51.

(Rest of the day they were on a Vibrating jig and a swinghead pretty hard)

A-Jay

Very great info everyone. Thanks and I'm mad I've been missing out on topwater action thinking it was over!!

How cold are we talking? When the water gets down to 50-55, I fish a lot of small poppers!