With topwater season upon us I figured I would take a minute and share some of the topwaters I like to fish with and the setups I throw them on. Everyone loves topwater season. Nothing better than watching those bass come up and crash your lure as it moves along the surface of the water.
My favorite style of topwater is a walking bait. Whether that is a spook style bait or a stick bait. My number 1 walking style bait is a River2Sea rover in the bone white color. There are other colors available just the bone color is my favorite and most confident. The River2Sea rover has good side to side action as you walk it back to the boat. I vary my cadence between snap, snap, snap, pause and then a constant snap but I vary the speed. Sometimes fast and sometimes slow just depends. You have figure out how they want it. I throw these style baits on my Dobyns DC 765 cb paired with a Shimano Curado cu spooled with 12 pound mono or fluorocarbon line.
Another style topwater that I like to throw is the River2sea Whopper Plopper. This is a rear prop style bait that makes a lot of noise in the water. You can make really long cast with the whopper plopped and cover a lot of water with these baits. I like to throw the “Monkey Butt and Shad pattern. I throw my whopper poppers on same rod I throw my walking baits with but I like to throw the whopper poppers on 15 pound.
Poppers is another topwater that is awesome to watch. I like to throw finesse poppers the most. My favorite finesse popper is the IMA Lures finesse popper. If I am fishing for largemouth I like to throw my poppers on my Dobyns fury series FR 733 c paired with a Diawa tabula 100 spooled with 10 or 12 pound mono or fluorocarbon line. If I am fishing smallmouth and spots I tend to throw the poppers on my Dobyns fury series FR 702 sf spinning rod paired with a Abu Garcia Revo 2×30 spooled up with 6 or 8 pound mono or fluorocarbon line.
I love throwing buzzbaits. I’m sure some people go into depth on their buzzbaits me I throw the Brabec Buzzbaits double buzz. Hands down my favorite buzzbaits to throw. I throw them on same setup I throw my walking baits and whopper poppers on. Another topwater bait is a prop bait or spy bait. I’m not to familiar with these topwaters but definitely effective baits.
Last but not least frogs. What rod I throw my frogs on depends on how thick of cover I am fishing. I like to throw popping frogs and walking frogs. If I am throwing frogs in more open water or sparse grass then I throw a popping frog and I throw them on my setup I throw walking baits with. If I am fishing into thick trees or really matted vegetation then I am throwing a walking frog and I throw them on my Dobyns championship 766 flip Flippin stick on 65 pound braid. This may not be the right way but it’s what works for me. Hope some of these baits I like to throw are some that you pick up and give a try. Tight lines and see you out on the water.
Tight lines and have a great day
RB Bass Outdoors angler
Vern Westberg II