I'm down here at lake norman and noticed that at sunrise...it's dead quiet.  I don't know if I have ever been on a lake that is so quiet at sunrise.  I only counted 2 or 3 topwater explosions all morning.   Could it be due to the high temps (88+)?  Or have all the fish moved out and I need to change locations? I know that's hard for anyone to answer, but have you ever been in a circumstance like this?  I've fished these same areas before and usually there's quite a bit of activity going on at that time in the morning. thoughts? 

Everyone loves a topwater bite, but many don't understand why, when they think it should work, it doesn't.  The mood of the fish will determine when a topwater bite will work best and finding out that piece of the puzzle usually only comes after trying. The other thing to consider is the action of the bait you're throwing. For instance, a Spook can be retrieved fast, or slow. The same goes for most topwater baits including buzzbaits and frogs. A buzzbait can be used in determining the mood of the fish. If you only get one or two half hearted strikes/misses, it's time to put it down and go with something smaller and slower.

The other thing that you should consider is the conditions. A surface like glass under a bluebird sky, IMO, isn't prime topwater time as the fish are most likely in a negative mood and have a small strike window.

When the topwater bite is nonexistent, I always continue down the water column as the fish could be suspended, or on the bottom. One last thing, don't think that a bass won't hit topwater in the middle of the day. If you want to have some fun, when the square bill is getting choked, put it down and pick up your favorite topwater. You'll thank me.

I started a post a couple days ago about the Whopper Plopper and how unsuccessful I’ve been with it. While I think I’m cursed with the Plopper, truth be told the frog has been super unproductive for me as well. Anyone that has been a regular on here knows a top water frog bite is my favorite presentation so it’s been extremely painful these past couple years! I don’t have the answer but it’s killing me! I have adapted and I now catch them flipping a jig or weighted T-rig, but man do I want that frog bite back!

2024 was a great year for me, topwater-wise. 2025 has been a real struggle up top. I did catch three yesterday on a Spook-type bait, but if you remember my 2024 trip reports, three is nothing to write home about. I don't believe that all the bass in my pond are topwater-savvy. According to my research, my pond has 8,500 to 17,000 bass. I haven't already caught them all on surface lures. My pal's pond has twice that number. So, double-ditto. 

 

I think the surface fishing will pick up. I was sub-surface for the first half of 2024 and focused on the surface in the latter half, with surface fishing going bonkers in the fall. I'm hoping for the same this year

6 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

I started a post a couple days ago about the Whopper Plopper and how unsuccessful I’ve been with it. While I think I’m cursed with the Plopper, truth be told the frog has been super unproductive for me as well. Anyone that has been a regular on here knows a top water frog bite is my favorite presentation so it’s been extremely painful these past couple years! I don’t have the answer but it’s killing me! I have adapted and I now catch them flipping a jig or weighted T-rig, but man do I want that frog bite back!

Last few years I have had great frog fishing on top of duckweed.  Finding groups of bass 3,4.5, sometimes more in one small area of the duckweed.  This year not so much.  i'm pretty sure there are bass under there but they won't come up for the frog so I catch 1 or 2.  What I've been doing is using a weighted frog, either with weight inserted into the frog or a bullet sinker and a bobber stop and fishing it in the open area between the duckweed and the bottom.  The Zoo Wake from Snagproof has been the best.  No, you don't get those explosions on top but they pound it pretty good.  Find 'em on top, catch a couple, then nothing, switch to the weighted frog and catch a bunch from the area I just flogged with the topwater frog.  I love a hand grenade frog bite too but I'll take 'em however I can so this is not the answer to your desire for the topwater explosion.

Duckweed is perfect for this due to the open water between the floating duckweed mat and the bottom of the lake.

Yeh I guess they have just been in a negative mood with 95-97 air temp today and no wind.  Just no surface activity at all. Not just to my lure 

The water itself should be considered also, not just her mood. 
 

I always believed in the old fisherman's “myth” that if whatever you throw on top that is designed to be fished in a straight line with no pop’s, twitch’s etc.

Check the water behind it from where it hit the water to all the way back. 

If there are no bubbles still on the water the entire way, do something else. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

1 hour ago, Mike L said:

The water itself should be considered also, not just her mood. 
 

I always believed in the old fisherman's “myth” that if whatever you throw on top that is designed to be fished in a straight line with no pop’s, twitch’s etc.

Check the water behind it from where it hit the water to all the way back. 

If there are no bubbles still on the water the entire way, do something else. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

That’s interesting! I have never heard that. Have something to do with the oxegyn level? 
 

Air temps affect us not the bass for them it’s all about water temps. If the weed mats are not green and water temps over 85 low DO could be the problem. I would look for areas with moving / nervous water or with waves.

With a hollow body frog try 3 hops and pause vary the number of hops with pauses, straight steady retrieves rarely work. 

Tom

 

14 minutes ago, WRB-2.0 said:

Air temps affect us not the bass for them it’s all about water temps. If the weed mats are not green and water temps over 85 low DO could be the problem. I would look for areas with moving / nervous water or with waves.

With a hollow body frog try 3 hops and pause vary the number of hops with pauses, straight steady retrieves rarely work. 

