What can I do to increase my chances of catching something on topwater in the morning? 2024
CybrSlydr reply :
So yesterday I went back to Wolf Run in an attempt to get some early morning topwater action. I got there around 6:45 and was in position on the dam about 7:00a. Granted, this was about an hour later than I'd wanted, but events conspired against me.
As you can see, it's still prior to sunrise. Nice bit of fog on the water, little to no wind and very calm water.
In front, to my left and right I see surface strikes every couple minutes. A couple of times I even see fish jumping completely out of the water. So I started with my Super Spook Jr. in Bone. Tried numerous twitch-twich-pause combos, walking the dog, etc. Didn't get anything on that, so I switched over to the KVD Sexy Dawg in Sexy Shad. Did the same as before, twitch-twitch pause variations, walked the dog, etc. No bites either. By now it's after sun-up and the strikes are starting to slow down.
What can I do that I didn't do to increase my chance of getting a bite? I'm using 10lb 832 in ghost as mainline and a couple feet of Sufix flourcarbon leader in 10lb.
fishballer06 reply :
I've fished mornings where my partner and I couldn't get bit on a topwater, and then one of us will pick up a Senko or Keitech and it's lights out. Just because first light is prime topwater time for this time of year, doesn't mean that something else will still be more productive.
CybrSlydr reply :
On 8/14/2017 at 9:30 PM, fishballer06 said:I've fished mornings where my partner and I couldn't get bit on a topwater, and then one of us will pick up a Senko or Keitech and it's lights out. Just because first light is prime topwater time for this time of year, doesn't mean that something else will still be more productive.
I'm mostly wondering what I could have done differently or something obvious that I didn't try. Off-hand I'd say I didn't try any of our buzzbaits. I was so focused on the walkers I didn't even think about the buzzbait. I also didn't try any poppers or shallow cranks.
The problem I run into when I start going down that road is suddenly I'm saying, "Throw everything all the time" and that's a bit... inspecific.
Jar11591 reply :
Some suggestions:
1. Get on the water earlier. It gives you a longer window of prime time for top water fishing. It can work all day long, but if you're on the water earlier it gives you more time in that prime time for top water.
2. Down size your bait. Try throwing a small popper like a 2.5" Storm Chug Bug or Megabass Pop-X.
3. After you cast, let the bait sit until all the ripples disappear. Then very slightly twitch the bait. A lot of my strikes come this way.
4. Work your bait SLOWLY. Try killing it for a minute or so mid-retrieve.
5. Speeding up can work also. Try making your bait "panic" and work it very fast for a couple seconds and kill it again. Then twitch it like you would right after the cast.
6. Throw it in fishy spots. Along lily pads, under over hanging trees, over sunken logs, or parallel to the bank.
7. Ditch the fluorocarbon leader. Not saying it can't be done, but it certainly works against you. It sinks and can hinder the action of the bait.
These are just a few suggestions that come to mind. I'm a top water nut and it's one of my confidence presentations. But on some lakes a top water bite is hard to come by. My "home" lake has produced less than 5 top water fish in my whole life, and it's not from the lack of trying. Most other lakes I fish I can get them on top in the early morning and evening, and a lot of times during mid day. Good luck!
A-Jay reply :
Everything @Jar11591 succinctly noted above and I'll add on to it.
8. Wait about 2 weeks. (It's coming)
A-Jay
Catt reply :
On 8/14/2017 at 9:56 PM, A-Jay said:Everything @Jar11591 succinctly noted above and I'll add on to it.
8. Wait about 2 weeks. (It's coming)
A-Jay
Topwater like any other bite aint always there!
Some times when they are hitting on the surface ya keep it just under the surface with soft or hard jerkbaits.
CybrSlydr reply :
On 8/14/2017 at 9:50 PM, Jar11591 said:Some suggestions:
1. Get on the water earlier. It gives you a longer window of prime time for top water fishing. It can work all day long, but if you're on the water earlier it gives you more time in that prime time for top water.
