Topwater Fishing Mastery: How To Fish, Make, and Choose Topwater Lures
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Fishing with topwater lures—if you’ve never tried it, you’re missing the kind of thrill that keeps anglers up night plotting an early alarm. It’s nerve, anticipation, the ridiculous sweetness of a savage surface blow-up breaking the stillness. Sometimes it’s wild luck. Other times, pure skill or honest stubbornness. Here’s how to do it right, how it feels, and all the quirks and secrets only time on the water reveals.
What Are Topwater Lures?
Topwater lures are your ticket to fishing action you can literally see from the bank, boat, or even a kayak. These are floating baits—frogs, poppers, walkers, buzzbaits, and ploppers—designed to mimic injured prey, amphibians, or fleeing baitfish right on the surface. The goal? Get fish, especially bass, to attack with ferocity that’ll rattle your nerves in a good way.
How to Fish Topwater Lures: The Essential Moves
The dance starts with your cast; long, accurate, and tucked tight to shallow cover. Think lily pads, laydowns, banks, docks, the places fish feel bold but hidden. Bass, in particular, often hang in less than five feet of water, ready to pounce on anything overhead.
Fishing a topwater is a little like playing with a cat—a splash, a twitch, pause, repeat. For “walk-the-dog” lures, keep slack in your line and pop your rod tip so the bait zigs and zags. With poppers, reel in while giving little downward jerks, making the bait spit water. Buzzbaits and ploppers? Just reel steadily to churn the surface.
And here’s a tip: don’t set the hook until you actually feel the fish. That’s a mistake even salty veterans make. When a bass explodes, let it turn down with the lure before pulling—if you’re too soon, you’ll snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
What Fish Like Topwater Lures?
Bass are at the top of the list for surface commotion. Largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass all lose their minds for a well-placed frog or walker. But they’re not alone: fish like pike, muskie, stripers, and even some panfish will blow up on topwater lures. If it hunts up, it’ll strike. Just keep in mind, summer and late spring tend to be prime times, especially when water temps creep above 55°F.
Making Your Own Topwater Lures
Want to go deeper and craft your own? Start with basic materials: balsa wood, soft plastics, or recycled plastics you can cut, sand, and paint. Add split rings, hooks, and a touch of creative flair. For frogs and soft walkers, pour plastics into molds, rig with weedless hooks, and paint on some wild color combos. For wooden walkers and poppers, whittle the blank, carve the face, drill for your hardware, then seal and paint. There’s guts and pride in fishing what you made yourself.
For inspiration and to see what’s biting, check out the wild variety at places like Topwater Tackle. If you want ready-made options, drop by their collections or hone in on topwater fishing lures—it’s staggering how many shapes and styles you’ll find.
How to Fish Topwater Lures for Bass
Bass and topwater are a match made in adrenaline heaven. If you’re chasing bass, target the shallows early morning or late evening—especially when light is indirect. Pick lure colors that match the day: white bellies for bright conditions so baitfish blend, dark bellies for dusk or shade so there’s a silhouette. Pay attention to retrieve speed; sometimes bass want it fast and messy, other times slow and subtle.
Fish around brush, weed edges, docks, submerged logs. Don’t ignore open water if you spot baitfish busting. Vary your retrieves—jerk, pause, twitch—and always watch for that surface eruption. Bass will let you know what they want, if you’re paying attention.
The Real Stuff: Tips and Observations
- Always bring a spare lure. Topwater fishing can wreck gear with epic strikes, lost hooks, or snagged weeds.
- Some days, topwater is dead. Others, it’s like every fish is hopped up on caffeine and reckless dreams.
- Missing a strike? Let the lure sit or try a follow-up cast. Sometimes fish just miss, but they’ll come back if you play it cool.
- Fishing topwater is about pacing, patience, and understanding when to let chaos take over.
- The bite in the dark, when you barely see the lure—a silhouette sliding across glass—can be pure magic.
Final Thoughts
Fishing topwater lures isn't just about technique—it’s about the story you're crafting every time you cast. Whether you're buying from Topwater Tackle, checking out collections, or making your own, remember: this is the pursuit that has hooked countless anglers. It’s visual, visceral, and always a little mysterious. The only way to know is to go. If you get blown up on a frog, you might just find yourself retelling that moment for years.
So get out there, laugh at your mistakes, savor your successes, and keep one eye on the water’s surface—because you never know when the next fish will make your heart skip a beat.