Tom

 

Yes, sorry if that was confusing. I was just referencing how hot it is out…pretty sure there is a direct correlation between hot air temps and hot water temps ha…at least here in North Carolina in July! As I mentioned in the original post, water temps were over 88. I was just a little surprised there wasn’t any surface activity at dawn…

thanks everyone for your feedback. Just an interesting observation 

21 minutes ago, clemsondds said:

That’s interesting! I have never heard that. Have something to do with the oxegyn level? 
 

I’m sure it’s a huge factor, could be the only factor but no one knows the real reason.
But since all a bubble is just entrapped air, it makes sense. 
 

I and others firmly believe in it because we’ve seen it. 


 

 

 

 

Mike

 

7 minutes ago, clemsondds said:

Yes, sorry if that was confusing. I was just referencing how hot it is out…pretty sure there is a direct correlation between hot air temps and hot water temps ha…at least here in North Carolina in July! As I mentioned in the original post, water temps were over 88. I was just a little surprised there wasn’t any surface activity at dawn…

thanks everyone for your feedback. Just an interesting observation 

The bass may be out roaming  hunting at night and don’t return to weed beds until after the sun is over head. Hot air doesn’t always mean hot water, it takes several hot days to heat water a few feet deep without wind.

Check the water temps!

Tom

Hunh? Must be your location. Don’t think it’s temps, either. I’m down here in south Florida and when the sun pops out in the everglades it’s KABOOM time! 

Every day is different.  

So simple, but still hard to wrap my brain around.  

Until this year, I only fished weekends and occasionally after work for a couple hours.  Now that I'm retired, I am out (nearly) every morning of this year.   It still amazes me how different the fishing is from one day to the next.  Bite windows are the hardest to pin down.  But the shad are nearly as unpredictable.   Two days ago, they were on shallow flats and the bass were on 'em.  Yesterday, they were near the surface, but all out in the middle.  Today, all the bigger schools were down 12-15 feet in the early morning.  

Weather has been carbon copy for about a week.  I can't begin to explain the reasons, but I am learning not to force anything for very long.

Usually here there’s a pretty good window for summer morning topwaters.
 

Spent this morning fishing a couple of main lake points, water temps between 82 and 85, little bit of chop on the surface. Got a lot of short strikes on a Plopper 75, switched to a Sammy and got a couple 1-1.5 pounders and a couple dinks before the bite shut off around 6:30. 

Once that "heat dome" or whatever they are calling it got here (central Illinois), the morning bite went south.  Initially I thought it was because of the full moon and fish feeding at night, but it has continued for weeks now and we have been through both tons of rain and days on end of bluebird skies.  I've been able to fish several times a week lately and evenings are much, much better than mornings on my lakes.  I get hopped up for the summer dawn bite and it just hasn't been there.  I've caught fish, but evenings are more fish and much bigger fish on average.  I have no idea why, but that is my usual answer when someone asks me why I did/did not catch a bunch/huge bass.  I do or I do not.  That is the answer.  

Maybe they are drinking cold beverages and enjoying the jukebox -on a little vacation- at the hydrilla inn express.

On 7/25/2025 at 10:28 PM, 12poundbass said:

I don’t have the answer but it’s killing me

 

I've experienced this now for about 4-5 years with topwater.  Doesn't really matter what type of topwater is used, they aren't hitting it.

 

I used to have pretty consistent action with both buzz baits and frogs too.  Looked forward to it myself.

 

I think it's the pressure.  Too many anglers targeting them on the surface.

 

The whopper plopped has been a bust for me since I bought three of them.  It's better served as a Christmas tree ornament.

On 7/25/2025 at 10:28 PM, 12poundbass said:

I started a post a couple days ago about the Whopper Plopper and how unsuccessful I’ve been with it. While I think I’m cursed with the Plopper, truth be told the frog has been super unproductive for me as well. Anyone that has been a regular on here knows a top water frog bite is my favorite presentation so it’s been extremely painful these past couple years! I don’t have the answer but it’s killing me! I have adapted and I now catch them flipping a jig or weighted T-rig, but man do I want that frog bite back!

I fought the plopper for years. And finally got it to work this year don’t give up on it. It’s a killer bait if they aren’t super conditioned to it in your area. 

I partly feel it’s the heat. And water temp. But I know in my area. It’s been ice out since early march when the ice thawed. And they have been hit hard constantly since then. I think they are just pressured and sick of seeing lures after lure. You really gotta have something different than everyone else or really nail your presentation here in the summer months I’ve noticed. 

On 7/26/2025 at 11:22 AM, Mike L said:

I’m sure it’s a huge factor, could be the only factor but no one knows the real reason.
But since all a bubble is just entrapped air, it makes sense. 
 

I and others firmly believe in it because we’ve seen it. 


 

 

 

 

Mike

 

I've stopped throwing topwater if I get no bubble trail. In my experience it has an extremely high predictability rate. No bubbles, RARELY any fish hitting top. 

 

Oddly enough I picked that up from a Fish The Moment youtube. Was probably no more than a passing comment on frogs but its worked out for me across all topwater. 

I don’t remember where I heard it and when I started paying attention to it but it’s been years. 
 

Few things in our hobby has been more telling and predictable. At least for me. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike