Topwater

[Pitchinkid]

Has everybodys topwater bite been a bit slow these past 2 years or is just here?

[Sam]

Funny you bring this up.

The two tournaments I fished last month on the Rappahannock and Pamunkey Rivers produced very few topwater bites.

All of the guys in both tournaments were talking about it.

We did catch a lot of bass on swimming worms and Shad Raps fished close to the surface, but the vast majority of strikes and fish hit our baits below the sunline in the water column.

I used to nail them right and left in a pond using trick worms, frogs and Pop-Rs but that bite has seemed to go away, too.

We can say that the water temperatures are causing the bass to go deep but we have always caught them early in the AM and late in the PM on topwaters and that bite has slowed down.

I did catch four smallies on the Upper James River using a Rat-L-Trap and each hit came from below, which I would expect.  But nothing on topwaters during that trip.

What is your opinion of this situation?  Is it only in Virginia or other states?  Only in rivers and ponds or are you all seeing it on lakes, too.

We should get some good answers.  

[Uncle Leo]

This is odd. I thought the same untill this past Saturday. I was fishing with my partner. He fished exclusively topwater and I fished C-Rigs and T-Rigs. Never exprerienced this but he caught 6 and I caught 10. This was a clear quarry lake with visiblity to about 16-18 feet. Never have experieced both top and bottom bite at the same time. He has been killing them on topwater this year in the upper Mid-West.

[Marty]

It's been good here.

[rondef]

I have been having good luck using the Cavitron buzzbaits and the Ragetail toads.  The bite seems ok to me but I also fish tidal waters most of the time, I don't know if that makes a difference.

[Jimzee]

Topwater has been on the very slow side for the past two years up my way as well. I could usually get 8-10 fish right before dark on the buzzbait, now I'm lucky to get one or two. Real lucky!!

Even the smallies on overcast days floating down the rivers would kill the small buzzbaits. I can throw a buzz now and maybe get 4-5 to take it all day, versus 50-75 a couple years ago. Still catching them, it's just on tubes and soft plastic jerkbaits.

What is the deal around the "Virginias" area? Have they become accustomed to the topwater baits or is it a El' Nino type thing going on? I would like some imput as well on this subject, I miss the blowups.

[MichiganFisherman]

Just a couple nights ago I slammed a bunch of small bass on topwaters.  They were hitting bugs on the surface all around us non stop right when it started getting dark.  I hardly ever fail to catch a fish with a jitterbug at dusk.  So, no, I can't say it's slowed down at all...  

[=Matt 5.0=]

The topwater bite is gone here. I've been hoping it will turn on, but it's just not there. I mean, it's the middle of July already.... :-/

[CRFisher]

I took a 20 year hiatus from fishing, but the topwater action seems better in my local river than I remember in the past.  I used to throw a lot of frogs, poppers and jitterbugs.  Had some luck with Jitterbugs and just bought a zara puppy, caught a smallmouth on the third cast with it.  I've heard a lot of people are tearing them up with frogs.

I've never had any luck with buzzbaits, keep throwing them but never get anything.  I was using spinnerbaits and buzzbaits with nothing, then got a quick  hit on the puppy.  

[hawghunter1744]

I can't catch a topwater bass to save my life. I've got to where when I go fishing I just sleep til about 7 rather than get up early because nothing will hit my topwater lures. And I don't just throw one thing. I throw Pop-R, buzz baits, spooks, ribbit frogs, and torpedos. I've only caught about 3 fish on topwater all year.

[Pitchinkid]

I KNOW JIMZEE KNOWS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT WE FISH ALOT OF THE SAME WATERS MOSTLY OUT OF THE SAME BOAT BUT LOCAL FISHERIES AROUND HERE HAVE JUST NOT PRODUCED TOPWATER. I MEAN 5 YEARS AGO A BUZZBAIT OR EVEN A SOFT PLASTIC RUNNING ON TOP HAD NO CHANCE IT WAS 3 CRANKS AND BOOOOOOOOSH. DONT GET ME WRONG A LOOOOOOVE CATCHIN A FISH ON A JIG BUT I WANT MY ARM BROKE EVER NOW AND THEN.

[Ellesar]

I've been having lots of luck with topwater action this year. Most of the guides on Lake Guntersville have been saying that the topwater bite is better than they've seen it in a while.

[Avalonjohn44]

I fish mainly at three lakes in Winchester VA, and buzzbaits, cane toads, and bronze eye frogs have all produced majorly for me for the last 3 years.  Just got 4 on a Cavitron this weekend.

[Clayton]

This is interesting.  Up until last weekend the evening topwater bite at one of my favorite spots has been dreadful.  I was catching one or two 1lbers.  Which is horrible for a place i have always known to produce much larger fish.  But last weekend I was determined to find out what the fish were goin to hit.  So I stayed all day throwin everything I had.  Then at dusk I tied on the confused minnow shad pattern that used to always make those fish bite, but had been letting me down this year, and WAM! WAM! WAM!  I cought 7 and missed 3!  Needless to say I am going back this weekend.

[T-rig]

Right now I'm catching 90% of my fish on topwater baits. I hope it stays that way. Maybe you guys should try some larger baits like the Deps Buzzjet, it has been working for me.