good eyesight is important in topwaters, right? less so for crankbaits?

[fishhugger]

so - when i do fish topwaters, i like to reel them in pretty slow... let them sit...be patient....  maybe twitch it...   problem is, i really can't see the little part of the topwater that sticks up. i like the rebel pop-r, i believe they're called.  i'm assuming a topwater needs good eye sight, if you like to fish the lure slowly, you'd be able to see the lure taken, right? or am i doing something wrong... 

i prefer squarebills and other cranks, because to me they are almost purely 'feeling' baits....  

[fin]

It’s true sometimes they will silently get sucked underwater with barely any disturbance on the surface, but since it’s a double treble, the fish is probably going to get hooked whether you can see it or not, you will feel it hit. Being able to see it is not a necessity, but it will help keep you from missing hits. Keeping the line tight will compensate for being able to see it. You can fish them at night with no visibility and catch fish.

[softwateronly]

I agree with @fin.  Some popppers/swimbaits put a bright color on the top of the head (pink, chartreuse, etc) you can do that with nail polish or a marker and it makes a surprising amount of difference.

 

scott

[fishhugger]

i think it's too hard for me to see the pop-r, at like 30', even though it has a bright yellow mouth.  my eye sight is a little below par at my age.  i guess what i would ask is should i give up on the long pauses, since it's so hard to see the popper,  and simply move it more continuously.  or would that be really limiting the pop-r's effectiveness....

thanks!

[GreenPig]

Good sharp hooks are more important the seeing the lure. IMHO

[fin]

41 minutes ago, fishhugger said:

should i give up on the long pauses, since it's so hard to see the popper,  and simply move it more continuously.  or would that be really limiting the pop-r's effectiveness....

 

I've seen times when they'll only bite after long pauses, but that's rare. So no, you would not be limiting the effectiveness much at all.

 

Just make short pauses.

[Brian11719]

1 hour ago, GreenPig said:

Good sharp hooks are more important the seeing the lure. IMHO

Agree...honestly there are some times when I can't tell when my lure got bit but that's usually when I'm throwing finesse rigs and I'm not sure I can say I remember that happening with a topwater lure as it's usually pretty obvious.

[A-Jay]

I Love throwing topwater baits for bruiser smallmouth.

Popper & Walking baits mostly.

Even when I do see the 'strike',

I always wait just that split second before I hit the fish with a quick snap hookset.

Works for me.

Here's what some of that looks like. 

https://youtu.be/Vsl5A_YmHzs?feature=shared&t=42

https://youtu.be/6Ds4Z22ywnY?feature=shared&t=136

https://youtu.be/QB1VOTaQuvE?feature=shared&t=97

A-Jay

 

[Bankbeater]

Sometimes I need to watch a walking bait in order to get my retrieve down. If I'm working a popper I go by feel or by listening for a splash if the bait is close enough.

[Catt]

The biggest reason for poor hookup ratios with topwater lures is anglers can see the strike. Feel for em!

[Mike L]

3 hours ago, Bankbeater said:

Sometimes I see a walking bait in order to get my retrieve down. If I'm working a popper I go by feel or by listening for a splash if the bait is close enough.

Ditto

 

The only other bait other than watching a walking bait as what @Bankbeater describes is a frog hit. 

Seeing a frog hit is the most important and helpful than any over top water strike. 
The biggest advantage is when she hits it which isn’t always an explosion. 
When she sucks to take it down, the ability to see that is your signal when to set. 
 

Also, another advantage of seeing it is when they boil on it or come up from underneath and throw it out of the water trying to kill it. 
All signs that you need to know to adjust the style, size or the cadence you’re using. 
If you have too much slack after a long cast you may not hear any of that. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

 

[J Francho]

I've put those little colored stickers for garage sales on my frogs so I can see them. Pink or yellow dots seem to work the best for me. You could probably do that or paint something bright on the lure without affecting the action. 

