Winter Topwater

[NittyGrittyBoy]

Winter Topwater,  seems like an oxymoron for alot of folks, but for anybody south of the Mason-Dixon it's a reality. 

 

Right now water temps are hovering around 55° in my neck of the woods, with air temps anywhere between 80° and 35°, welcome to South Ga. Almost all bass I've been catching are in prespawn mode. I'm going Friday to a private pond, loaded with some tanks, and I'm gonna try for a topwater bite.

 

Probably be throwing a modified Smithwick devilhorse. My question is what is the coldest water you've caught Bass in(on topwater), and what topwater bait were you slinging? 

[Bluebasser86]

I've caught some deadsticking a 7" Slammer and an original floating Rapala in the winter. Water temps were in the low 40s for the Rapala fish. I caught some 2 years ago in February just to see if I could.

[NittyGrittyBoy]

Stickbaits seem to work ridiculously good in rivers and creeks around here. Low 40's is cold. Not many even take topwater baits when water is that cold! 

 

Modified original floating Rapala with a loop knot is one my go-tos all year in a little Creek I fish. Bass hate it.

Never used a Slammer before.

[Jcj90]

I’ve caught fish on spooks with water in the 40s. The fish were feeding on golden shiners

[Smalls]

Some guys dream of fast supercars, model girlfriends or big 34 bedroom mansions. 

 

I dream of a 365 day long topwater season. 

[NittyGrittyBoy]

If you can fish topwater 365, you have to swat mosquito's 365 ?

[Heartland]

Gonna be a whole lot of hard water south of the Mason-Dixon line.

 

 

[Bankbeater]

Last year in March I was practicing walking the dog with a spook and I had dinks coming up after the bait.  I was bringing the bait back over the top of submerged grass at the time. 

[scaleface]

I can only remember catching bass twice on top-water in cold water less than 50 degrees . One was late fall and bass had shad corralled in the back of a cove  during a heavy snow . I caught several on a buzzbait . The other time was in early spring and I caught a couple in standing timber with a Bomber Long A Minnow . I  just let it sit there motionless .

[Deleted account]

OK, anyone from GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, TX, and SoCa can't start "winter" threads anymore. Here, on the Mason Dixon line (which is much further north than most folks think). There is no winter topwater except for WWD's and the like.

[NittyGrittyBoy]

Ok but weather might not be "cold" but it technically is January. Winter. You know same thing.. ?

 

Still gonna be trying some early season topwater Friday. Guess folks don't fish topwater during the holiday season!

[BoatSquirrel]

I caught fish in TN a few weeks ago in 45 degrees water on chugbug.

[BrackishBassin]

My PB was caught on an Arashi wake crank in February (fish in the profile picture - 5.5lbs). Only fish I caught that day. Technically south of the Mason Dixon line, but our water freezes regularly. 

 

Throw it, you never know what might bite. 

[J.Vincent]

I often catch Michigan Largemouth and Smallmouth and Northern Pike in 45 to 50 degree water using Lucky Craft Sammy’s and Long Body Poppers; but usually in early to Mid Fall 

[soflabasser]

I have caught bass on poppers when the outside temperature was in the mid 40's. Water temperature was probably in the high 60's. That is considered cold weather in South Florida even though people that live in northern states do not consider it cold.

8 hours ago, reason said:

OK, anyone from GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, TX, and SoCa can't start "winter" threads anymore. Here, on the Mason Dixon line (which is much further north than most folks think). There is no winter topwater except for WWD's and the like.

It was in the low 80's today and this past weekend. Good weather for fishing and no snow...

[FCPhil]

Poppers have worked for me in colder conditions than other topwaters. If there are big bass though you got to throw a whopper plopper some though. I fish topwater all the time and they consistently produce bigger fish on average in my experience. 

[Paul Roberts]

Ditto the floating Rapala's, both straight and jointed. Fished with twitches and pauses -subtle in the cold and on flat surfaces. Seems to be about 55F is when I can expect responses.

[Koz]

This winter in SC I've landed a few with a Teckel Sprinker frog with a stop, pop, and go technique. I haven't even had a strike on buzzbaits, frogs, or Whopper Ploppers. I did not try a popper this winter.

[fin]

I fished for about 3 hours this morning, throwing chatterbaits, a lipless crank, and a trick worm. Not a bite. Just as I was leaving, I saw a guy catch a 3 pounder on topwater. It looked like he was using a Pop-R but didn’t know how to make it “pop”, he was just casting and retrieving with it. Sometimes the people who don’t know what they’re doing have more luck. Water was about 50º and muddy, 3 feet deep.

 

I haven’t thrown any topwater in a couple/few months. I will be throwing some tomorrow.

[NittyGrittyBoy]

I fished my devil's horse Friday, did have one roll by it, but none bit. Really off day, caught 15 but storm rolled through and dumped rain on us all day. 

 

I drove an hour to fish this pond do we fished through it. Jerkbaits (clown color) did catch a couple but major winner was white 3/8 chatterbait with zoom super fluke trailer. They ate that thing up. I've never caught a bass on a chatterbait but I'm impressed now.