Working a hollow-bodied frog in shaded areas such as shoreline bushes, docks, overhanging trees and matted vegetation often produces exciting midday strikes from shallow bass. (Photo courtesy of Northland Fishing Tackle)
July 15, 2024
By Shane Beilue
So often, the anticipation of an event is better than the event itself. A long-awaited vacation is over in a flash. That “blockbuster” movie you’ve been waiting to see turns out to be a flop. You wait all week to head to the lake, only for the wind to blow 20 mph.
The thrill of topwater fishing is very much about anticipating the strike, but the ensuing response from a bass rarely fails to deliver on these expectations. Will the lure disappear in a sudden swirl, or will it be clobbered a foot or more out of the water? Maybe it’ll be engulfed and sucked down by a truly giant bass. Any of these responses will do just fine.
Fishing for bass on top is not only a thrilling technique, many times it’s the best strategy to employ given certain circumstances. Here are five of my favorite times to toss a topwater in summer and the ideal lure for each.
1. EARLY IN THE MORNING The early-morning hours remain the prime time for getting a flurry of strikes with a topwater lure. Not only is it the best time to be on the water as an angler, bass use the minimal light from the emerging sun to hunt and chase down prey. At this time, the surface commotion of a topwater acts as a flashing neon sign to foraging bass: “Free meal here!”
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This is the time to implement a “stick-and-move” approach to find these bass on dawn patrol. Fast-moving lures such as a buzzbait or a plopper are excellent choices for quickly covering water while the coffee’s still hot.
Shallow areas offering quick access to deep water, such as the shallowest section of a long, tapering point, are places where bass can herd baitfish against the shallow backstop. Pockets and points with scattered cover along the main body of a reservoir, and riprap banks, are also excellent areas to target early-morning bass.
Feel free to experiment with your buzzbait or plopper retrieves. However, long casts with slow, steady retrieves are usually the ticket with either lure.
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2. OVER BREAM BEDS In early summer, various species of bream will take up residence in the spawning flats bass have recently vacated. It’s a time for bass to “flip the script” and get revenge on their tormentors from a few weeks prior, when bream constantly raided eggs from nesting bass.
These spawning coves commonly are found in creek arms; however, later in the summer, they’re often found in pockets and shallow bars toward the main-lake area. When searching for bream beds, look for large sections of lightly colored, pock-marked lake bottom in less than 5 feet of water. Even if beds aren’t visible, tossing a topwater where you were catching bass around the spawn a few weeks earlier will attract bass chasing shallow bream.
Although many topwater baits work for this scenario, the prop bait does a great job of imitating a struggling bream on the surface and can be paused for extended periods near cover. Work it with short 6- to 8-inch twitches of the rod tip to make the lure surge forward with a quick, sloshing surface action. Vary the rate of twitches and pause time to dial in the preferred retrieve from bass. In the early-morning hours, working the prop bait in the open alleyways between the cover can be effective, whereas directing the lure closer to shade will likely be required in brighter skies.
A glimmering surface near shallow wood, a riprap bank or a clay point indicates shad are spawning—a great time to throw a topwater plug. 3. UNDER BRIGHT SKIES Although the mid-day hours are not often thought of as an ideal time for topwaters, working a hollow-bodied frog under bright skies can deliver some of the best topwater bites of the summer. The key with this approach is finding shallow shade lines associated with shallow shoreline bushes, boat docks, patches of matted vegetation and overhanging shoreline trees.
My favorite approach with a frog in summer is to move into the backs of small, shallow shoreline pockets located along the main body of the reservoir as the sun approaches high noon. Minimal wind and cloud cover is preferred, as the sharp shade lines from the shallow cover are where bass will ambush small pods of shad or bluegills. If dragonflies are seen hovering in these pockets, the odds of success go up even more, and bass can often be seen jumping out of the water to snatch the low-flying insects.
It’s imperative to make long casts into the backs of these pockets, as bass spook easily in the extreme shallows. Although bass may charge out of cover to eat the frog in open water, walking it back close to whatever cover is available will increase your odds of success. Quick twitches from the rod tip pointed at the water initiate the proper walking action from the stubby profile of the frog. This bite seems to age better as summer progresses and lasts until the cold fronts of late fall push bass out of the shallow pockets.
