Water Temp for Beginning Top Water ?

[ChrisD46]

As winter gives way to spring - what is the warming water temperature when you will begin throwing top water lures for bass ? ... I say somewhere between 65degrees F.  and 70 degrees F.  - what water temp do you see when bass begin actively paying attention to top water lures ?

[MediumMouthBass]

Mistake alot of people make is thinking topwater only works in certain temperatures.

You can throw a topwater year round and still get bit. 

But ill start throwing them alot when i see the bluegills starting to hit the surface or start swimming around in smaller schools close to the bank.

[Pat Brown]

I caught fish this past year on topwater in December and January and February with surface temps in the 40s.

 

I like to throw topwater when the fish are active and chasing things in shallow water.

 

I like frogs and floating worms and poppers in calmer water and buzzbaits when it's a little more choppy.  I don't like topwater when it's completely dead slick calm or when it's windy.  I like it to be rippling a good bit or nearly slick calm but ever so gently rippling.  The kind of 'calm before the storm ' that happens in the spring literally before a storm gets turbulent and breaks with the rain and thunder is often the perfect kind of ripple.  I have caught fish on windy days on topwater and on slick calm days but I usually do better with other things when those conditions present themselves.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about water temperature.  I'd focus more on conditions.  I like more overcast days for topwater and I like warming trends and again I generally focus on shallower water with lots of cover available - preferably where bass are actively feeding.

 

Temps largemouth bass will eat something off of the surface of the water? Any temperature.  I have heard from northern anglers that bass will actively try to get through ice to attack things they can see through it.  So literally any temperature.

[LrgmouthShad]

I watched a seminar by Lee Livesay recently about topwater. He starts throwing topwater earlier than many. I am going to wait until water temps reach 50 before I consider it, but they will bite it sooner. 

 

Side note: if you live in TX or anywhere close by, you need to listen to Lee. He gives great information.

 

 

[thediscochef]

my best lure by caught weight so far this year is a whopper plopper. it is responsible for a 7-5, a 5-5, a trio of 4s, and a handful of 3s. All from the same 5 acres of water (on a 27000 acre reservoir) and all in March when the guides were reporting less than 60f temps. From what I understand they will bite it any time of year, but the bite windows get really really small in the winter. This tracks with my experiences, the common factors were: south wind, sunlight, and within minutes of sunset. 

[webertime]

50ish is when they come out for me

[scaleface]

I have caught bass on top waters in colder water but its been a rarity for me. Low 60's I'll start twitching floating minnow type baits like the Long A.

[casts_by_fly]

I start around 55 or thereabouts.  I should start sooner with a big buzzbait, but I don't.  For me its a big walking bait first and foremost.

[rangerjockey]

In the 60's . It goes along with the spawn. Once they start heading for the bank you can pick up a few.

Once they actually get on the beds it gets better and then they will start guarding fry ,then its time for the ol' floatin' worm and Fluke.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

This last Feb., I whacked them in 42d on a Shimano World Popper.....As far as I'm concerned at least down here in the south, no water temps rule out the usage of topwater.  

Most people don't throw topwater early enough imho, including myself.  

[FishTank]

Irregardless of the water temps, I start throwing topwater when I start to see these.... 

 

[RRocket]

I live in the North and while you can catch fish topwater here when it's cold, it's inconsistent and feels almost like incidental catches. I do wonder if it's more prey driven (ie. Frogs and bugs)...and those don't exist here until well into the summer.

 

That being said...I'm inspired to give it a go this evening! Overcast, water calm, 70 degrees outside, water temp still in the high 50s though.

 

 

[BigAngus752]

21 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

I wouldn't worry too much about water temperature.  I'd focus more on conditions.  I like more overcast days for topwater and I like warming trends and again I generally focus on shallower water with lots of cover available - preferably where bass are actively feeding.

^^^+1^^^

Well said. 

[FishTax]

Seems to me you're targeting either a feeding bite, or a reaction bite. Reaction bite can happen any time, although they're certainly more protective of beds/fry, etc. Feeding bite probably needs to match what they're munching on to some extent, at least in my mind. So watching for topwater activity, like mayfly hatch, the cicada thing everyone is talking about, etc., seems relevant. 

[RRocket]

As expected, 1.5 hours+ of throwing topwater without a single hit.

 

Still far too early here.

[MIbassyaker]

I might start trying topwater with water temp in the mid 50s.  But I don't expect it to be consistently effective until we're in the 60s, and I give up quickly if nothing's happening --  I'd prefer to avoid the opprotunity cost of force-feeding them something they don't want yet in pre-spawn -- much rather give them something they're more likely to want.

[Pat Brown]

The main reason I like to throw top water in the pre-spawn is because it catches really big fish most of the time. There are other times of year where you can't keep the small fish off of it, but during the pre-spawn a top water is definitely a big fish bait.  But you're not going to get a lot of action and even the bites this time of year aren't always very explosive. They're very subtle a lot of time.

[Brian11719]

I tend to stay away from topwater unless I actually see stuff happening on the top of the water. Not sure that there's a specific temp for it but if it's a big tumbleweed up there I suspect there's better stuff you could be throwing although there's always a chance you will still get a bite. The only exception is if I go to a pond and it's soooooo bad that a frog is the only thing that seems like it will work...in that case I'd say throw the frog regardless of whether or not you can see anything happening...aside from that in my case I'd probably just throw a fluke instead and consider it an 'almost topwater' that actually got me more than maybe 1 fish that day...

[GreenPig]

Won a tournement and got big fish some years ago throwing a buzzbait in 50 degree water here in Ga.. Most folks were dragging jigs.

[Woody B]

Last January(2023) with the water temp at 48 degrees I caught several topwater Bass.  I had caught a few deep early on an A-rig then that bite died.  I couldn't find and Bass on sonar, but I saw some Bass right up against clay banks.  Most every thing I threw their was would either get ignored or spook them.   I finally found the combination, that casting a Devils Horse several feet up onto the bank, then dragging it back to the water worked great.   I suppose they were warming in the Sun and couldn't resist a Devils Horse crawling into the water in front of them.  

[Bankbeater]

Most years I start fishing on top in April.

[waymont]

I got a few fish this year in the low 50s water temp on a buzzbait. Earliest I’ve caught them on top. Not sure why o even threw it, just seemed right.

[papajoe222]

I start throwing topwater once the bass start moving shallow. I'll switch off between a floating jerkbait and a prop bait, depending on the amount of chop on the water.  Once they start clearing beds, I switch to ploppers and buzzers and always have a follow-up Fluke on deck.

Unlike many anglers, I'll throw topwater all day from post spawn through fall as long as it's producing. Often times, after that morning bite dies, it's just a matter of changing speeds, or profile/action to continue the excitement.

[Chilidog]

50 degrees is the lowest water temperature that I have caught bass on top water.  That has always been in the late fall. I was struggling yesterday in Minnesota and decided to try a whopper plopper. The water temp was 51 degrees.   It saved my day.

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, Chilidog said:

I was struggling yesterday in Minnesota and decided to try a whopper plopper. The water temp was 51 degrees.   It saved my day.

I hope that was on a border river as inland bass season doesn't open for 9 days & 2 hours yet.