2. Down size your bait. Try throwing a small popper like a 2.5" Storm Chug Bug or Megabass Pop-X.
3. After you cast, let the bait sit until all the ripples disappear. Then very slightly twitch the bait. A lot of my strikes come this way.
4. Work your bait SLOWLY. Try killing it for a minute or so mid-retrieve.
5. Speeding up can work also. Try making your bait "panic" and work it very fast for a couple seconds and kill it again. Then twitch it like you would right after the cast.
6. Throw it in fishy spots. Along lily pads, under over hanging trees, over sunken logs, or parallel to the bank.
7. Ditch the fluorocarbon leader. Not saying it can't be done, but it certainly works against you. It sinks and can hinder the action of the bait.
These are just a few suggestions that come to mind. I'm a top water nut and it's one of my confidence presentations. But on some lakes a top water bite is hard to come by. My "home" lake has produced less than 5 top water fish in my whole life, and it's not from the lack of trying. Most other lakes I fish I can get them on top in the early morning and evening, and a lot of times during mid day. Good luck!
Awesome - thank you very much!
Would I be better off just tying my snap to the braid rather than using the flouro leader? I also have Pline CXX - would that serve better as a leader?
On 8/14/2017 at 9:56 PM, A-Jay said:Everything @Jar11591 succinctly noted above and I'll add on to it.
8. Wait about 2 weeks. (It's coming)
A-Jay
What happens in about 2 weeks?
A-Jay reply :
On 8/14/2017 at 10:58 PM, CybrSlydr said:Awesome - thank you very much!
Would I be better off just tying my snap to the braid rather than using the flouro leader? I also have Pline CXX - would that serve better as a leader?
What happens in about 2 weeks?
Historically, September sees the bass in your area start thinking about being shallower as well as being in the mood to eat.
Both often make surface baits an effective option.
A-Jay
Jar11591 reply :
On 8/14/2017 at 11:08 PM, A-Jay said:Historically, September see the bass in your area start thinking about being shallower as well as being in the mood to eat.
Both often make surface baits an effective option.
A-Jay
Getting excited just thinking about it!
A-Jay reply :
On 8/14/2017 at 11:22 PM, Jar11591 said:
Getting excited just thinking about it!
Me too.
A-Jay
CybrSlydr reply :
On 8/14/2017 at 11:08 PM, A-Jay said:Historically, September see the bass in your area start thinking about being shallower as well as being in the mood to eat.
Both often make surface baits an effective option.
A-Jay
Good to know - hopefully I can finally get something to bite! 
the reel ess reply :
Get there way early
Lose the fluoro-it sinks
Try a buzzbait too. Sometimes I'll have a hardbait and a buzbait ready. Who knows that fish want, but it's often not going to be the same things. If they won't hit either, after a while I'll switch over to a subsurface hard bait and a spinnerbait on those combos.
You can start with a black buzzbait one and switch to white when the bite slows, then switch to spinnerbait when it slows again.
If you're using the buzzbait around wood cover or structure that breaks the surface, hit it with the bait.
Be sure you're in or near shallow water. Fish won't rise too far for a topwater. There are exceptions, but not normally.
Sometimes they just won't hit a topwater. I usually plan my trips for the evening instead. It's anecdotal, but it seems like I just get more topwater bites at dusk.
deep reply :
Didn't read all the replies, sorry.
But if I'm dead-set on catching topwater fish, I will try different classes of baits (popper/ walker/ chugger/ wake/ buzzbait etc) AND change cadence/ retrieves.
I'd also ditch the FC leader and the snap or snap swivel whichever one you got there.
claya reply :
What is the water clarity like?
riverbasser reply :
sometimes I like to yell at the fish when they aren't biting what they're suppose to for the particular conditions. you can try that but I cant say its ever helped lol. sometimes they just don't cooperate
pretty morning in that pic though, I would have thrown topwater too
WRB reply :
Just because you see surface activity doesn't indicate the fish are bass.
