Choosing topwaters for the conditions.

[Bassboss]

Joe's prop bait kinda got me thinkin.... How do you guys know when to throw which. What tells you to use one over the other? Trail-and-Error? Or do some produce better for you under particular conditions? I'm not so much talkin about buzzbaits and frogs, as I am top waters with trebles... I don't really consider the other two top water's, don't know why, lol.

Thanks for any help guys.

[Backwater Charlie]

Frogs & Buzzbaits are topwaters, Sammy.

I fish a Pop-R anytime I see bass blowing up on shad. Why? It's a slow, subtle presentation that won't splash loud enough on it's landing to disturb a group of baitfish. For Spook's I don't fish them.. Can't walk the dog very well, and when I do it works out my wrists and I stay away from working out, it's very unhealthy for you.

I'mma throw in Buzzbaits anyway cause they're my favorite, I fish them anytime I'm trying to find active fish. I'll also throw them in the same situation as the Pop-R if I can't reach the fish from shore w/ the smaller Pop-R.

[AUFred]

I favor a Pop R type or Hula Popper as my favorite topwater. If subtlety is called for I will work a Rapala as a topwater bait. I like frogs but not a fan of the snag-proof frogs. I like a buzzbait if the fish are active enough. Never been a fan of spooks. I have had limited success on prop baits & jitterbugs.

[keithdog]

My choice of hard body topwaters depends on a few different things. Between sunset and sunup I prefer the color black hands down as that is easier for the bass to see in low light conditions. One of my favorites is the Jitterbug with a slow rythamic retrieve. The color along with the contant but slow action of the lure makes it easy for a bass to zero in on it in the dark. I go with the larger size Jitterbug. When the sun starts to come up, there are two choices I will go with. I reach for my Spook if there is some wind and a bit of water surface movement. There are several kinds of spook type baits. My favorite is the Heddon Super Spook Jr. This smaller Spook with a rattle has really produced for me big time. I will go with some kind of shad color pattern with this bait. The classic "walk the dog" retrieve is the action you'll get with this bait and it works. Usually I will work the bait a few feet and pause, and then work it a few more feet, pause, ect. The strike almost allways comes for me when I start the retrieve after a pause. If the water is calm, smooth as glass as they say, I reach for my Heddon Baby Torpedo. This bait can be worked very slowly along laydowns, piers, the edges of weed mats, and over the tops of submerged weeds. Now this bait is one bait that I do well with in black regardless of the sunlight conditions. But I do have a couple shad colors incase the black isn't working. I cast this bait out and let it sit a few seconds. Then I just start a slow retieve that consists of twitch twitch pause. On the flat glass like surface of the water the prop on the tail end causes just enough disturbance to look like a wounded minnow or a larger bug. Either way, this bait has been an amazing producer for me over the years. With both the Spook and the Torpedo, I tie a duolock snap to the line for attaching the lure. I believe it gives the lure much better action than tying dirrect to the line. Lastly, when the bass are busting shad at the surface, the only topwater you will find on my line is an Xcaliber 3" Zell Pop in a shad color. I wait untill I start to see shad busting the surface and try to target a specific fish if I see hitting the surface and making a larger splash than the others. Just randomly casting in the area that bass are busting shad does not get near the number of strikes as trying to pinpoint your casts to a specific blowup. But there are times when the bass are litterally boiling up the water in a frenzy. If you cast into that frenzy with the Zell Pop, you better hand on tight cause something exciting is about to happen!

[Bassboss]

Thanks for the tips guys... never really knew when a propbait was called for, and when the water had some chop on it, I had no idea, lol!

[bamabassman]

sam, i like to use what you are referring to as top water baits in EARLY morning when and if the water is "dead calm" unless it has a prop or is the zara spook. those 2 baits i will use in moving water so to speak. a pop-r.....i only use it in calm water, no movement at all. devil horse, spook, torpedo use those when there is moving water.