Finally topwaters are in play

[polarsusd81]

I have been waiting for the right time to break out the topwater baits for quite some time now. This spring pretty much sucked, but it is finally starting to warm up and my topwater box has found a place, open and ready for me to grab some lures. Out on a northeast metro lake Friday morning we were seeing a lot of fish breaking the surface on the outside edge of the weeds so I tie on a Zara Spook and do my thing. Two casts later I see lots of fish really start to go crazy in the skinny water. Lots of pads and muck built up between a couple docks and the light bulb went off. FROG TIME BABY!!!

First frog fish of the year, was followed up by three more on consecutive casts.

Then we moved around a bit more and found a shallow flat about 4 feet deep over sand and sparce weeds. I decided to throw the Spook again. It took me years to do it, but I finally figured out how to get them to bite those Spook things. I am working it and my buddy says, "Man it would be sweet to see a fish blow up on that thing." Two jerk-baits later, she flew out of the water with a 14" bass attached. As he snapped this photo for me, he says, "That bass has good ears!" Priceless quote.

[updecreek]

I have been catching all my bass on topwater for 4 weeks now in the metro.

[Neighbor_guy]

I had my first frog bites of the year on Sat. Rage Tail Shads have been working as well.

Love it when that water warms up.

[polarsusd81]

Yeah, updacreek, I hear ya. I have been waiting as long as I could hold out to get them out. I started catching some panfish on baby poppers a couple weeks ago and tried the bass baits at that time. I couldn't get em to move though, when I saw the action going shallow Friday morning though, I knew it was go time. It felt good to finally get some splashin hits.

[updecreek]

Looks like alot of weeds? As far as weeds and lilly pads what line holds up best for rubbing on lilly pads and pulling the bass out of the weeds after it has been hooked? I use fireline 8 pound?

[polarsusd81]

For my frog rod, I have a 6'-6" MH F Diawa Heartland-X rod mated up with a Shimano Curado 200B. I have it spooled up with 30 lb Spiderwire. I was fishing in some pretty heavy junk. That combo with the 30 lb braided line can rip through the weeds pretty easy. My favorite thing about using frogs is they are practically weedless. The only time I ever got weeds on that thing was when a fish pulled it into the weeds, otherwise there was nothing on it at all.

I am thinking that if you fish much in heavy cover 8 lb might be a bit light. It can be done, but I prefer to be able to get them out of the pads and gunk quick so they don't bury to deep.

For my frogs, I toss scum frogs and bronze eyes, but I like the scum frogs the most.

[svttom01]

It's definitely a great feeling when you start catching some bass on top water baits, especially frogs. I have been catching them off and on with frogs since opener, but have noticed more activity as of late with the temps increasing. Nice fish!

[bassNspear]

so frogs have been hot for a few of ya, others having buzzys or popr???????????

[lookincalifornia]

i got a minnesota bass on a popR three weeks ago at the reno spilway on the mississippi.

[matthothand]

I've boated over 600 bass now total (100+ per day) just on opening saturday and sunday the past three years on topwater. The strike king 3x series zulus have been dynomite but I'm now running out and can't find them locally. I bought about 40 packs after the first day. They are a jerk shad style bait 5" long and the difference between them and other jerk shad baits is that these float. They are very non-aggressive baits but seem to work exceptionally well in clear water when the fish are in close. I just started getting consistant action on scum frogs, and spooks about two weeks ago and am going to throw a couple buzzbaits this week. The smallies on the rivers have been pounding poppers for about three weeks now and it keeps getting better. Tis' the season!

[Craig Plummer]

When fishing a Zara Spook do you walk the dog all the way back to the boat or do you walk it a couple snaps and then pause, walk, pause?

What is the proper way to envoke more strikes?

[polarsusd81]

I just started to do it really, it was one of those baits I bought years ago but I could never quite figure them out. Well I finally got it down and I usually just walk it all the way to the boat. I had one bass come up and sniff it right at the boat side and turned away when she saw me. The one I caught was within 15' of the boat when it hit. I suppose you could pause once in a while, but I don't know if it will help much or not. I just know it was cool to watch the bass explode on it.

[rockman]

so frogs have been hot for a few of ya, others having buzzys or popr???????????

Wacked some 17 in. smallies on the river yesterday, using a white, single bladed buzzer.Pop R's should be good to go on the river,also.

