What can I do to increase my chances of catching something on topwater in the morning?

[CybrSlydr]

So yesterday I went back to Wolf Run in an attempt to get some early morning topwater action.  I got there around 6:45 and was in position on the dam about 7:00a.  Granted, this was about an hour later than I'd wanted, but events conspired against me.

 

 

As you can see, it's still prior to sunrise.  Nice bit of fog on the water, little to no wind and very calm water.

 

In front, to my left and right I see surface strikes every couple minutes.  A couple of times I even see fish jumping completely out of the water.  So I started with my Super Spook Jr. in Bone.  Tried numerous twitch-twich-pause combos, walking the dog, etc.  Didn't get anything on that, so I switched over to the KVD Sexy Dawg in Sexy Shad.  Did the same as before, twitch-twitch pause variations, walked the dog, etc.  No bites either.  By now it's after sun-up and the strikes are starting to slow down.

 

What can I do that I didn't do to increase my chance of getting a bite?  I'm using 10lb 832 in ghost as mainline and a couple feet of Sufix flourcarbon leader in 10lb.

[fishballer06]

I've fished mornings where my partner and I couldn't get bit on a topwater, and then one of us will pick up a Senko or Keitech and it's lights out. Just because first light is prime topwater time for this time of year, doesn't mean that something else will still be more productive. 

[CybrSlydr]

12 minutes ago, fishballer06 said:

I've fished mornings where my partner and I couldn't get bit on a topwater, and then one of us will pick up a Senko or Keitech and it's lights out. Just because first light is prime topwater time for this time of year, doesn't mean that something else will still be more productive. 

I'm mostly wondering what I could have done differently or something obvious that I didn't try.  Off-hand I'd say I didn't try any of our buzzbaits.  I was so focused on the walkers I didn't even think about the buzzbait.  I also didn't try any poppers or shallow cranks.

 

The problem I run into when I start going down that road is suddenly I'm saying, "Throw everything all the time" and that's a bit... inspecific.  

[Jar11591]

Some suggestions:

 

1. Get on the water earlier. It gives you a longer window of prime time for top water fishing. It can work all day long, but if you're on the water earlier it gives you more time in that prime time for top water. 

 

2. Down size your bait. Try throwing a small popper like a 2.5" Storm Chug Bug or Megabass Pop-X. 

 

3. After you cast, let the bait sit until all the ripples disappear. Then very slightly twitch the bait. A lot of my strikes come this way. 

 

4. Work your bait SLOWLY. Try killing it for a minute or so mid-retrieve. 

 

5. Speeding up can work also. Try making your bait "panic" and work it very fast for a couple seconds and kill it again. Then twitch it like you would right after the cast. 

 

6. Throw it in fishy spots. Along lily pads, under over hanging trees, over sunken logs, or parallel to the bank. 

 

7. Ditch the fluorocarbon leader. Not saying it can't be done, but it certainly works against you. It sinks and can hinder the action of the bait.

 

These are just a few suggestions that come to mind. I'm a top water nut and it's one of my confidence presentations. But on some lakes a top water bite is hard to come by. My "home" lake has produced less than 5 top water fish in my whole life, and it's not from the lack of trying. Most other lakes I fish I can get them on top in the early morning and evening, and a lot of times during mid day.  Good luck! 

[A-Jay]

Everything @Jar11591  succinctly  noted above and I'll add on to it.

8.  Wait about 2 weeks. (It's coming)

A-Jay

[Catt]

15 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Everything @Jar11591  succinctly  noted above and I'll add on to it.

8.  Wait about 2 weeks. (It's coming)

A-Jay

 

Topwater like any other bite aint always there!

 

Some times when they are hitting on the surface ya keep it just under the surface with soft or hard jerkbaits.

[CybrSlydr]

1 hour ago, Jar11591 said:

Some suggestions:

 

1. Get on the water earlier. It gives you a longer window of prime time for top water fishing. It can work all day long, but if you're on the water earlier it gives you more time in that prime time for top water. 

 

2. Down size your bait. Try throwing a small popper like a 2.5" Storm Chug Bug or Megabass Pop-X. 

 

3. After you cast, let the bait sit until all the ripples disappear. Then very slightly twitch the bait. A lot of my strikes come this way. 

