Top Water Baits At Dusk ?

[ChrisD46]

If the first two hours after sun up are prefered times for top water baits - would the reverse not be tru for throwing top water baits two hours before sun down ? With water temps over 60 degrees and now being able to fish after work on week days when the lake isn't so crowded - how many use top water baits late in the day  ?

 

[Jar11591]

My favorite time for topwater is late evening right when the wind has died down and it's starting to get dark. I usually use a popper earlier in the year but as the water gets warm and the fish get very active I'll switch to a faster moving bait like a Rapala Skitterwalk. Topwater fishing at dusk is one of my favorite ways to fish! 

[Bluebasser86]

Early and late may be best, but if you put topwater away just because the sun is above the trees, you're cheating yourself.

[burrows]

My pb was at sun down on a rebel pop r so it's a perfect time for top water.

[Scarborough817]

you can throw topwater all day if you want just make sure you're targeting the right area

[Hog Basser]

I like topwater best on cloudy days.  If it's cloudy, I tend to have success on them all day long.  

[MIbassyaker]

Even when it's bright and sunny midday, I keep a popper or a torpedo ready to throw just inside the edges of any shady areas I see.

[avidone1]

4 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Early and late may be best, but if you put topwater away just because the sun is above the trees, you're cheating yourself.

totally agree.  If you would rather catch em on topwaters than anything else then you owe it to yourself to try them anytime of day in any kind of weather.  but don't take my word for it.  Chris Lane came in second place at Toledo bend throwing zara spooks all day every day.   Like any other bait, they often work really well when their not supposed to.   somebody forgot to tell the bass

[Raul]

My man, what makes you think you can only catch fish with top waters only at dawn or dusk ? The catch, like with all baits is learning to identify the conditions and locations in which top waters can be productive and which top waters are better suited for them. You can catch fish on top waters all day long.

[Oklahoma Mike]

As mentioned multiple times above, you can throw topwaters all day long. However, I do feel they are most productive during the morning and evening times of the warmer seasons. Like any other bait, there will be certain conditions that are generally more productive than others, but you'll find that these patterns don't always hold true for whatever reason, so don't hesitate to experiment. 

As to fishing topwaters at midday, I find a lot more success with poppers and spooks during this time than I do with buzzbaits (even though buzzbaits are probably my #1 confidence bait). No idea why that seems to be the case for me, but it generally holds true. Yet every once in a while, when the fishing gods deem it so, I will wreck them with a buzzbait at high noon with zero cloud cover. If you figure it out, please let me know.

[the reel ess]

Yes. It works better for me in the evening. And the best time is the most humid part of the summer. At least that's my experience.

I've also had a long day of catching them on topwaters. But it was overcast, cool and even drizzled rain.

[buzzed bait]

i honestly have better luck in the later hours of the day than early with the topwater....  so i say yes.  And when it gets dark, tie on a black bait (buzzbait, popper, walker) and go to town, especially when the nights are warm down here in GA!

[CarolinaBoy4Life]

Both morning and evening and all day. Conditions and location have to be right but I have a top water rigged all day. Finding a good shallow flat near deep water that has a source of shade near by during the day is perfect for throwing a topwater. Throw it on the shade line or the just inside the shade and walk it back. 

[punch]

+1 for tossing poppers at dusk. Seem to always catch a few larger fish on the Chug Bug at dusk.. basically all year. 

[WRB]

Very little light difference between dawn and dusk, however terrestrial critters tend to be more active at dusk = prey on or near the surface. Dawn at lakes with shad populations have these bait fish hiding in cover and start to move out as the light increases = prey near the surface. Take your pick, both dawn and dusk provide bass feeding opportunities.

If you surface feeding activity give a top a try regardless of the time day or night.

Tom

[ChrisD46]

Good replies !

[Catt]

[Surfcaster]

When I was young (5 or 6) back in 1974 or so, my uncle gave me a jitterbug and told me this will only catch fish when the sun is going down or at night.   7 or so years later an article in Outdoor Life magazine opened my eyes to a new world of top water when the sun is high.

[iceintheveins]

Topwaters do work best during low light and cloudy conditions, no doubt. But I do catch them sometimes during sunny, hot conditions, especially when there is weed growth and on faster moving topwaters like rage shads or buzzbaits. These are good options to cover the shallows anytime pretty much.