Northwest Fishing Reports

I have recently seen several articles and tv shows where bass pros/tv fisherman say that they fish topwater baits year round. Cannot say that I have tried it myself, but was wondering if anyone else here has tried it. If so, any luck?

it would depend on species and location, there are spots where we can use top water in the winter, but our winters are not like yours. sorry.

beresford13861 wrote:it would depend on species and location, there are spots where we can use top water in the winter, but our winters are not like yours. sorry.

Valid point. Just for clarification, some of information I referenced indicated the use of topwaters for bass even in northern states during the middle of winter with water temps well below 50 degrees (snow on the ground, etc...). Has anyone tried that? And if so, any luck?

Its probably a possibility if you were fishing a shallow lake and spent all day with one top water bait to trigger one strike but not something I would expect numbers from in a big lake where the population is more smallies and you know they are in very deep water. Anything is possible but like I said its hard enough to catch one period so if you do try if dont expect a bunch of bass bustin the surface.

That makes sense. I can see it working in the early afternoon during a bright day, but otherwise I found it hard to imagine. I was just wondering if I was missing an opportunity for topwater action by consistently going deeper during the winter.

I can only see it happening toward the end of winter or early spring with unseasonably warm temperatures. Some bass will move toward spawning sites early and retreat back deeper when the weather returns to normal. It would be a rare occurance to get a winter bass on topwater, I would be banking on jig-n-pig combos and do-nothing worm rigs, maybe slow-rolling spinnerbaits and suspending crankbaits.

During the 1960s while attending the U of W I would consistently catch largemouth in Lake Washington on rapalas twitched on the surface starting in February.

Needed stable weather with sunny afternoons. While it was never fast fishing - usually 1 to 3 fish in a afternoon but considreing I was banking it not too bad. Always was a nice break from steelhead fishing during a normally slow month for steelhead.

Have repeated that success several times on other waters - also seemed to be best in back coves or the channels leading from such spots to the main lake. Used to tune the rapalas (mostly #11s) so that there was a wide wiggle on a slow retrieve that created a nice wake on the surface. Could not always get a plug to fish the way I wanted but when I found one that would it consistently produced. That pattern would hold until the spawn though as the water temperatures climbed into the uppers 50s more open water began producing.

Tight lines
Curt

Smalma wrote:During the 1960s while attending the U of W I would consistently catch largemouth in Lake Washington on rapalas twitched on the surface starting in February.

Needed stable weather with sunny afternoons. While it was never fast fishing - usually 1 to 3 fish in a afternoon but considreing I was banking it not too bad. Always was a nice break from steelhead fishing during a normally slow month for steelhead.

Have repeated that success several times on other waters - also seemed to be best in back coves or the channels leading from such spots to the main lake. Used to tune the rapalas (mostly #11s) so that there was a wide wiggle on a slow retrieve that created a nice wake on the surface. Could not always get a plug to fish the way I wanted but when I found one that would it consistently produced. That pattern would hold until the spawn though as the water temperatures climbed into the uppers 50s more open water began producing.

Tight lines
Curt

That area by the Husky Stadium is a good place to try that out because its not really deep and the large mouth hold in there all winter. They stick really tight to any remaining cover and dont move much. I lived in the u district for a while and would walk down there or rent boats from the IMA and go all around the ship canal area. Good times!

danielt wrote:

Smalma wrote:During the 1960s while attending the U of W I would consistently catch largemouth in Lake Washington on rapalas twitched on the surface starting in February.

Needed stable weather with sunny afternoons. While it was never fast fishing - usually 1 to 3 fish in a afternoon but considreing I was banking it not too bad. Always was a nice break from steelhead fishing during a normally slow month for steelhead.

Have repeated that success several times on other waters - also seemed to be best in back coves or the channels leading from such spots to the main lake. Used to tune the rapalas (mostly #11s) so that there was a wide wiggle on a slow retrieve that created a nice wake on the surface. Could not always get a plug to fish the way I wanted but when I found one that would it consistently produced. That pattern would hold until the spawn though as the water temperatures climbed into the uppers 50s more open water began producing.

Tight lines
Curt

That area by the Husky Stadium is a good place to try that out because its not really deep and the large mouth hold in there all winter. They stick really tight to any remaining cover and dont move much. I lived in the u district for a while and would walk down there or rent boats from the IMA and go all around the ship canal area. Good times!

they rent more than just canoes?

Top water fishing does work in the winter but not usually as it does when the water is warmer. Although I do not have much experience fishing up here, and have not been fishing since Nov. = too cold, some of my last bass of the season came on a top water. Bass are all about efficiency (cold blooded creatures) so they always determine whether the prey is worth the energy used to catch it. So in the winter it is usually not worth the basses energy to swim up the water column to get the food. But on the other hand a slow worked topwater looks like an easy meal, and if the fish is close by he will probably take it as well as any other lure (if the fish is hungry... which isn't much in water this cold). The other reason top waters might work in winter is reaction (same as lipless cranks, jerks etc). For instance, I don't know if this works up here but down south buzzbaits are typically thrown early while the water is still cold and I think this works simply bc buzzbaits will annoy the bass into biting. Just my opinion... hopefully soon I'll have some more relevant examples.

bpm2000 wrote: they rent more than just canoes?

Yes and I never did it but you could probably put a trolling motor on the row boat it you have your own.

danielt wrote:

bpm2000 wrote: they rent more than just canoes?

Yes and I never did it but you could probably put a trolling motor on the row boat it you have your own.

I grew up bass fishing out of canoe. Although, a row boat with a trolling motor is definintely more convenient.

I've only heard of top water in the southern lakes using buzzbaits during the winter. These lakes were definintely the shallow lakes.