It's time to start going over my list to see what new baits I NEED for 2008.

I've been looking over my topwater baits. I'm heavy into Lucky Craft. I have sammy's & live sammy's (never have caught anything with any of my LC live baits) and g-splash. The g-splash really produced on just about every time I was on the water last year. So I'm looking to add to the arsenal. I'd like to hear what new topwaters I should get for this season. Anyone used the daiwa td mouthwashers? I'd like to hear how the action was and how they performed.

Well, I REALLY like Sammy's!  

So, my next suggestion is the 3/8 oz Cavitron Buzzbait.

I had particularly good luck with the black on black combination,

but it was the only one I fished!

My new topwater lures that I just bought this winter offseason are as follows:

Sammy 100 - Aurora Black

Gunfish - Sunfish

Cavitron - 1/4 ounce Gold Blade Chartruse/white Skirt

Cavitron - 3/8 ounce Black Blade Black Skirt

Can't wait to try them out in the spring.

Going to add a Heddon Tiny Torpedo in Baby Bass at some point as well.

Pretty though they are, I'm not a fan of the LC Live Pointers.

However, the live Sammy's are awesome, and definitely a big fish bait.  If you get a fish to hit it, you can be pretty sure she's a fatty, and those fatties seem really to like a big live Sammy  ;D

I caught some of my biggest fish last year on a black oversized (not sure what the number is) LC Live Sammy with the feathered treble

I recently purchased a Gunfish 95 in char shad.  I'm excited to see how this one performs.

Cultiva/Owner Tango Dancer (the bait the Reaction Innovation Vixen was cloned from) is an excellent bait, it walks with ease, has great patterns, and the sharpest hooks out there.  It is a little larger than the sammy or a spook, but that makes it even better for me.  If you can find them, snap them up.  You can usually find them for around 8-9 bucks.

The Bagley Chug-O or Pop'N B are great popper baits that give a slightly different profile than most other poppers.  Hard to find, they are around 10 bucks.

Cavitron Buzzbaits are the best, but Booyah buzzbaits work just fine (don't buy that stupid one with the 12 wire shaft - waste of money).

And another favorite, which is a topwater/very shallow running crank, is the Megabass Anthrax, a minnow stickbait that is build upside down to look like a fish gone belly up.  It is a productive and fun lure to use.  

The best place to find all of these baits, In My Opinion, is Ebay.  I don't have a convenient BPS and Cabelas (plus with the horror stories I've heard about both shipping departments, I would stay away from mail order).  Gander Mountain will carry the LC and the Bagleys.  I don't know where to find MB except for online.

Megabass ZZ Dax:  http://www.megabass.co.jp/product_detail.php?keyid=343

Megabass Rat X:   http://www.megabass.co.jp/ratx/

Clear chug bugs and spooks

spittin image

I recently got the BPS XPS Topwater kit. gives you some variety in lures

Cavitrons!

I use the 1/4 oz Charteuse and White and the 1/4 oz Black.

It's the best buzzbait I've ever fished, and I've fished plenty.  

Can't go wrong with a chug bug or a spook. IMO you don't need that real expensive stuff when it comes to topwater, as the cheaper lures seem to produce just as well for me. For buzzbaits try Booyah Buzzbaits, Cavitrons don't kick up enough water and are too slow for my liking. Also you probably have a few already, but if you don't buy a few Jitterbugs, solid black for night, and bluegill pattern or frog pattern for day.

Jitterbug

Original Floating Rapala #11

Spook

Sammy

Ronnie

I have had the best luck with LC Sammy in Auroa Black, Booyah Counter Strike Buzzbaits, and the Rebel Pop R.

Super Flukes in Albino

Has anyone tried the Daiwa TD Mouthwashers? If yes, how did you work it and what kind of results did you get?

IMO you don't need that real expensive stuff when it comes to topwater, as the cheaper lures seem to produce just as well for me.

x2 but those high end lures are still fun to fish.

Has anyone tried the Daiwa TD Mouthwashers? If yes, how did you work it and what kind of results did you get?

Look here:   http://www.tackletour.com/reviewdaiwatdmouthwasher.html

I have one and it works but then, so do most other topwater baits.

This has accounted for several of my larger fish on the Potomac

http://www.stormlures.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=saltwater_rattlin_chug_bug&freshorsalt=Salt&type=hard_lures

No new surface baits for me this year. Have about 40, use about 6.

  :-[Man, if I have a cross to bear, it's how much I like topwater baits! Never seen one I didn't love :-[...

                                As Ever,

                                 skillet

Thanks for all of the info....time to go shopping!

Love my hula poppers.

Question: Does anyone ever add split rings to the trebles on these and the Heddon baits? I myself do not like the screw in system and eyelets that Heddon and Arbogast uses. Does this free up the hooks better? Sometimes they seem too stiff.

I've been adding split rings to my Heddon and Arbogast lures for years. Seems to help alot.

Falcon