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
