Fishing with topwater lures is by far the most exciting way to fish for largemouth bass. Whether you target bass with a frog, torpedo, buzzbait or any other type of topwater lure, the strikes above the surface are just flat out awesome.
Fish During the Warm Months
At times you can catch some largemouth with a topwater lure during cold water conditions, but for the most part, you’re going to be looking for water temperatures above 60 degrees.
Low Light Conditions are Best
There are exceptions, but for the most part, the better topwater bite is almost always during low light conditions. Early morning, evening and the night time are best.
Fish at Night
In the late spring, summer and early fall, there is usually a very good topwater bite at night as well on most bodies of water.
Twitch, Twitch, Pause
If you want to consistently catch largemouth bass with a topwater lure, learn how to twitch the bait a couple of times and then pause the bait. This technique is by far the best technique for consistently catching bass on the surface.
Frogs are Awesome
It’s tough to beat a frog. Learn how to fish with them and you’ll catch a ton of bass.
Learn About the Different Types of Topwater Lures
Buzzbaits are one of the most exciting topwater lures to use because the explosions can be absolutely incredible. This is a lure that attracts aggressive bass and it works very well during the early morning and evening hours.
Chuggers – Poppers are very popular among topwater bass anglers. These lures can be retrieved with a quick twitch and stop motion when bass are aggressive. When bass are less aggressive, a stop and go retrieve with longer pauses will get plenty of bites.
Floating soft plastic baits, such as the Biffle O’ Lizard featured above, can work well as topwater lures for largemouth bass fishing. We recommend using the baits that are a little larger because it allows you to cast them farther. The baits that have some tails and/or legs are great because they create a swimming action as you slowly retrieve them across the surface.
Topwater Crawlers can be very productive during daytime hours, but this is one of the best topwater lures for night fishing. Bass can easily follow this lure’s slow and steady retrieve at night. Don’t be surprised if you get some hits right next to shore or the boat.
Propbaits are some of the most exciting topwater lures for bass fishing. You can use a steady wind-in retrieve or a twitch and pause technique. The twitch and pause technique tends to work much better as most bass will hit the lure on the pause.
Topwater Stickbaits provide an exciting walk-the-dog motion along the top of the water. This retrieve mixed in with a pause will draw aggressive bass from far to see what is causing all of the commotion. Bass will attack stickbaits very aggressively.
Frogs work great for fishing over lily pads or a variety of different weeds. The morning and evenings are great times to fish topwater frogs, but you can go into some heavy cover during the middle of the day and get some bass to come up for these lures.
Mice work great for fishing over lily pads or a variety of different weeds. The morning and evenings are great times to fish topwater mice, but you can go into some heavy cover during the middle of the day and get some bass to come up for these lures.
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