Warm water but no top water

[CenCal fisher]

It's June and the top water bite is almost non existent at the lakes I fish. The morning surface temperatures are mid 70s and in the afternoon the water temp rises into the 80s. It's well above the magic 65 degree mark but the only thing breaking the surface are blue gill and crappie. Last year there was topwater activity in April, but it still has not started up this year. Laste night I even saw a frog swimming through the middle of the lake and nothing tried to eat it. For the past month I keep thinking that this is the week things change, but it continues to be the same as the previous week. Does anyone know why the topwater bite still hasn't taken off? 

[papajoe222]

What stage of the spawn/post-spawn are the fish in?  On the lakes that I fish, the topwater bite is non-existent during the post-spawn for a couple of weeks.  Four weeks is longer than I would expect.  What are the weather conditions like? Water temp. is only one of the factors that influence an active bite. Are you catching them using another technique?  Are you changing speeds with your topwater or trying a more subtle or aggressive style lure? Then there is the all important factor; LOCATION

The more information you can give, the more specific your answers will be.

[CenCal fisher]

The spawn was over with in April. I'm catching fish on jigs, Texas rigged plastics, drop shot, crank baits and chatterbait. The bite is pretty good on everything but topwater. I've  been catching them from a foot of water to 15'. I have tried different parts of the lake, morning, evening and afternoon. I have tried around brush, on top of weeds and open water. I have tried hollow bodied frogs, buz baits, poppers and spooks. I have talked to other people fishing the lake and they have had the same experience as me. 

 

[the reel ess]

Well, you have to give them what they want. I used to fish a lake with almost no weedy cover and I rarely caught a fish there on topwater. Still, if the fish are shallow, it stands to reason you could entice one with a buzzbait.

[FCPhil]

I would strongly suggest trying a walking topwater with a slower "walk-walk-pause" retrieve. I was struggling with topwater (or anything else for that matter) until I did this. Just had my best day of fishing this year this way. I think when the water is calm and the sky is clear this presentation is subtle but still hard for the bass to get a good look at it. 

 

As a side note if the bluegills are bedding I think the bass really key in on them. Anything that doesn't look like a bluegill they won't strike. A topwater walker looks like a baitfish but bass get less of a chance to look at it than other presentations. Just a theory.