Top Water!
There is no part of Bass fishing quite as rewarding as the art of fishing top-water lures. There are fishermen like Charlie Campbell and Sam Griffin who have spent a lifetime developing their skills in this art. Envision a small lake on a quiet morning at sunrise covered with patches of lily pads and large bass busting the surface in pursuit of bait. This is when you grab a rod with a top-water lure tied on and get ready for the experience of a lifetime. This doesn't mean that this is the only time you can fish a top-water lure, as they will work almost anytime and under many conditions.
Top-waters are best when fished around heavy cover. Look for areas that have fallen trees, grass, bullrushes or even an old boat dock. If you become adept at throwing the lures around this type cover with good accuracy, you will catch many fish. Open-water areas surrounded by submerged grass can be an excellent place to have a bass crash your lure.
There are basically four types of top-water lures in use today. These include chuggers, stick baits, prop baits, and soft plastic weedless lures. Chuggers are those lures like a High Roller, Storm Chug Bug, Pop"R", or the old Heddon Chugger. Probably the most famous stickbait, made famous by Charlie Campbell, is the Heddon Zara Spook and the original High Roller wooden lure. A good example of a soft plastic top-water would be a Scum Frog or Rat.
Maybe the easiest of all to fish is the prop bait. The very popularlures like the RipRoller, Devils Horse and Tiny Torpedo are very easy to use and produce thousands of fish each year all over the world.
The most common mistake among top-water fishermen is impatience. You must slow down and take your time when fishing top-water lures. Just enjoy the surroundings and cover each area thoroughly and completely.
If you will try some top-water fishing this season you will find that the attack of a largemouth on a top-water bait is more exciting than almost any other type of fishing. Take these tips and HAVE FUN.