[Reel]

I go against the grain and see about 90% of my topwater strikes. I fish clear water.  For soft frogs I wait a bit but for all others hard lures I strike fast.  I catch most of the fish that strike.  I even like colored line so I can locate the lure more rapidly if I take my eyes of of it for a few seconds.  Going by feel would not work for me.  When I tournament fished, during practice I would not strike because I didn't want to catch the fish and did not feel half of the ones that struck.  They just let go.

[J Francho]

 

[Catt]

50+ years of night fishing has taught me to rely on feel more than eye sight. 

 

When a bass takes a lure off the surface, they turn to swim away or they head back down...ya should be able to "feel" that.

[Pat Brown]

@Catt : came to say exactly the same thing.

 

I set the hook when Gertrude pulls.  😎😎😎👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 

 

If there is 'frog kung fu' it is basically this ☝🏼

[fishhugger]

thanks so much, guys....terrific info.  okay, i'll be more subtle and feel for the hits...  i'm throwing pop-r's, which i just sort of got attached to.  if i were a fish, i'd go for them, was my thinking, lol. 

 

definitely heard about 'waiting' b4 setting the hook on a top water, although that's a little counter-intuitive to me.  i guess i'm thinking - if i were mr bass, i'd definitely spit that thing out, as fast as possible.  but, clearly that's not your guys' experience.  i'll take aj's 'split second' as gospel.... i like a definite number. it sticks in my head.

 

yeah - i'll abandon my "let the pop-r sit for awhile" strategy.  that frankly isn't that much fun for me.  this lake, or large pond, is very quiet and peaceful in the evenings, and the surface can be like glass..  i think that's a reason i tried my very quiet slow pop-r thing. should i go the opposite way, and use a pretty noisy or obnoxious type topwater?  open to suggestions...

 

but there's very little milfoil, etc along the edges of the pond, fair amount of wood in the shallows.  i'm assuming frogs wouldn't work, except around the few weed beds...

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Not at all.  I hear the bite often, but I'm waiting to feel it before I swing.  Other than seeing the basic action of the bait, you don't need great vision to fish a topwater effectively.  The majority of topwater I fish is in the pitch dark where it's impossible to see anything.  

[Catt]

@fishhugger Frogs are highly effective away from grass. Check out Dean Rojas on YouTube.

 

As for your Pop-R if letting sit is not producing, speed it up.

[PaulVE64]

Those WPloppers have great hooks and yet ive had one bounced around enough to call travelling.

 

I believe its the smallest ones that dribble it

[J Francho]

Waiting, meh. If waiting means waiting as long as I did in the vid I posted, then yes. I don't recall feeling anything on that strike but I do recall my Python colored Popmax disappearing after the splash, so I gave it a snap set and it worked out. I don't get too many baits winging back at me, so o feel like it works for me. 

[fishballer06]

As someone who basically only fishes all black topwater baits, I go by sound and feel. A little experience with night fishing will really help hone these skills. 

[Zcoker]

I fish most all topwater baits at night, so seeing them is nearly impossible. Sure, if the moonlight or starlight is just right and the water calm, I can make out the water trail as I pull the lure back in. No, I rely on sound. When the pitch or sound is uniform and reaches a specific note, I try to hold it steady like that and not long into it the lure gets destroyed. What I feel then is the rod practically ripped out of my hands! There comes a point when I just know that the pitch is perfect. This obviously comes from experience. Now, during the early morning light, the fish seem to be a bit more hesitant, meaning that they may hit it, back off and then may strike it again, as if they are testing it. That's when a good eye is necessary to stop/start the lure to entice the hit. The difference between the night/day behavior could be related to their lateral line, how they sense pry with or without light. What I've come to find out at night is that specific sounds seem to draw in the bigger fish. Can't say why but it sure is a fact. 

[J Francho]

I'll fish topwaters alone at night, but not with others. I can't trust them. Too many baits flying back. I'm not sure why anyone would need to set a topwater hook that hard anyway.