Northwest Fishing Reports

When should I throw topwater lures? I have a few floating Rapalas

All day everyday, no joke man. Sure you will get more feesh in the low light hours, but ive always caught the bigger ones during the middle of the day, high sun, no wind

definitley all the time, i use alot topwater baits and wakebaits and only fish subsurface with spinner baits. not only do i catch alot of fish fishing topwater it is also so much cooler to see a big bass slam a lure on top than under water.

Never caught a bass on a topwater, ive tried many of times. What am i doing wrong or wut lures should i be using

RRave19 wrote:Never caught a bass on a topwater, ive tried many of times. What am i doing wrong or wut lures should i be using

Try a buzzbait in the shallows. Early early morning late evening are the times I have the most success. Cloudy days as well with some wind chop. Topwater bite usually picks up as the weather warms into the summer patterns.

Blackmouth wrote:

RRave19 wrote:Never caught a bass on a topwater, ive tried many of times. What am i doing wrong or wut lures should i be using

Try a buzzbait in the shallows. Early early morning late evening are the times I have the most success. Cloudy days as well with some wind chop. Topwater bite usually picks up as the weather warms into the summer patterns.

I agree with early mornings and late evenings during low light during summer. Only time I have luck with top water during the middle of sunny days is with a frog over thick vegetation or lillies.

I am a top water junky. For LM I typically fish a buzz bait in the moring or anytime there are clouds or shade. If I am going down a bank and there is a shady spot I will throw a buzz bait regardless of the conditions....in the summer time. I think some guys forget about cover when they start throwing a top water bait. You still want cover even though you are fishing the surface. I love to run one down a log or next to a dock. I try to bump cover whenever possible. The same way you would try to bump cover with your spinnerbait. Right now when the pads are up but not thick...great time. Once the pads get heavier I like the rage tail shad as well as the bronzeye frog. I will also throw the frog in open water. It's not just a frog...in fact the fish don't know it's a frog. When was the last time you saw a frog swim side to side? Yet that walk the dog retrieve is exactly the way to fish that frog most of the time.

For SM I prefer a walk the dog type of bait like a spook or sammy. The sammy is definitely my favorite but I like the gunfish as well. I don't fish a lot of wake baits but I know they are effective. The deal with the top water bait like any other is you have to give it some time and fish it when it makes sense so that you can build some confidence in the bait. I would never pick one up again if I had never touched a fish with one. I also have a throw back bait laying next to me in case I miss the fish. My throw back bait is a senko. My PR SM came in pre-fish last year on a Sammy. It was 5.9 lbs and blew up the bait 4 times before it ate it. When SM fishing my throw back bait is a fluke. I like the fluke because often times I am fishing around shad with the sammy.

One quick addition, water temperature is critical. A fast moving bait like a Buzz Bait will not catch many LMB when the water is below 75 degrees on the surface, and very very few when it is below 70 degrees. Slower baits work well at about 5 degrees below that.

On SMB, take 5 degrees off the obove temperatures.

In the fall, take 5 degrees off the temperatures again.

Anglinarcher,

I will have to respectfully disagree. A buzzbait doesn't have to be fished fast and I started really whacking LM on the buzzer 2 weeks ago and the water was still in the 60's. I always bust out the buzzer as soon as the pads break the surface regardless of water temp. I believe it was a little over a week ago when I posted a reoprt from Long Lake where I whacked 4 LM in an hour in the am. The water was 62 that morning. I just slow it down and it is very effective.

Anglinarcher wrote:One quick addition, water temperature is critical. A fast moving bait like a Buzz Bait will not catch many LMB when the water is below 75 degrees on the surface, and very very few when it is below 70 degrees. Slower baits work well at about 5 degrees below that.

On SMB, take 5 degrees off the obove temperatures.

In the fall, take 5 degrees off the temperatures again.

next you'll be telling us you cant catch bass in the winter

bpm2000 wrote:

Anglinarcher wrote:One quick addition, water temperature is critical. A fast moving bait like a Buzz Bait will not catch many LMB when the water is below 75 degrees on the surface, and very very few when it is below 70 degrees. Slower baits work well at about 5 degrees below that.

On SMB, take 5 degrees off the obove temperatures.

In the fall, take 5 degrees off the temperatures again.

next you'll be telling us you cant catch bass in the winter

LOL, not on a buzzbait I can't. OK, maybe I did once in Florida. On the other hand, I seem to find more then my share of bass in the winter, it is just not as productive as other times of the year.

Desertcreek wrote:Anglinarcher,

I will have to respectfully disagree. A buzzbait doesn't have to be fished fast and I started really whacking LM on the buzzer 2 weeks ago and the water was still in the 60's. I always bust out the buzzer as soon as the pads break the surface regardless of water temp. I believe it was a little over a week ago when I posted a reoprt from Long Lake where I whacked 4 LM in an hour in the am. The water was 62 that morning. I just slow it down and it is very effective.

I saw the report, and could not personally duplicate it this last Thursday. Perhaps I was in the wrong place? The SMB were all over, and aggressive, but the LMB and Buzzbaits did not match up for me.

Fish are all different, and perhaps you hit them at just the right time and place. I once caught a 9 # LMB on a streamer fly in January, but I don't think I'd suggest that this was a "good" technique.

Oh ya, even a slow buzzbait is fast, a lot faster then a Spook or a Slop Frog. Sure, you can slow them down, but it is still fast.

I think we will have to respectfully disagree with each other on this one. I suggest that everyone try both methods. After all, I have my temperature rules, and I still tried Buzzbaits on Desertcreek's advice anyway.