Finesse top water baits

[Jonas Staggs]

Hi guys, looking for some recommendations for some top water finesse baits to try

 

Do they make topwater lures designed to target bluegill or crappie?

 

It you could post a link to the lure that would be great 

[Dorado]

For crappie, White micro chatterbait, rod tip at a 90 degree angle, and buzz that sucka subsurface. Awesome in the dawn and dusk settings when the crappie are feeding off Shad near surface. 

[roadwarrior]

https://www.lurenet.com/heddon-zara-puppy

[Jonas Staggs]

4 minutes ago, Dorado said:

For crappie, White micro chatterbait, rod tip at a 90 degree angle, and buzz that sucka subsurface. Awesome in the dawn and dusk settings when the crappie are feeding off Shad near surface. 

I just grabbed one the other day. Its silver though 

[WRB]

Yo-Zuri Snap Bean lures

Clear small casting bubble with McGinty bee fly.

Tom

[Dorado]

6 minutes ago, Jonas Staggs said:

I just grabbed one the other day. Its silver though 

That’s a terrific Shad color too. I have only been successful catching crappie near surface in the spring. 

[Jonas Staggs]

9 minutes ago, WRB said:

Yo-Zuri Snap Bean lures

Clear small casting bubble with McGinty bee fly.

Tom

I got one of the snap beans.

 

For the casting bubble and fly...I would put the bobber stop on the bottom of the bobber, rather than on the top right?

[WRB]

Yes, about 18" leader. Crappie have big enough mouth for most finesse bass lures, bluegill don't.

Tom

[The Bassman]

1/8 oz. Rebel teeny Pop-R. Great for everything . Have caught some very nice bass on it as well. I've had some of my best results letting it sit motionless.

[the reel ess]

Rebel Micro Critters. Crickhopper is one of the best about anytime there are insects buzzing around. They'll also eat up that tiny craw crankbait. You'll also catch some bass on it. These are killer creek lures.

[Ogandrews]

The biggest 4 crappie, including a 15”er, came on a whopper plopper 90 fished like a devil horse, pull pause. If you can cast them the smallest sized floating rapala makes a micro wake bait if you keep your rod up and reel slow.

[Jonas Staggs]

4 minutes ago, Ogandrews said:

The biggest 4 crappie, including a 15”er, came on a whopper plopper 90 fished like a devil horse, pull pause. If you can cast them the smallest sized floating rapala makes a micro wake bait if you keep your rod up and reel slow.

I got the 90, I have trouble getting it to plop on long cast until it gets closer 

[MN Fisher]

22 minutes ago, Jonas Staggs said:

I got the 90, I have trouble getting it to plop on long cast until it gets closer 

Trick I do with my 90s on long casts...give it a bit of a 'pop' as you start the retrieve. That sudden jerk forward starts the tail spinning.

[RoLo]

 

If fly fishing was included, my first choice for bluegills on top would be a “black gnat dry fly – size 14”

 

With spinning gear for bluegills & crappies on top, I'd opt for a Rapala #5 Original Floater (2.0” x 1/16oz)

Goes without saying, smallmouth & largemouth will also blast a floating Rapala

 

Roger

 

 

[JustJames]

No, I got these 2 years ago. You know I’m Thai, snake head land.

If you want the Crappie experience, make yourself available Thursday Night. Last night my friend and I caught about 40 or so crappie under fishing light. He kept 10 or so of 10-12” 

[Jonas Staggs]

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

Trick I do with my 90s on long casts...give it a bit of a 'pop' as you start the retrieve. That sudden jerk forward starts the tail spinning.

Thanks dude....are you using a snap swivel as well? It's what I heard online to do but thought it might be hindering the tail spinning, due to the swivel allowing the whole thing to spin 

51 minutes ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

No, I got these 2 years ago. You know I’m Thai, snake head land.

