All About Topwater!

[MIbassin]

Hey guys,

 

I consider myself pretty good at topwater fishing, but i still have a few questions:
 

Does color matter? especially on spook style baits- any tips on when to use what color are appreciated

 

Do they work all day?

 

Besides low light, what are the best conditions to fish them?

 

Thanks!
 

[Marty]

I use topwater more than any other technique and I use them in low light and in mid-afternoon under bluebird skies. I usually avoid them when the water is colder than about 55°. My Jitterbugs are black and buzzbaits chartreuse so I'm in no position to claim superiority of any particular color.

[Grizzn N Bassin]

I got to spooks one black one silver.. not really a big help but I do pretty well with these to colors

[derekxec]

i dont think it matters really...i have in white/red, bone, silver and they all work pretty good

 

i also use the saltwater badonkadonks in most colors and catch bass on them too...mullet and all lol

[soopd]

I like the clear spooks on bluebird days and a bone colored one other days.

[Tyfisher]

Have had success using a "sexy shad" (or whatever name the company uses) spook while it's still light out. Have also heard numerous times that black jitterbugs are the way to go.

 

Semi-interesting sidenote: today my girlfriend and I were fishing and she looked at a bushy, green plant growing next to the water and said "that kinda looks like a fishing fly". She took the trick worm off of her hook and put the bushy, green growth on...couldn't cast more than 4 feet, but it was an organic topwater that caught her a 5inch bass. Was quite funny to see it work out. 

[fstr385]

^{white/white red overcast, chrome/black or blue sunny, black in low light, or low vis water.}

[Jrob78]

The clearer the water and the clearer and calmer the day, the clearer a bait I will use. As the water gets more off colored and the conditions get windier/cloudier, I will go to a darker/brighter bait.

[WRB]

Top water lures come in 10 basic types; chuggers, poppers, props baits, dog walking, buzzers, frogs, Jitter bugs, birds, wake and surface spoons.

Some are weedless, some are open water lures. When and where you use a top water depends on the type of water you are fishing and the weather conditions. It also depends on how much surface disturbance the bass prefer.

When the water surface is calm a slower less surface disturbance usually works better than a noisy lure.

When the surface is broken up by wind, the noisier and faster surface lures tend to work better.

The pace or speed the lure is retrieved depends on the type of prey the bass are targeting on the surface.

Surface lures that replicate fish are usually fished at a faster pace then lures that resemble other surface critters like frog or bird that tend to more slowly or stop and go.

Most anglers work Spooks, Sammy's,chuggers and prop lures too slow in light windy conditions where they excell.

Colors; start with something that is similar to the prey type being targeted by the bass.

Tom

[MIbassin]

Thanks guys! What topwater lures would you throw in dead calm water?

[basskicker98]

Thanks guys! What topwater lures would you throw in dead calm water?

Honestly.... to answer all your questions. I have caught bass with topwaters all day long.... Not just in low light. Color plays into the equation, but not as much as with a sub-surface bait. That's just my opinion. Dead calm water you say? I'd fish a stick type topwater. The Matzuo Hunting Dog is my favorite topwater EVER for all-around. It is great when the water is flat like glass.

[Zach P]

Water clarity, wind, water temp, sky clarity all come into play. I have always found that basic colors such as white, clear with black flake, green pumpkin, silver/black all work very well. I have never tried red but I would be willing to bet it works well in stained water.

[Zach P]

Also, in dead calm water you can't go wrong with a spro frog. Spro is my hands down favorite topwater bait on the market because it can imitate so many things, not just a frog.

[CPBassFishing]

I keep it pretty simple with color selections.

White for overcast days, black for sunny days.

Spooks and poppers for open water, hollow body frogs for slop.

Buzzbaits are either chartreuse or black, I throw those along weed edges and in wood cover under docks.

[NEjitterbugger]

My PB was caught on a baby bass spook (profile pic), My favorite colors for topwater are black and white... But what it really comes down to is,  is the bait going to trigger a bite. And heck a bright pink topwater bait might get the job done or maybe a neon green who knows... It is honestly about confidencde and I have confiedence in black and white on the surface...

[MIbassin]

so basically, the cloudier it is the lighter the lure( like bone or clear) and the sunnier the skies, the darker the lure?

[TexasRigger21]

When I use top water, I try to use colors that contrast the color of the sky. So mostly dark colors. I have my best fish caught after a good rain when it's still cloudy.