In Your Waters, When Does The Topwater Bite Start?

[lizardcaster]

I am so ready for some topwater fish, but my lakes are finishing up the spawn and I cant get bit on topwaters. Does anyone else have this issue? What is your experience? When does it start for you?

[Mccallister25]

Topwaters been hot in my part of NC for a few weeks now.

[the reel ess]

I caught scads of bass on a Torpedo 2 Saturdays ago ahead of a front, overcast. But we had a couple cool nights that kind of turned that off. Still, I would think it's about here to stay in SC.

[Catt]

Keep chunking!

The time is right

[F14A-B]

Gills heavy on the beds on south Kentucky lake, right now.. Bass are getting some payback..

Pop 's are getting it done!

[greentrout]

I formed a habit many moons ago to fish top waters at the break of dawn, slight drizzle of rain, cloudy conditions, right before a front and right before dusk. I always keep a rig ready to go usually a prop bait,  Super Spook Jr. or Zara Puppy . Good fishing.

 

Old school basser...

 

 

[TX18_E90]

dawn,dusk, heavy cloud cover days have worked for me in the past. Summer, the first thing I throw is a buzzbait to feel them out. If they are just following and not hitting then i go popper/walker type bait. If neither work I'm throwing a jig.

 

Top waters are by far the most fun to me. Nothing gets your heart pumping like that big  explosion and your rod loading up.

[fishballer06]

Usually not until late June here, whenever the water gets up to 65-70*

[*Hank]

I've been using em' all year

[doyle8218]

Everyday.

[BadBassWV]

Water temp was 57 Today.  Caught 6 on a 1/4oz cavitron Buzz Bait.

[CDMeyer]

On the lake I fish and know the most the top water bite starts at post spawn

[wuchr20]

you have to have calm waters and i like early in the morning or at night

[rosshilk]

Whenever you are ready to start winging them out there. I know mornings are particularly the best time to give it a shot.

[gardnerjigman]

Hopefully this weekend

[RoLo]

Central Florida: =  Year-Round <> Heats up in April <> Peaks in May

 

Roger

[aprestonSEK]

Caught several on a spook here in Kansas today right before dark

[bassinyea]

Central NC they started to hit it pretty good a couple of weekends ago when clouds/front started coming in before we had a big rain.  Weather has cooled down since then and they havent been on it quite as good.  Im expecting it to be pretty good from here on until June, most fish around here have finished spawning with just a few that havent.  

 

If you know your fish are postspawn and not hitting on top yet, they still might be in the funk period right after they finish.  Usually takes a week or two for them to recover but when they do they start smashing topwater.

[Bluebasser86]

I've been catching topwater fish for almost a month now in NE Kansas. 

[primetime]

No Joke- In Florida, all year round, although Winter is not the best time but I consider floating traps, ripbaits, and wakes topwater and weather is all over the place, but generally it gets really good Post Spawn which is usually Mid to End March-May here in Florida, sometimes earlier, but I throw topwater's over spawning flats all the time.....A torpedo or any bladed topwater prop bait will drive bedding fish crazy, so will a popper or Walking bait worked slowly.

 

I find that if you can find emergent weeds a few feet from the surface and most guys are throwing flukes and maybe even fishing a texas rig, that is often when the topwater will really shine, those fish see flukes and sticks all day, so throw them a long a, Wake bait, Torpedo, Chug Bug, walking bait and sometimes it pays off.

 

My favorite Topwater at this moment is the Bagley's Bang O lure #5 in Gold with the helicopter blade on back waked under the surface or buzzed, and every so often a nice 1-2' swim triggers strikes....The Long A in a few colors are deadly in both 14 and 15 size, and now is the time for some chartreuse and flash on your topwaters and lures like the crazy shad, xrap prop are all great post spawn lures and summer lures....

[scaleface]

Post spawn is floating minnow time .

[lizardcaster]

I will keep chugging away...just don't know where they are!

[Missourifishin]

I've been having a rough spring all around this year. I haven't been able to get out as much, and when I have I haven't done very well. Last year however, I experienced some of the best topwater bites of my life in March and early April. It always seemed to be on days when clouds moved in. The sky would get gloomy, and the next thing you know they were hitting my crankbaits before I even had a chance to start cranking them down. And that's when I would change lures to a popper and kill em.

[Murrica]

I started catching smelliest last week here in Idaho on a pop r and I caught my first large mouth of the year last night on a frog. 6+lbs and she choked it.

[iabass8]

hasn't even started here.   Water temps are barely mid 50s but that's about to change.