There is no part of Bass fishing quite as rewarding as the art of
fishing topwater lure. I call it an art as there are fishermen like
Charlie Campbell and Sam Griffin who have spent a lifetime developing
the art. Invision a small lake on a quiet morning at sunrise covered
with patches of lily pads and seeing large bass busting the surface
in pursuit of bait. This is when you grab a rod with a topwater lure
tied on and get ready for the experience of a lifetime. This doesn't
mean that this is the only time you can fish a topwater lure as they
will work almost anytime and under many conditions.
Topwaters are best when fished around heavy cover. Look for areas
that have fallen trees,grass,bullrushes or even an old boat dock.
If you become adapt to throwing the lures around this type cover with
good accuracey,you will catch many fish. Open water areas surrounded
by submerged grass can be an excellent place to have a bass crash
your lure.
There are basically four types of topwater lures in common use today.
These include Chuggers, Stick baits, prop baits, and soft plastic
weedless lures. Chuggers are those lures like a Storm Chug Bug, Pop"R",
and or the old Heddon Chugger. Probably the most famous stickbait,made
famous by Charlie Campbell, is the Heddon Zara Spook. A good example
of a soft plastic topwater would be a Scum Frog or Rat. and then maybe
the easiest of all to fish is the prop bait. The very popular Devils
Horse and "Tiny Torpedo" are very easy to use and produce thousands
of fish each year all over the world.My personal favorite is a handmade
custom bait by Fish Head Lures.
The most common failure among topwater fishermen is impatience. You
must slow down and take your time when fishing topwater lures. Just
enjoy the surroundings and cover each area thoroughly and completely.
If you will try some topwater fishing this season you will that the
attack of a largemouth on a topwater is more exciting than almost
any other type of fishing. Take these tips and HAVE FUN.
copyright 1997 by Walt Reynolds