 

4. Work your bait SLOWLY. Try killing it for a minute or so mid-retrieve. 

 

5. Speeding up can work also. Try making your bait "panic" and work it very fast for a couple seconds and kill it again. Then twitch it like you would right after the cast. 

 

6. Throw it in fishy spots. Along lily pads, under over hanging trees, over sunken logs, or parallel to the bank. 

 

7. Ditch the fluorocarbon leader. Not saying it can't be done, but it certainly works against you. It sinks and can hinder the action of the bait.

 

These are just a few suggestions that come to mind. I'm a top water nut and it's one of my confidence presentations. But on some lakes a top water bite is hard to come by. My "home" lake has produced less than 5 top water fish in my whole life, and it's not from the lack of trying. Most other lakes I fish I can get them on top in the early morning and evening, and a lot of times during mid day.  Good luck! 

Awesome - thank you very much!  

 

Would I be better off just tying my snap to the braid rather than using the flouro leader?  I also have Pline CXX - would that serve better as a leader?

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

Everything @Jar11591  succinctly  noted above and I'll add on to it.

8.  Wait about 2 weeks. (It's coming)

A-Jay

What happens in about 2 weeks?

[A-Jay]

On ‎8‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 10:58 AM, CybrSlydr said:

Awesome - thank you very much!  

 

Would I be better off just tying my snap to the braid rather than using the flouro leader?  I also have Pline CXX - would that serve better as a leader?

What happens in about 2 weeks?

Historically, September sees the bass in your area start thinking about being shallower as well as being in the mood to eat.

Both often make surface baits an effective option.

A-Jay

[Jar11591]

13 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Historically, September see the bass in your area start thinking about being shallower as well as being in the mood to eat.

Both often make surface baits an effective option.

A-Jay

 

Getting excited just thinking about it! 

[A-Jay]

3 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

 

Getting excited just thinking about it! 

Me too.

A-Jay

 

 

[CybrSlydr]

27 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Historically, September see the bass in your area start thinking about being shallower as well as being in the mood to eat.

Both often make surface baits an effective option.

A-Jay

Good to know - hopefully I can finally get something to bite!

[the reel ess]

Get there way early

Lose the fluoro-it sinks

Try a buzzbait too. Sometimes I'll have a hardbait and a buzbait ready. Who knows that fish want, but it's often not going to be the same things. If they won't hit either, after a while I'll switch over to a subsurface hard bait and a spinnerbait on those combos.

You can start with a black buzzbait one and switch to white when the bite slows, then switch to spinnerbait when it slows again.

If you're using the buzzbait around wood cover or structure that breaks the surface, hit it with the bait.

Be sure you're in or near shallow water. Fish won't rise too far for a topwater. There are exceptions, but not normally.

 

Sometimes they just won't hit a topwater. I usually plan my trips for the evening instead. It's anecdotal, but it seems like I just get more topwater bites at dusk.

 

 

 

[deep]

Didn't read all the replies, sorry.

 

But if I'm dead-set on catching topwater fish, I will try different classes of baits (popper/ walker/ chugger/ wake/ buzzbait etc) AND change cadence/ retrieves.

 

I'd also ditch the FC leader and the snap or snap swivel whichever one you got there.

[claya]

What is the water clarity like?

[riverbasser]

sometimes I like to yell at the fish when they aren't biting what they're suppose to for the particular conditions. you can try that but I cant say its ever helped lol. sometimes they just don't cooperate

 

pretty morning in that pic though, I would have thrown topwater too

[WRB]

Just because you see surface activity doesn't indicate the fish are bass. 

Ian looking at this on my iPhone so can't tell if you are near or off shore or near any cover. LMB rarely go airborne when surface feeding, the baitfish will! 

Agree with all the advice not to use FC for top water lures or any added weight that causes the lures nose to dive.

Most recreational top water bass anglers fish their lures too slow in open water. You can't move the lure faster than a bass can swim if the fish wants it. Try faster retrieves before slowing it down.

Tom

[J Francho]

The last time I was out and there were fish crashing the surface, they weren't bass, but walleye chasing bait fish.  Bass were holed up deep in the weeds.

