Topwater Selection

[MJack]

I love fishing topwater for bass, as most bass fisherman do. There are a lot of options out there. There are frogs, wakebaits, whopper ploppers, poppers, spooks, buzzbaits, Rapala original minnows, etc. I know when some are better such as frogs in moss or lilypads. But do you have a system to decide when to use which topwater? Not when to use topwater, but when to use which topwater. Thanks! 

[Pat Brown]

I just use a frog when it's calmer and a buzzbait when it's less calm.  That's about it.

[Jar11591]

I use a hollow body frog when there is emergent vegetation, for obvious reasons. When there is no emergent vegetation I’ll throw a treble hook bait, either a walking bait or popper. The walking bait is more seasonal for me. I opt for them more in the spring and fall when the water is in the 50s to low 60s. Otherwise it’s generally a popper that I’m throwing. And if fishing around laydowns or docks, that’s when I may bring out a buzzbait, although walking baits and poppers do well around them as well. Just a little riskier throwing a popper into a laydown. 

[casts_by_fly]

If it’s scummy, then a frog or toad for obvious reasons. I’ve preferred toads, though my strike rate goes down. 
 

a walking bait in the spring (I should fish them more through the year) is a thing for me. I get a lot of grass in a lot of my lakes though so that makes them tough in places. 
 

A buzz bait is my June to September top water as long as I can get it through the grass, and especially in the dark. A light but big buzz bait crawled slowly might be my favorite way to fish. 
 

I carry poppers, ploppers, and other top waters but fish them less. 

[greentrout]

Some still use the Heddon Moss Boss in lily pads, heavy vegetation and moss.

Good Fishing

[Pat Brown]

I actually forgot I will wake light swim jigs with bulky plastic trailers and wake glide baits and swim baits with lighter weights and I buzz a lot of weightless plastics and quickly walk the dog with weightless flukes on the surface a lot.

 

 

Basically I use stuff I already use but near the surface - sometimes.

 

I did really well in a small friends tournament once on walking bait but it was a private pond and the fish weren't very smart.

 

I can't seem to buy a bite around here with most baits with visible treble hooks during most conditions.  Treble hooks I need a lot of wind and muddy water and very active fish on the public spots I fish - so I opt for many more bites from much bigger fish much more often.  Frog and Buzzbait don't scare big girls away no matter how much I throw them it seems like - as long as I'm mindful of conditions and where the fish are and what they're doing.

 

The buzzbait is my favorite way to cover a ton of super shallow water.  It can be sparse cover no cover or covered in emerging pads - hard to beat the buzzbait for 2 ft or less and lots of water to cover.

 

The frog is my choice when I know they're there and I don't want to scare them off - working an area slowly and methodically with the frog one of the best ways to tempt a giant fish that has seen it all.  I'll throw a frog in up to 10 mph winds and when it's 15+ I'll find protected areas and do really well on it.  

 

The buzzbait is better for efficiently going down the windblown areas and getting them to react.

[casts_by_fly]

11 hours ago, greentrout said:

Some still use the Heddon Moss Boss in lily pads, heavy vegetation and moss.

Good Fishing

I do at times. Moss boss, weed walker, talking spoon, and another weedless spoon type lure I don’t talk about. 

[scaleface]

Early to post spawn Floating minnow baits with and without tail spinners get a lot of use.

 

Buzzbaits are my favorite to throw and wlll use them from the water temps in the  60's until winter. They get used a lot through wood.

 

Spook type lures same as buzzbaits but they wear me out  quickly.

 

Chuggers get  used in windy conditions.

 

Frogs for vegetation and skipping under overhangs. 

[king fisher]

I start with a Buzz Bait.  I may switch to a popper or spook if I feel I need to slow down.  If the topwater bite was good, but stops, I usually switch to a spinnerbait waked on the surface.  If they don't hit the spinnerbait waked, then all I have to do is slow my retrieve to start fishing subsurface.  Jitterbug on calm evenings, because it brings back so many good memories of fishing when I was young.  Original floating Rapala twitched on the surface when fishing from the bank, or on small streams.  Whopper Plopper and Rat, when ever I look in my box and decide that because I spent the money I going to fish them until they work.

[river-rat]

3 hours ago, scaleface said:

Early to post spawn Floating minnow baits with and without tail spinners get a lot of use.

Beginning in March and through the post spawn I always have a floating jerk bait tied on. I’ll also use a Hub’s Chub Rattalur in gold or solid black. 
 

After post spawn I’ll use a Swithwick Devils Horse, frog, or buzz bait. 