[lookincalifornia]

When fishing a Zara Spook do you walk the dog all the way back to the boat or do you walk it a couple snaps and then pause, walk, pause?

What is the proper way to envoke more strikes?

i always pause for bass but i use a steady walk for pike.

[ratherBfishnJP]

Speaking of topwaters has anyone tried flinging the xrap subwalk and if they have how have they been catching

[Craig Plummer]

Speaking of topwaters has anyone tried flinging the xrap subwalk and if they have how have they been catching

I would love to but I cannot find them anywhere, I searched Dick's, gander, sportmans warehouse and cannot find them... And I dont wanna drive an hour to cabelas just for a 6 dollar lure

[Fever]

Yep Rockman, I boated four decent fish in the 16-17.5 inch range last night between 8:30 and 9pm on a White 1/4 oz Booyah Clacker buzzbait. I lost one but didn't get a good look at it. On some area lakes around here the real thick duckweeds are dying off so those shallower areas that were choked up just a week ago are now fishable and it seems as if some of the more respectable fish are up there. I'll be out again manana.

Craig, If I were you I'd just make the online purchase. With gas prices so stupidly high ... the postage is a mute point. Also I seem to receive my orders in the 2-3 day time frame. No need to drive around and on top of that pay higher prices.

[ratherBfishnJP]

ive got 4 of them coming in an order from cabelas and i wanna see if they are holding true to their word onthem

[CarlWBL]

One thing that really helps the action of the Zara Spook is tying a loop knot. I typically have a half an inch to an inch loop. This really works well for walking the dog. With regards to the question about technique, I typically do a variety of retrieves to figure out how aggressive the fish are. Some days I will pause a long time, while other days I will work a continuous walk the dog all the way back to the boat.

My favorite frog is the Spro Bronzeye. I use a 7' heavy pole with a fast action and 50 lbs Suffix braided line. I use a Quantum PT Tour burner to get those fish to the surface fast so as to not rip through 100 lily pads. The braid is tough and will just rip right through the stalks and pads. I tie a palomar knot and have never had the knot fail on me. So far this year I have caught a decent number on the pads already, but I'm thinking it will only pick up as the farther into summer we get.

Carl

[Bassman55]

I've been catching fish on spook jrs and buzzbaits since opener. Caught a 4.5lber on a buzzbait the second weekend. A floating rap twitched on top caught some pigs that were shallow but prespawn. When I work a spook I usually will WTD all the way to the boat. If it is really calm I will let it sit a few seconds at the begining of my cast, alot of times they will hit it on the first movement then.

[matthothand]

If anyone has any jointed cranks like rapala for instance with the eye that your knot attaches to located on the bait and not the bill perhaps you'd like to try what I did a few weeks ago. I snapped off the lip and sanded down the remaining lip and taga! I now have a handful of jointed topwater baits that wiggle seductively across the surface. The shallow fish have been loving them! They have been working best lately along defined surface weed edges. They're not weedless at all but seem to call fish in and illicit a strike when other more aggresive baits don't fair as well. Just thought I'd share that one since it was one of my more productive experiments as of lately.

[polarsusd81]

Gotta love the experiments. Thanks for the tip Matt. I just can't afford to break all my precious rapalas.

[Mr. Pike1]

Ah yes the top water bite is there anything more exciting then when the water is like glass, nature is at ease, and bang a large mouth or small mouth explodes on the surface to strike.

I have been having good topwater success all year but it has indeed heated up in the last few weeks especially on the river for small mouth. My favorite top water is the heddon tiny torpedo or the mid size torpedo's. That little prop on them twitched, jerked, fast, or slow, retrieve drives them nuts, I also have been having success on the various popper baits, x raps, spinners, tubes, and of course senko's

Tomorrow is suppose to be gorgeous, bit cooler, and very light winds. That being said I am going in the office for a few hours and then I am bailing to the river and plan to fish the rest of the day until dark. Tubes and Senko's will be in play but if I find the topwater bait still hot it will be topwaters all the way.

So if all goes as planned. Toss, splash, pause, twitch, twitch, Bang Fish on !!!!!!!

[cjac]

Good thing I just picked up my new froggin' rod tonight!

Stretched out a Rainshadow MH blank to 7'3" for a little more casting distance. Split grip with Syncork paired up with a Curado 100B (old-school greenie). Feels like a wand in hand.... Thanks to Professional Edge for the rod!