Ian looking at this on my iPhone so can't tell if you are near or off shore or near any cover. LMB rarely go airborne when surface feeding, the baitfish will!
Agree with all the advice not to use FC for top water lures or any added weight that causes the lures nose to dive.
Most recreational top water bass anglers fish their lures too slow in open water. You can't move the lure faster than a bass can swim if the fish wants it. Try faster retrieves before slowing it down.
Tom
J Francho reply :
The last time I was out and there were fish crashing the surface, they weren't bass, but walleye chasing bait fish. Bass were holed up deep in the weeds.
Choporoz reply :
And...now we get to the real problem...as bass fishermen, its in our blood to want every surface splash to be a big bass. Unfortunately, nobody told the carp...or the bluegills...or the catfish...or the walleye...or...dare I suggest it...the beavers. Nobody has to raise their hand, but I'm probably not the only one here who chased a beaver slap around a bay...LOL
Boomstick reply :
From the sounds of it your best bet might be to dry a different lake. Perhaps the bass in that lake are late risers or simply don't like topwater, where other lures may ultimately do a lot better.
The Bassman reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 3:05 AM, Choporoz said:And...now we get to the real problem...as bass fishermen, its in our blood to want every surface splash to be a big bass. Unfortunately, nobody told the carp...or the bluegills...or the catfish...or the walleye...or...dare I suggest it...the beavers. Nobody has to raise their hand, but I'm probably not the only one here who chased a beaver slap around a bay...LOL
My most convincing topwater strike recently was a big snapping turtle on a Lunkerhunt popping frog!
georgeyew reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 3:05 AM, Choporoz said:but I'm probably not the only one here who chased a beaver slap around a bay...LOL
A beaver tail slap sounds a lot like a 10lb bass doing a belly flop. Fooled me a few times too many.
Raul reply :
Ok, so :.......... how do you know you are fishing your topwater bait in the right location ?
tcbass reply :
Try a Whopper Plopper and try varying speeds.
Also, a Senko or Zoom Super Fluke could work well also.
CybrSlydr reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 1:50 AM, claya said:What is the water clarity like?
Clarity is quite good - I would say 4ft+.
On 8/15/2017 at 1:55 AM, riverbasser said:sometimes I like to yell at the fish when they aren't biting what they're suppose to for the particular conditions. you can try that but I cant say its ever helped lol. sometimes they just don't cooperate
pretty morning in that pic though, I would have thrown topwater too
I've tried that!
On 8/15/2017 at 2:05 AM, WRB said:Just because you see surface activity doesn't indicate the fish are bass.
Ian looking at this on my iPhone so can't tell if you are near or off shore or near any cover. LMB rarely go airborne when surface feeding, the baitfish will!
Agree with all the advice not to use FC for top water lures or any added weight that causes the lures nose to dive.
Most recreational top water bass anglers fish their lures too slow in open water. You can't move the lure faster than a bass can swim if the fish wants it. Try faster retrieves before slowing it down.
Tom
I was on-shore on rocks on the dam. Allegedly it's about 30ft deep there.
https://webapp.navionics.com/#boating@15&key=cxzqFv~upN
I was fishing mine pretty quickly compared to what advice was offered above. I also tried a KVD jerkbait and didn't get any strikes either.
As for the baitfish bit, that's good to know - I figured they had to be bass since the disturbances were so big!
On 8/15/2017 at 3:24 AM, Boomstick said:From the sounds of it your best bet might be to dry a different lake. Perhaps the bass in that lake are late risers or simply don't like topwater, where other lures may ultimately do a lot better.
lol I've tried numerous lakes - as you can see, my last 10+ trips and I've had 2 catches. And they were both dinks. I don't think it's the lakes as much as it idiot holding the rod.
