Michigan Bass Fishing

[Fishn365]

Iv been fishing for years and had much success w topwater, i was wondering if their was any memebers who live in michigan that had advice or explanations on when topwater bass fishing is best!?

[Lund Explorer]

Iv been fishing for years and had much success w topwater, i was wondering if their was any memebers who live in michigan that had advice or explanations on when topwater bass fishing is best!?

To begin with, welcome to Bass Resource. This place is packed with some great information and outstanding people, you're about to learn a lot here.

It will help in the future if you add a few things to your questions or profile so people can understand where you are fishing, etc..

I am located in Mecosta County near the Village of Rodney, and have many good largemouth lakes and a few that have smallies. In this area, I've found that you can start working topwaters close to Memorial Day weekend. It mostly depends on how water temps progress during the spring. For largemouth I like to throw almost all kinds of topwaters, but am partial to the Pop-R and Torpedos. For smallmouth, one of my most productive baits on the Muskegon River is a #9 or #11 floating Rapala that I will let drift with the current and twitched as it comes over cover.

Hope this general info. helps.

[Fishn365]

pretty much the same as what i do, just wondered if anyone had techniques or advice they could lend out, tnx for the info, its greatly appreciated.

[MichBass08]

any time after the water hits 55 degress is prime topwater fishing (one of the articles on this site suggest its the first bait you should throw). basically, once the water hits 55-60 deg, bass start spawning and obviously get very protective over their nests. a lot of people over look top water presentations during the spawn. when the fish are spawning (especially shallow), top water baits like frogs, buzzbaits, and spooks make too much commotion for the bass to stand and they end up destroying it. bass not only have to worry about horizontal attacks from nest robbers but vertically too. i've seen a lot of bass give the cold shoulder to lizards and rodents but once they see a spook walk over head, they turn their nose up, prime their tail and explode skyward. pretty fun to watch.

[Flipsk828]

On a day where its foggy in the morning would be a good time to throw topwater. Also when it hits a full moon about this time of year those fish move up on there spawning flats, and they are all active pre-spawn fish. After the spawn the topwater bite in michigan isn't so hot. In early August on St. Clair, there is a HUGE Weedline behing harley ensign, the boat launch, and the frog bite can be killer there!

[TimJ]

if there is one thing about topwaters that I have learned on StClair is that there are no rules. yes there are definitely times when topwaters are prime but do not put them away just because "its not right". for me, besides the late June/early July spook bite, I always have a pop-r tied on through the summer. there have been too many times when I threw the pop-r at high noon over sparse cover in crystal clear water and caught numbers and size of SM. also, its a nice school bait when surface activity happens.

just something to think about.

Tim J

[rocknfish9011]

Still mornings/evenings all summertime are good for topwaters. In the middle of summer I do really well either workin a frog in thick emerging vegetation or tossing a buzzbait over submerged weedbeds. Ive caught bass on topwaters right after ice out tho