I'm thinking about beating the sun up tomorrow and going early to a pond that is close to my house. It is pressured like crazy but I want to get there early to throw top water.  

 

In a very pressured pond or any water really, what are some more subtle top water baits to throw that can get pressured fish to commit? I was going to start with a frog and a Choppo but other than that I really don't know what to throw at a group of fish that have seen it all. 

 

Once the sun comes up fully ill switch to a wacky rig but I haven't had ANY luck with top water this year and want to change that.  

Sometimes it's not so much the noise that hurts you on a pressured lake, it's the bait's profile size.

 

My first option is always downsize profile, not sound signature.    

 

With that in mind, a small Pop R would be my suggestion, and if that doesn't work, a small walk the dog type bait like a Zara Spook Puppy or Jr. that both reduces noise and size.   

 

33 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Sometimes it's not so much the noise that hurts you on a pressured lake, it's the bait's profile size.

 

My first option is always downsize profile, not sound signature.    

 

With that in mind, a small Pop R would be my suggestion, and if that doesn't work, a small walk the dog type bait like a Zara Spook Puppy or Jr. that both reduces noise and size.   

 

That makes sense. I've got a few Choppo 90s that I like I'm ponds but never really thought about throwing a Spook Jr. I have one in sexy shad so hopefully that's the color they want! 

 

I was going to throw a popping frog thinking it's a reasonably small profile, minus the legs, but I have them trimmed pretty short. Plus I can stop it, start it, throw it into reeds etc

...

38 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Sometimes it's not so much the noise that hurts you on a pressured lake, it's the bait's profile size.

 

My first option is always downsize profile, not sound signature.

I agree. A 2 3/4” Storm ChugBug or Pop-X. And if I really need to finesse ‘em, a Rapala UL Pop. 

How about a wake bait? I don't think they're thrown as often as other surface lures.

13 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

a popping frog thinking it's a reasonably small profile, minus the legs, but I have them trimmed pretty short

Don’t be afraid to remove the legs completely. If I want a really small weedless frog profile, I will trim the legs completely off a Popping Pad Crasher or Jr. 

Definitely down sizing and perhaps something that you can let just sit there in between pauses.  NOT a whopper plopper.

Rapala Minnow or Heddon Tiny Torpedo on 6-8 pound mono. 

17 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

That makes sense. I've got a few Choppo 90s that I like I'm ponds but never really thought about throwing a Spook Jr. I have one in sexy shad so hopefully that's the color they want! 

 

I was going to throw a popping frog thinking it's a reasonably small profile, minus the legs, but I have them trimmed pretty short. Plus I can stop it, start it, throw it into reeds etc

...

Yeah those things sound good, and I think you got the right idea.

 

Hopefully they cooperate for you tomorrow, good luck  

2 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

How about a wake bait? I don't think they're thrown as often as other surface lures.

Never thought about that. Only have one wake bait but might be worth a try. 

 

2 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

Don’t be afraid to remove the legs completely. If I want a really small weedless frog profile, I will trim the legs completely off a Popping Pad Crasher or Jr. 

I wonder how a SK Pad Perch or popping perch would look with the tail? Skirt? Whatever they call it, trimmed off. 

Down size or maybe try a silent walking bait. Megabass diamante has a silent version that I’ve had good success with

This year I have not had a lot of luck fishing on top right at sunrise.  Maybe 30 to 45 minutes after sunrise the topwater starts and goes on for about 2 hours.  After that, the bite on top in done for the day.

I've been fishing a Zara Puppy and a Pop-R.  The bite usually comes on one or the other.

Ima Roumba, Pop R, YoZuri Pencil Popper -(the small one).

A small rat wake bait like a spro 30 or 40.

Rebel P71 Pop-R Bone Orange Belly 

Never made it out. Won't get to tomorrow either so hopefully this thread helped somebody, because I won't get to test out the advice. 

The tiny Shower Blows is great as is the JT-95 from evergreen.

On 9/30/2022 at 3:06 PM, Luke Barnes said:

I'm thinking about beating the sun up tomorrow and going early to a pond that is close to my house. It is pressured like crazy but I want to get there early to throw top water.  

 

In a very pressured pond or any water really, what are some more subtle top water baits to throw that can get pressured fish to commit? I was going to start with a frog and a Choppo but other than that I really don't know what to throw at a group of fish that have seen it all. 

 

Once the sun comes up fully ill switch to a wacky rig but I haven't had ANY luck with top water this year and want to change that.  

One bait that's not exactly a topwater but runs a foot or so under the surface

and then suspends Right There on the pause,

is the Rapala X-Rap Sub Walk. 

Been throwing this one for going on 15 years now.

