How to Use Topwaters

Does this sound like you? "I often have a hard time getting a consistent bite on topwater. I have always followed the advice to only fish topwaters in the early morning and then in the late evening or at nighttime." If it does: think again.

If I am not fly-fishing, rest assured, I am throwing topwaters. It is only begrudgingly that I will switch over to a soft plastic over tops. The old ADHD seems to kick in too quickly and I lose patience, which is 90% of fishing, when I throw tails. Accordingly, I have adapted my fishing techniques and the structural environment I attack during certain periods of the day. However, I don't ascribe to any set standards on colors or tactics I do try a number of things to see what the fish are keying in on for the day. But, although I say I don't ascribe to a particular color or tactic, I do use the mantra, "When the barometer falls the fish rise and, when the barometer rises the fish fall."

Post-Market Rigging

Guides like Captain Mike Cook prefer to go right out the box, tie on a loop knot and go to work with his topwaters. Captain Mitch Richmond likes to use an oval-shaped split ring to rig his baits and dad (Captain Bruce Shuler) and I like to use regular old number 2 stainless steel split rings on ours.

The process is simple. You need a pair of split ring pliers, a topwater, and a split ring. Okay, for the first few attempts, I will also suggest a little bit of patience and a bright light. Open the ring on the end of the pliers and work the eye of the topwater into the opening. Simply work the split ring around the eye until the ring closes. Once you have the new ring on the eye, just tie your line on with your favorite terminal knot.

Why should you go through the trouble? Most topwaters we use in the saltwater market are actually freshwater technology packaged in different marketing décolletage with stainless hooks. The salinity of saltwater is higher than fresh water and will make the baits ride slightly, almost imperceptibly, higher in the water. This will negatively affect the baits action. If you add the split ring, it gives the lure a little more sensitivity to your twitches and gives the bait a more decided and pronounced walking action.

What Action and When

This is quite a loaded question and can take the scope of a book if I am not careful but I promise to give the short nitty-gritty. I really only use three actions-Walking-the-Dog, Dead-Sticking, and the Knee-jerk.

Walking-the-Dog is the most common action anglers are familiar with using. This is when you hold the rod from 9:30 to 11:00 on the clock dial and do the old twitch, twitch reel. If the fish are slapping or seem to be missing, vary your cadence, sometimes they want it faster and other times they want it really slow. Winter time is when fish seem to want it a little slower, summer and spring they want it a little faster, and when they are geared up for pre-winter feeding in the fall they want it fast. Pay attention to your strikes and you will figure out what the fish are looking for in speed.

Dead-sticking are for those days when the fish are boiling under your bait or just coming up and slapping at the presentation. These days usually occur during day light hours following a night after a bright full moon or on really high barometer days that they don't want to get out of the grassbeds. The fish feed all night so they are slow to strike or their air bladders are under assault from the high pressure they are more comfortable staying deep. However, if you get a short strike or see a fish following but not really excited, stop the bait and then twitch a few times-not walk-the-dog twitches but simple little pop-pops. Gauge the fish's action and hold on because this will often elicit a response.

Knee-jerk retrieves are just as they sound--days you yank the topwater through the retrieve. On these fays, I usually go for a popper and most often red and white. These are usually on the mid-bite days between majors and minors with a high sun. Why the knee-jerk? Think about it this way, "What are the bait fish doing on the surface on those hot high sun summer days?" Exactly!

Conditions

Besides the ones I outlined with the retrievals above, the only conditions I look for are days on the water. Fish are fish. They are ruled by the brain the size of or smaller than a pea. They have two inner-drives and each has to do with survival. First, eat and second, not get eaten. It is as simple as that in the great big bay. Fish will eat if you look for what they want. Experiment and remember this fishing thing is fun. The greatest part of the challenge is getting to feed when and where YOU want it to. Sometimes you have to try a few trial and error moments to get it right. However, once you do, you will always be able to get a fish to feed.