[scaleface]

22 minutes ago, river-rat said:

Hub’s Chub Rattalur

I had to Google a Hubs Chub Rattalur and its similar to a  Dalton Special.  I still have a Dalton Special in my top water box and use it occasionally. 

[A-Jay]

I fish for smallmouth bass with topwater in open water mostly.

So my baits reflect that deal.

Walking baits it there's a little ripple on the water and Poppers when there's not.

I get a few. 

A-Jay

[Reel]

I fish surface lures close to weeds but in open water

Like A-Jay a popper- Shimano World Pop

                 a walking bait - Heddon One- Knocker

 

I fish a frog in slop.

[Columbia Craw]

Frogs:  Anywhere anytime

Buzzbait:  stained rippled water

Wakebait: very shallow and over grasses

Walking bait:  rippled water or clear deep water where the bait will call the fish up.

Popper:  calm to lightly rippled water with good visibility.

Prop bait:  any place the hooks won’t get fouled. 
 

I enjoy Spook or Pencil walking baits the most.  I don’t fish floating minnows.  Too slow.  I’ll just fish a popper. 

[Bankbeater]

I go by trial and error.  Around here, different topwater baits work in different bodies of water.

[papajoe222]

I like Spooks and poppers when there is a slight ripple or almost dead calm water. Prop baits when the surface is churning up a bit and a buzzbait, or plopper when there's a good chop on the water.  I don't use frogs in open water and of course I'll experiment with different types if one isn't producing. A buzzbait over dead calm water leaving a bubble trail can be a killer presentation.

[Darth-Baiter]

ploppers and popper when i feel like i am off rhythm wise.  usually early morning darkness or late evening darkness.   if i am walking them well.  the kicknocker or megabass popper.  

 

frog when things get snaggy and the bass are under the mats looking for shade.  bright days.

 

having said that...i suck at topwater in general.  i have the gift of yanking bait from their mouths.

[Cdn Angler]

I fish topwater A LOT for SMB and LMB. This is my general thought process:

 

Walking Baits (large) - if there's any chop or if I feel like bass are aggressive, particularlyif busting bait. Open water mainly. Usually River2Sea Rover 128. Great in low light.

 

Walking Baits (small) - calmer water, clearer water/sunny, smaller bait, less aggressive fish. Open water mainly. I mostly use an Ima Skimmer or 98 Rover. I think the profile is more attractive in some lakes as long/skinny (I'm in Canada).

 

Whopper Plopper - Anywhere with minimal pressure this is often first up. I like the larger sizes (130) if there is a decent chop, on any lake. Great for rivers for paralleling the bank or around cover, usually the 75 size. This has IMO the most drawing power of any topwater if fish aren't conditioned to it, so I often use it on huge oligotrophic lakes around here to cover water, mainly if fishing pressure isn't too high. 

 

Popper - Summer when very hot, targeting cover. Mainly use PopMax if I want bigger or Ima Finesse if I want smaller. The Ima I've had a lot of luck on when fish are being finicky (i.e. I see fish, but can't elicit a strike). If I feel like fish are eating bugs or tiny minnows the Ima is my go to. 

 

Prop Baits - Mainly River2Sea Lane Changer. Rip rip pause. This is new as of last year and I've had great luck when it is slick calm. Works well fished faster in Open water or target fishing. Profile is perfect for SMB around here IMO. 

 

Jackal Pompadour Jr. - Night Fishing 

 

Spro Rat - Low Light Conditions

 

Wake baits:

 

Speedwake (6th Sense) - this is my favourite bait for covering water as it can be fished extremely fast, but works well paused or slow also. Fish it when I know there are bigger fish. Bigger lure so works well with moderate chop. Very good in Spring. 

 

IMA Roumba - Clear and calm water, especially around rock. Works on active or lethargic fish so a good option if sunny mid-day, even in clear water. Mainly for SMB and covering water. Pike seem to love this bait, for better/worse. I find I have to fish this on braid to get it to work optimally.

 

Small wakebaits that look more like reg crankbaits - moving water and reeled upstream. 

 

Buzzbait - Rarely use, haven't had good results. When I do it's usually an Evilution Grass Burner. I like being able to pause a topwater.

 

Frog - Only if I absolutely have to and even then I'd rather throw a toad or light Texas rig if I can. Pads are the main place I fish a frog and fish seem to absolutely suck at actually hitting the target. 

 

That's my general thought process. 

 

I've seen some very tiny bug like topwaters that I'm kind of curious to try, but they always look flimsy/expensive and I don't know what I'd throw them on. 

 

In terms of colour I'm 70% white, 20% ghost/silvers (mainly very clear water in sun when calm) 10% green or bone. 

Around here anything mostly white seems to work in nearly all situations.