Why it gets no love I'll never understand.  

This this is the very definition of subtle.

Acts like a slow motion jerkbait with a wild little strike getting shimmy/roll on the pause.

Effective almost anytime in skinny water but excels for me early & late season.

Rapala no longer makes a 'smaller' offering in the freshwater line

but does have one in their saltwater line of Sub Walks.   Same bait.

(box on the left, top two rows) Sizes 07 & 09 work for me.

Either way, I highly recommend changing out the hooks to quality trebles.

A-Jay

 

15 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

One bait that's not exactly a topwater but runs a foot or so under the surface

and then suspends Right There on the pause,

is the Rapala X-Rap Sub Walk. 

Been throwing this one for going on 15 years now.

Why it gets no love I'll never understand.  

This this is the very definition of subtle.

Acts like a slow motion jerkbait with a wild little strike getting shimmy/roll on the pause.

Effective almost anytime in skinny water but excels for me early & late season.

Rapala no longer makes a 'smaller' offering in the freshwater line

but does have one in their saltwater line of Sub Walks.   Same bait.

(box on the left, top two rows) Sizes 07 & 09 work for me.

Either way, I highly recommend changing out the hooks to quality trebles.

A-Jay

 

Good lord AJ I think you like them a bit haha. I actually looked at these online last year because they sound fantastic and would stay above weeds and muck in shallow ponds it sounds like. If I ever get serious about fishing again and buy some lures, this will be one.

2 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

Good lord AJ I think you like them a bit haha. I actually looked at these online last year because they sound fantastic and would stay above weeds and muck in shallow ponds it sounds like. If I ever get serious about fishing again and buy some lures, this will be one.

A couple of those baits are 10+ years old and have had multiple hardware changes.

btw Pike will hammer them in cool water, lost quite a few.

Hate using wire on them as it's the one bait that the AFW actually jacks up the action of. 

A-Jay

On 9/30/2022 at 3:57 PM, ol'crickety said:

How about a wake bait?

Great idea.

On 9/30/2022 at 3:57 PM, ol'crickety said:

I don't think they're thrown as often as other surface lures.

Au contraire. I throw them year 'round as part of my normal rotation when I'm working a zone. If the rain we're getting now brings the water up just a skosh, I'll be throwing a Black Dog Baits Shellcracker G2 again and I'll catch 'em good.

 

However, due to the low water levels here lately, combined with tall weeds, it's harder to get my larger bodied types through, but smaller ones are doable. One that has outperformed all others for me over the past month and change is the Livingston Bullnose in the Tournament series.

 

Unlike the Mann's Baby 1 Minus, it has a subtle wobble and it doesn't sound as if it's full of BBs. Less rattle than the Yozuri 70mm wakes too. It has a much quieter 1-knock, and it comes thru tall weeds remarkably cleanly.

 

Everything eats it, and it's great in colder water too. Fish it slower so it simply wakes, or fish it faster so it dives, and it'll dive to about 1ft deep. Sometimes they like it cranked down, then stalled so it rises, or just a straight retrieve. Play typical wake bait retrieves, or fish it however you like until you find how they want it. This bait has been deadly here when they're feeding up, and often when they won't touch a pencil/popper, WP, walking bait, or other similar sized noisy wakes or topwaters.

 

P.S. Recently @The Bassman touted the Azuma wake Z. They've been loaded in my cart since just waiting.

 

 

Paradoxically, sizing up and I mean way up on top water can weed out the little fish on a heavily pressured body of water.  A Strike King Megadog or something similar(will require heavier gear) can do the same as sizing down.

 

You may not get a bite, but the bite you do get is gonna be the biggest d**n fish in the pond.

The Berkley Drift Walker is a great finesse topwater bait, but it has to be very calm to use it. 

On 10/1/2022 at 2:48 PM, A-Jay said:

One bait that's not exactly a topwater but runs a foot or so under the surface

and then suspends Right There on the pause,

is the Rapala X-Rap Sub Walk. 

Been throwing this one for going on 15 years now.

Why it gets no love I'll never understand.  

This this is the very definition of subtle.

Acts like a slow motion jerkbait with a wild little strike getting shimmy/roll on the pause.

Effective almost anytime in skinny water but excels for me early & late season.

Rapala no longer makes a 'smaller' offering in the freshwater line

but does have one in their saltwater line of Sub Walks.   Same bait.

(box on the left, top two rows) Sizes 07 & 09 work for me.

Either way, I highly recommend changing out the hooks to quality trebles.

A-Jay

 

I always get a little jealous when A-jay posts pictures of his tackle (or fish!!!)

Barely twitch an original rapala on the surface. And hang on