4. DURING THE SHAD SPAWN Threadfin shad are the last forage species to spawn in early to mid-summer, and this event can generate tremendous topwater action from bass gorging upon the tightly grouped shad. The shad spawn is confined to the low-light hours of early morning but may linger well into mid-morning when there’s heavy cloud cover. Shad will spawn on hard surfaces such as riprap banks or shallow wood, though hard clay points can also attract spawning shad. A glimmering surface on an otherwise calm morning is the telltale sign of a shad spawn.
Bass naturally flock to these extreme shallows to feast on the easy meals hemmed against the shoreline, and a well-placed topwater plug will receive a violent welcome from bass. Proximity to spawning shad is more critical than specific lure selection, but a walking bait such as the classic Zara Spook is my long-standing choice. Make long casts toward the shoreline and work it back methodically. Should you find spawning shad along a shoreline one day, don’t hesitate to return to the same spot early the next day, as they’ll likely be in the same area for a couple of weeks.
5. WHEN BASS SCHOOL UP Summer seems to officially arrive once bass start grouping up and chasing shad in deep, open water. The sudden eruption of fleeing baitfish means something bigger is chasing them from below, and a topwater popper can excel here.
Schooling bass can feed on the surface intermittently throughout the day, so keep a popper within easy reach on the boat deck. Firing a long cast into the area can often produce explosive bites. Schooling bass can also be frustrating to catch, as getting them to notice your lure amidst acres of the real thing is sometimes a challenge. A popper retrieved with a very fast cadence produces many strikes for me in this situation, as the imitation of a single shad quickly fleeing the school triggers the bass’ predatory instincts. I like a relatively fast cadence that keeps the popper coming at a near-constant retrieve, with three to five short twitches in rapid succession followed by a very brief 1- to 2-second pause.
STICKS AND STRINGS The right rods and lines to optimize success when fishing on top. Proper rod action and length, as well as proper line material, are critical elements to successful topwater fishing. Often, these change a bit depending on what type of topwater presentation you’re using.
TACTICAL TWITCHING: For lures “twitched” on the surface—prop baits, poppers and walking baits—shorter rods in lengths of 7 feet or less offer quicker response than longer rods. Medium- to medium-heavy-action rods cast lighter topwater plugs farther than stiffer heavy-action rods. A great example of this is Lew’s new Custom Lite rods ($149.99; lews.com ) in 6-foot-8-inch or 6-foot-10-inch lengths, each offered in a medium power and moderate-fast action.BUZZING BRILLIANCE: I prefer slightly longer 7- to 7-foot-4-inch rods with medium-heavy actions for buzzbaits and ploppers. Longer rods permit longer casts and good leverage for hooksets at a distance. The Kistler KLX series ($197; kistlerrods.com ) has a 7-foot-3-inch heavy option, which works great. The 7-foot-2-inch “Ribbit” from KastKing’s Assegai series ($169.99; kastking.com ) is another great choice.LEADING LINES: Although you can tie 30-pound braid directly to the lures above, a short 3- to 4-foot monofilament leader helps prevent the lure from overrunning the limp braid during the pause and fouling the hooks. I like 17- to 20-pound-test for the mono leader, as it’s stiffer than smaller diameter braided main lines and line visibility isn’t a concern with topwater lures. Tie on the mono leader with a Double Uni, Albright or FG knot to minimize interference with the line guides. Side note: Fluorocarbon is not a good option for topwater fishing. The density of the line causes it to sink, and this hinders the action of a topwater lure.NO-FUSS FROGGIN’: Frog fishing is all about power: Heavy- to extra-heavy-action 7-foot-4-inch to 7-foot-6-inch rods provide proper force on hooksets. Tying heavy 50- to 65-pound braid directly to the frog is mandatory because braid offers no stretch under tension and all the energy from the hookset is transferred into the bass’ jaw.This article was featured in the June-July 2024 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