[Choporoz]

And...now we get to the real problem...as bass fishermen, its in our blood to want every surface splash to be a big bass.  Unfortunately, nobody told the carp...or the bluegills...or the catfish...or the walleye...or...dare I suggest it...the beavers.  Nobody has to raise their hand, but I'm probably not the only one here who chased a beaver slap around a bay...LOL

[Boomstick]

From the sounds of it your best bet might be to dry a different lake. Perhaps the bass in that lake are late risers or simply don't like topwater, where other lures may ultimately do a lot better.

[The Bassman]

27 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

And...now we get to the real problem...as bass fishermen, its in our blood to want every surface splash to be a big bass.  Unfortunately, nobody told the carp...or the bluegills...or the catfish...or the walleye...or...dare I suggest it...the beavers.  Nobody has to raise their hand, but I'm probably not the only one here who chased a beaver slap around a bay...LOL

 

My most convincing topwater strike recently was a big snapping turtle on a Lunkerhunt popping frog!

[georgeyew]

31 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

but I'm probably not the only one here who chased a beaver slap around a bay...LOL

 

A beaver tail slap sounds a lot like a 10lb bass doing a belly flop. Fooled me a few times too many.

[Raul]

Ok, so :.......... how do you know you are fishing your topwater bait in the right location ?

 

 

[tcbass]

Try a Whopper Plopper and try varying speeds.

 

 

Also, a Senko or Zoom Super Fluke could work well also.

[CybrSlydr]

On 8/14/2017 at 10:50 AM, claya said:

What is the water clarity like?

Clarity is quite good - I would say 4ft+.

On 8/14/2017 at 10:55 AM, riverbasser said:

sometimes I like to yell at the fish when they aren't biting what they're suppose to for the particular conditions. you can try that but I cant say its ever helped lol. sometimes they just don't cooperate

 

pretty morning in that pic though, I would have thrown topwater too

I've tried that!

 

 

On 8/14/2017 at 11:05 AM, WRB said:

Just because you see surface activity doesn't indicate the fish are bass. 

Ian looking at this on my iPhone so can't tell if you are near or off shore or near any cover. LMB rarely go airborne when surface feeding, the baitfish will! 

Agree with all the advice not to use FC for top water lures or any added weight that causes the lures nose to dive.

Most recreational top water bass anglers fish their lures too slow in open water. You can't move the lure faster than a bass can swim if the fish wants it. Try faster retrieves before slowing it down.

Tom

I was on-shore on rocks on the dam.  Allegedly it's about 30ft deep there.

 

https://webapp.navionics.com/#boating@15&key=cxzqFv~upN

 

I was fishing mine pretty quickly compared to what advice was offered above.  I also tried a KVD jerkbait and didn't get any strikes either.

 

As for the baitfish bit, that's good to know - I figured they had to be bass since the disturbances were so big!

On 8/14/2017 at 12:24 PM, Boomstick said:

From the sounds of it your best bet might be to dry a different lake. Perhaps the bass in that lake are late risers or simply don't like topwater, where other lures may ultimately do a lot better.

lol  I've tried numerous lakes - as you can see, my last 10+ trips and I've had 2 catches.  And they were both dinks.  I don't think it's the lakes as much as it idiot holding the rod.

On 8/14/2017 at 1:08 PM, Raul said:

Ok, so :.......... how do you know you are fishing your topwater bait in the right location ?

 

 

I don't.  

 

It's just the spot I've picked.  It's also relatively easily accessible and according to my brother people have logged catching bass there - with pictures..  

On 8/14/2017 at 1:18 PM, tcbass said:

Try a Whopper Plopper and try varying speeds.

 

 

Also, a Senko or Zoom Super Fluke could work well also.

Don't have a whopper just yet.  They're all too heavy for my rod and I hear the 90 is quite bad.

 

I've tried numerous kinds of senkos, yum dingers, couple different keitech FATs with war eagle underspins, some Berkley swimbaits, etc.  If I have it, I've thrown it.

[A-Jay]

While looking to get bit on any surface presentation, I'd encourage you to find a different location that's less than 30 ft deep. 

If you look through all the reports here, going back many, many years, there aren't a whole lot of bass caught on the surface in 30 feet.  

Not saying that it can't or doesn't happen, but you'll stand a much better chance of success if you're in 8-10 or even less, especially with 4 ft of vis.  Something shallower but near some deeper water might be a good place to start.  

Just say'in.

A-Jay