top water tips?

[JCMAN]

how do you know when to try topwater and how do you even do it   i have a rebel jumping minnow and a jitter bug  but not sure how to top water   gimme some of your tips

[aarogb]

    Definitly in the morning and evening hours.  If it stays cloudy all day and their is a little wind, topwater could last all day.

[cato]

Jitter bugs work really well at night. I like to just slow retrieve them down the bank bretty much anywhere. I also really like tiny torpedo's and have had the best results in red and white. I change up my retrieve with them just depending on the strike. I usually start out with the tiny torpedo similar to the way a frog swims. 3 or 4 short jerks and let it sit for a few seconds then 3 or 4 more jerks. If that doesn't work after a while I will contiue the jerks with no pause all the way back to the boat. You will have to try a few different retrieves until the bass let you know what they like. This goes for most top water baits. Early morning and late afternoon and nights really produce for me with top water.

[Shad_Master]

First thing in the morning, until the sun hits the water - they may still work after that, but it is less likely - then in the evening when the shadows get long, pull 'em back out again.

[bassman31783]

One time to use top water baits that i think gets overlooked is during the hottest, brightest time of the day. When it gets like this bass either go deep or find shade, for the most part. Lilly Pads provide great shade in accessible water. Throw a frog over the top and man you can just kill them some times. Doesn't always work but some of my best topwater days have come from fishing like this. Plus it's just a ton of fun.

[bigfish88]

ill catch em' all day long sometimes, just depends.. i like to throw a buzzbait or rattlin chug-n-bug, sometimes a zara spook.

[Use ONLY Stren]

My favorites are a Rebel Pop-R, silver with a black back, and Im starting to like Zoom Horny Toads in open water i find they work better than buzzbaits alot of the time. Fish early morning, late evening, and if its cloudy in the middle of the day.

[roadwarrior]

We have a number of articles in the BassResource.com Library,

"Fishing Articles" and "Tacklebox" at the top of the page. Here's

something to start with and additional links, too!

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/topwater_bass.html

8-)

[Branuss04]

Topwater can be worked all the time.  I find that it works just about anywhere during morning and night (Points, coves, etc)

 During the day I find that it works best around cover, shade, drop offs, etc.  

[Lard_Bass]

I love topwaters.  I use a chug bug and Rebel Pop-R.  My best times are morning and evening when the water is just calm.  Whenever I see a bass jump and break the surface, I throw topwaters and usually have high success.

[bigtimfish]

I usually only fish topwaters at night,early morning, or evening. BUT i have found that a Super Spook Jr will catch them in the heat of the day  and the coldest day of winter when you wouldnt think a topwater would work

[FishDontLikeMe1301600221]

NOTHING beats night time topwater action.

[The Outdoorsman]

Typically first of the morning or after the sun goes down.  Throw Rage Tail Shads, buzzbaits, frogs, pop r's, zara spooks near lilly pads, edges of grass, isolated grass patches, along boat docks, and across main lake points.  When a fish takes the lure, wait 2 seconds before setting the hook or run the risk of losing the fish, let him take the lure all the way.

[iceintheveins]

I use topwaters mostly during morning and evening twillight hours. Cloudy days also are very good for topwaters. Sometimes you can catch them during the day when they are feeding on forage on top or if you are throwing a frog over heavy vegetation. But topwaters are arguably the best thing to throw during the three main times that I mentioned.

[Vinny Chase]

probably already been said but morning and night are the best times....cast under docks, trees, and shaded areas...Also retrieve slow and wait a second after the hit to set the hook