On 8/15/2017 at 4:08 AM, Raul said:Ok, so :.......... how do you know you are fishing your topwater bait in the right location ?
I don't.
It's just the spot I've picked. It's also relatively easily accessible and according to my brother people have logged catching bass there - with pictures..
On 8/15/2017 at 4:18 AM, tcbass said:Try a Whopper Plopper and try varying speeds.
Also, a Senko or Zoom Super Fluke could work well also.
Don't have a whopper just yet. They're all too heavy for my rod and I hear the 90 is quite bad.
I've tried numerous kinds of senkos, yum dingers, couple different keitech FATs with war eagle underspins, some Berkley swimbaits, etc. If I have it, I've thrown it.
A-Jay reply :
While looking to get bit on any surface presentation, I'd encourage you to find a different location that's less than 30 ft deep.
If you look through all the reports here, going back many, many years, there aren't a whole lot of bass caught on the surface in 30 feet.
Not saying that it can't or doesn't happen, but you'll stand a much better chance of success if you're in 8-10 or even less, especially with 4 ft of vis. Something shallower but near some deeper water might be a good place to start.
Just say'in.
A-Jay
Boomstick reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 4:34 AM, CybrSlydr said:lol I've tried numerous lakes - as you can see, my last 10+ trips and I've had 2 catches. And they were both dinks. I don't think it's the lakes as much as it idiot holding the rod.
I've been in a rut with everything lately too. But in my defense, nobody else at the same time was getting anything either. Hope to break the bad streak next week (if I don't get out sooner), when I'm camping alongside a lake and I can rent a rowboat and target smallmouth bass.
MichaelCopeland reply :
On 8/14/2017 at 11:34 PM, A-Jay said:Me too.
A-Jay
Me three! Lol! ?
WRB reply :
OK, back looking at this thread.
Wolf Run lake, OH has 2 trout species, Rainbow and Golden, LMB, channel cats, bluegill and crappie. My guess is the OP was seeing trout feeding on insects or small baitfish. Based on that and the fact you have spinning tackle you might want to try using 1/4 to 3/8 oz gold Kastmaster spoon early in the morning as both bass and trout will strike it.
Bass near dams tend to stay around prominate structure features like the spillway, any solid concrete pillars, or anything that creates some shade. Transition areas where the dam meets the soil and any close bye points. All those features tend to give baitfish a place to hide. The rocks are good for crankbaits but difficult to present effectively from shore.
I would also try a smaller surface lure like a Splash-It in Shad colors, fish it fast so it splits lots of water. Lipless crankbait like a Yo-Zuri 3D prizim Shad can be effectively fished around the dam and is a very good falling lure on pauses.
Your best bet using spinning tackle is a slip shot rig and use 6 to 8 lb mono leader, 1/8 oz cyclinder weight, size 1/0 #5133 Owner down shot hook with MMIII 6" curl tail Roboworms. Fish the Slip shot rig around any points you can get to after the sun is up and the top water bite is gone.
Good luck, catch some bass!
Tom
CybrSlydr reply :
That surprises me about the trout - I know they stock them but I hadn't imagined that they'd have survived this long since water temps are probably above 70. They were stocked back on March 23rd, so I assumed they were all dead or caught. I do have two colors of Powerbait and some small hooks, maybe I'll try that sometime. Need to get a bobber though...
I threw just about every lure I tried near the spillway control tower - even got the Lunkerhunt 1oz swimbait stuck ON the tower since I can apparently cast it farther than I thought I could. Tried a couple senkos there as well as the keitechs on war eagle underspins.
I'll check out the Yo-Zuri and others, see what might work here. Appreciate your input!
EDIT: Is Wolf Run Lake deep enough for the temp differential to be high enough for trout to survive year-round? I think it's max depth is 50ish ft.
WRB reply :
Trout nearly always stay in the coolest deeper water near dams all summer. The surface water temps are about 10 to 20 warmer the the water below the thermocline. If there is a aerator system it's near the dam, another reason trout tend to locate there.
