Topwaters, Walkers vs Poppers

All summer long I've found myself fishing one particular edge that bass seem to relate to at various types of the day....the edge where the water meets the sky above.

I try to keep it simple when it comes to my baits...a perch patterned popper has always done well for me, and I have grown to become quite fond of a red head/white body spook style bait....the bass like them both as well.

I use a 6'8" MF baitcaster and 7.3:1 gear ratio reel loaded with 30lbs braid for all my topwater needs.

Simply put...water like glass, go with the popper....waves present, spook style bait is the way to go.

I'm looking forward to throwing both these style of lures this fall in hopes of catching my elusive fiver.

Cheers.

First the popper....a month ago I found myself at a family cottage, out in a canoe for a nice paddle to pass the day. Close to shore, up until about the 3' depth range, the only weed present consisted of some type of hard, course, non flowering weed. To me, they almost looked like dead cattails of some sort. Long story short, I didn't get a whiff from any fish in that cover. During my paddle, I found some milfoil that I could cast to from shore. Heaving the popper out into the milfoil, on a glass calm day, was the ticket. The fish were aggressive, smashing it regardless of their size. A consistent pop, pop pop retrieve and the bass just crushed it every time. This was a great pattern that I could follow for the duration of my stay, and it paid dividends. It also brought smiles to my family as they could see the topwater carnage.

I also found myself on a the windswept side of the lake, with waves about 1' high hitting a rocky point extending into a weed bed. To provide the fish with a bigger target, I went with the spook, using a traditional walk the dog retrieve. I also think the colour of the spook helped the bass in zeroing in on it. Again, nothing huge, but it was a fun time catching numbers of fish.

Nice fish. That white and red just screams spring pike in two or three feet of water on Balsam. (South or north bays.) Right after the pike spawn, and before the crappie move in to spawn. Early morning, and evening would be perfect for that lure at a slow twitch and pause retrieve.

Great fish!
There's nothing more exciting than a top water bite!

Last year I had a muskie blow up on my popper. I watched it completely come out of the water. It sliced through my line and I didn't feel an ounce of weight. Took my favorite popper! LOL

Thank you both for your replies.

Ya, caught a few pike on it as well. It is a silent one with no rattles, so it doesn't spook the shallow pike.

Musky are good at that..lol

Nice bass Atilla, you are doing pretty good this year on the bass. In the area, I generally fish. I seem to be having issues catching bass this year. Normally they are plentiful.

Arnie

Hello Arnie,

Thanks for the kind words.

I guess I just always find a way to change things up, especially the baits I throw. The waters I fish get pounded a lot between opener and Labour Day weekend, and while I do catch fish on the usual presentations, it has really been trying new techniques that has paid dividends for me.

Have you tried throwing any new baits in the area?

Regarding the above post, it was actually the weather conditions that made me change my approach. The cottage is on the eastern side of the lake where it narrows into a river. Most of the time the wind is blowing through the area, making topwater fishing an afterthought. This time, though, the water was literally like glass.

With the current, the weed edge, the glass water...well, it was like shooting fish in a barrel.

I know you'll be back on them soon, especially with the colder weather approaching.