If you want the Crappie experience, make yourself available Thursday Night. Last night my friend and I caught about 40 or so crappie under fishing light. He kept 10 or so of 10-12” 

I'm in, just need clearance from the wife lol but weds would be better for me, I'll PM you. I went at night on a Saturday a few weeks ago so many people were partying back there late at night it was crazy.  Took my buddy he caught a dink and a dink size crappy on tiny tube jig. I caught nothing haha.

 

I can't wait for snakehead to make it's way here....it's gonna happen sooner or later.  Oh yeah, a few weeks back I pulled a crappie out of a drainage ditch behind a apartment complex!

[Jonas Staggs]

1 hour ago, RoLo said:

 

If fly fishing was included, my first choice for bluegills on top would be a “black gnat dry fly – size 14”

 

With spinning gear for bluegills & crappies on top, I'd opt for a Rapala #5 Original Floater (2.0” x 1/16oz)

Goes without saying, smallmouth & largemouth will also blast a floating Rapala

 

Roger

 

 

So there's a man made community lake, it's filled with a insane amount of gnats, ducks are swallowing them up like a whale eats plankton. Lots of dinks feeding on them too, then I saw about a 5 lbs bass get them too. I plan to get into fly fishing.

[MN Fisher]

1 hour ago, Jonas Staggs said:

Thanks dude....are you using a snap swivel as well? It's what I heard online to do but thought it might be hindering the tail spinning, due to the swivel allowing the whole thing to spin 

Only rigs I use any type of swivel on is a Donkey Rig or my SpinShot hooks for drop-shotting, otherwise all my lures are direct tie.

[JustJames]

I couldn’t be happier if snakehead are around lol. My schedule changes I have only Thurs-Fri night off, of course Friday is for my wife so I fish my ... off Thursday.
As you can see on my IG, I caught bass almost every night. Yes Canyon Lake is named to be a best place to catch bass but timing and location is important too. 
I went back to the spot just now and caught another 10 crappie, a good hour get away.

 

[zell_pop1]

If you can find one Terminator Tiny T buzz bait for crappie or a fly rod popper for gills.

[lo-fi-hi-fi]

Another vote for the fly-fishing approach on spinning gear: You don't actually have to use a bubble/float, unless you really need distance. With a UL rod and 2-4lb line (or less if you want to go full Richard Gene), you can zing one of the "popper" style baits 10 ft or more. The bluegills don't just go for them: they attack them as though they're settling a grudge. 

 

 

 

[Jonas Staggs]

2 hours ago, lo-fi-hi-fi said:

Another vote for the fly-fishing approach on spinning gear: You don't actually have to use a bubble/float, unless you really need distance. With a UL rod and 2-4lb line (or less if you want to go full Richard Gene), you can zing one of the "popper" style baits 10 ft or more. The bluegills don't just go for them: they attack them as though they're settling a grudge. 

 

 

 

Those are sick, I got a UL I can toss 1/64 oz. Jigs like 15 yards maybe. What are those called exactly? How and where can purchase some? Do you know their weight?

[lo-fi-hi-fi]

2 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

Those are sick, I got a UL I can toss 1/64 oz. Jigs like 15 yards maybe. What are those called exactly? How and where can purchase some? Do you know their weight?

Maybe the issue here is weight vs. air resistance. The feathers and what-not act as a parachute when you try to cast. A jig with a micro-grub is a lot more aerodynamic. 

 

To get more than 10-20 ft (not yards), you're better off, in my view, with a casting bubble, or a very light bass topwater (e.g., Heddon torpedo) with the rear hook removed, which you then connect a leader & the popper fly to.

 

Better pic maybe, which gives a sense of the scale. Not mine, but I'll vouch for the red/white combo's effectiveness with bluegills:

 

 

[frogflogger]

Small original rapala - deadly

[greentrout]

Add your light spinning with light line and you're good to go ...

 

i've done this ...  sometimes the bass will join in ...

 

good fishing ...