The spoon will catch all species of fish, so don't over look it.
Tom
PS, it's impossible to predict the thermocline or it's depth if the lake has a aeration system. SWAG; thermocline could be about 20'-25? Most lake management would not plant trout if the ecosystem can't sustain it. We have a few private quarry lakes that plant big trout and those lakes are dry during the summer, the hold over trout are moved to another lake.
claya reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 4:34 AM, CybrSlydr said:Clarity is quite good - I would say 4ft+.
Then I agree with the previous poster about speed. Maybe they're getting too good of a look at it and you need to speed up the retrieve or use a faster style bait.
BigAngus752 reply :
Your pic looks like that water is smooth as glass. One of our regular lakes is great for bass but it tends to be as perfectly smooth as window glass and when it is, there is no topwater anything that works. But running an inline spinner just below the surface at that time of morning gets hits every time.
tcbass reply :
On 8/14/2017 at 11:34 PM, A-Jay said:Me too.
A-Jay
Didn't hear him say what lure he was using, what was he using? Is it a suspending bait?
AC870 reply :
Try the Whopper. The 90 is not bad.
I run 40 lb braid and a snap on mine.
A-Jay reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 11:01 AM, tcbass said:
Didn't hear him say what lure he was using, what was he using? Is it a suspending bait?
PayCheck Baits Repo Man topwater walking bait.
It's like a SK Sexy Dawg.
A-Jay
deep reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 4:24 PM, A-Jay said:
PayCheck Baits Repo Man topwater walking bait.
It's like a SK Sexy Dawg.
A-Jay
I was chasing small schoolies with a sammy the other day. They were running a break on the edge of a main lake point; the break is @20 FOW.
I think I caught a dozen or so one fish every cast before I got tired of it.
tcbass reply :
On 8/15/2017 at 4:24 PM, A-Jay said:
PayCheck Baits Repo Man topwater walking bait.
It's like a SK Sexy Dawg.
A-Jay
Thanks. Man, looks just like it.
CybrSlydr reply :
Those of you suggesting I just try a bullet-weighted texas-rigged worm, what weight bullet weight should I use? I figure 1/4oz would be good with about a #3/0 EWG hook?
WRB reply :
On 8/16/2017 at 7:54 PM, CybrSlydr said:Those of you suggesting I just try a bullet-weighted texas-rigged worm, what weight bullet weight should I use? I figure 1/4oz would be good with about a #3/0 EWG hook?
No, the proper rig for your spinning tackle is the slip shot rig discribe earlier.
3/0 off set hook EWG hook would be very difficult to get a good hook set with your outfit.
If you want to use a T- rig with a bullet weight go with 1/8-31/6 weight, 6" to 7" worms and 2/0 to 3/0 Owner #5100 or J Lite 5109 worm hook. EWG are heavier wire with extra wide gap, the gap only needs to be 2X the front end of worm diameter.
Tom
bigbill reply :
The Topwater strike,
1. Get out early in the morning, before the chickens wake up, at darkness before dusk/twilight. Be very quiet with handling your tackle. Walk softly and don't step on rocks or tree roots sticking out of the ground. They are natures alarm system. The noise we make goes straight into the water. I keep my one cell flashlite close to my tacklebox. I use locking snap swivels because I can't tie or see my line in the dark. For lures its spooks, walk the dog, rebel pop r, shallow cranks, rapala minnow, mister twister top prop. I use a steady retrieve or a one, two three twitch and pause. But this twitch and pause timing wise has to be perfect. If I'm throwing my 24" Carolina rig with plastics I use a brass bullet weight with a clicker with a brushog or senko. With the top prop I reel it slow. Or a one two three twitch n pause. During the pause the top prop goes almost vertical just be ready to set the hook.
i find the big gals are feeding at the shoreline so being stealthy is the key. Walk softly and don't talk.
its a matter of being focused and motivated, stay going.
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