Have you ever played with a Jack-in-the-box toy? Have you ever seen a scary movie with a build up to a jump scare moment? Top water fishing is very similar. The anticipation and build up is the same. With top water fishing, you are watching your bait move on the surface and awaiting the big explosion from the attack of the fish. Nothing in fishing compares to a high energy top water fishing strike!
Why Top Water Fishing?
Bass and most predator fish are more active in warmer waters. When the surface begins to rise in temperature from the sun, the fish will begin feeding on baitfish on top of the water. There are a few reasons for this behavior. Once the water temperature is above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the fish become more active and are able to metabolize their food much quicker. The warmer surface temps help with their ability to hunt.
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Also, since bait fish such as minnows or small bluegill cannot fly in the air for long distances, the water’s surface acts as a wall or trap for the baitfish. The bass can chase them to the top and then they have nowhere to go. This will make bass more aggressive with bait on top of the water.
Top Water Fishing Bait selection
Top water baits can emulate baitfish on top of the water with nowhere to go. These baits can also mimic other food sources such as spiders, rats, frogs, bugs and more! My favorite go-to top water bait would be a hollow body frog over vegetation.
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A frog has a very low stroke to hook ratio due to it having vampire hooks that require the body of the frog to compress to expose the hooks. That means that it is much tougher for the angler to hook up a bass on a frog due to its design and lack of patience. I admit, I get way too excited sometimes when using a frog and finally getting a big strike from below. I set the hook very quickly and end up pulling the frog directly away from the fish. Instead, the best advice is to allow the bass to take the frog under water and pull away before setting the hook. This delay will ensure a much better hook up ratio.
Pro tip: find a frog bait that has a spinning paddle tail on the back of it similar to the Sprinker frog from Teckle USA baits. This will give you the best of both baits in one package. You can use this frog bait over heavy cover and open water with great results. Just remember to hesitate before setting the hook.
Other Selections
My other favorite bait for the surface would be a rotating Topwater moving bait such as a choppo or whopper plopper in open water.
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These bait types have a second back section that will rotate like a propellor and have multiple exposed treble hooks hanging from its body. This makes it a bad choice in any vegetation but will bring very solid strike to hook up ratio with the exposed hooks. This type of bait will make a lot of noise and cause disturbance to the point that you will trigger aggressive responses from your target fish. I highly recommend using both of these bait options where they fit the best.
Heading Home
Top water fishing is fun and exciting. The buildup and suspense will keep you coming back for more! Be sure to practice techniques, try new baits often to learn what works best for you and try not to get too excited and set the hook prematurely and lose those aggressive fish.
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