Freshwater anglers have a number of topwater choices. Within the bass game particularly, these searching for floor eruptions can dip into virtually any lure style and discover the proper bait to name up a hog. Conventional Spooks and poppers are, in fact, classics in sweetwater. However you’ve additionally received buzzbaits, prop baits, gurglers, crawlers, and a military of soppy plastics designed to kick, sputter, and froth their method to big-fish victory. If you happen to’re a saltwater angler, nonetheless, your selections are a bit extra restricted.
Years in the past, I interviewed a captain from Louisiana who swore by hollow-body bass frogs for mahi-mahi. He would toss these weedless rubber baits over floating mats of sargassum seaweed and work them by means of the vegetation aggressively. It was a nifty — albeit area of interest — trick, however his success illustrates how saltwater predators aren’t often as discerning as freshwater fish. A mahi doesn’t know what a frog is. It merely reacts to a transferring goal. Within the salt, there’s much less want for finesse with topwaters, and selecting the best one for the scenario hinges extra on situations than the rest.
Saltwater floor lures could be damaged down into three major classes: poppers, strolling baits, and sub-surface sliders. From offshore species like tuna to again bay redfish in skinny water, all three lure types have a time and a spot. So, let’s begin by breaking down the advantages of every earlier than diving into topwater tips and methods.
Poppers
- Greatest for deep water, stained water, uneven water.
Photograph by Joe Cermele
Poppers are essentially the most ubiquitous topwater in fishing. From creeks to the Gulf Stream, the chugging, spitting motion of those lures attracts consideration from all method of gamefish. They’re versatile, too. No matter how calm or uneven the floor situations are, they’ll carry out. The physique form and rear weighting of a popper additionally makes it very aerodynamic, so you’ll be able to solid them far and precisely when a blitz erupts. Poppers may also be labored at any cadence. Chug them rapidly to incite a response chew or gently pop and pause to maintain them within the strike zone longer round sod banks, bridge pilings, and docks.
When shopping for poppers, take note of the depth of their scooped, concave mouths. The deeper the news, the extra water it would collect and throw while you chug. This naturally makes deep-faced poppers louder. When chasing species like tuna and striped bass in deep, open water, this is usually a enormous profit, as it may appeal to fish from better distances. In shallow water, nonetheless, a popper with a much less extreme scoop can do a greater job of mimicking a smaller injured baitfish flipping and flopping on the floor. They’re additionally more practical when concentrating on fish holding and ambushing round inshore construction, the place a subtler sound could be the ticket to drawing strikes.
Prime Saltwater Poppers
MirrOlure Poppa Mullet
Major Targets: Redfish, seatrout, small snook, school-sized striped bass
With a slender profile and shallow popping mouth, this lure shines in skinny water the place a subtler commotion makes the play.
Yo-Zuri Hydro Popper
Major Targets: Striped bass, snook, bull redfish
An awesome all-around popper, this lure is powerful sufficient to tangle with massive fish in addition to carry out in open or sheltered waters.
Yo-Zuri Big Game Bull Popper
Major Targets: Tuna, mahi-mahi, trophy striped bass, bull redfish
With a loud chug, lengthy casting distance, and extra-tough {hardware}, this popper can deal with fish weighing north of 100 kilos.
Strolling Baits
- Greatest for calm water, shallow water, and low gentle situations
Essentially the most well-known strolling topwater of all time is the Heddon Zara Spook. It’s been round for practically a century, and it’s answerable for all the class of strolling floor lures being collectively known as “Spooks.” These easy, cigar-shaped baits “stroll” backward and forward in a zig-zag sample throughout the retrieve. Most additionally characteristic an inner rattle chamber that offers them a definite “clacking” sound as they transfer. Although they’ll actually produce while you inject delicate actions and pauses into the retrieve, it’s the rhythmic, repetitive sound on the floor that arguably attracts essentially the most strikes.
Spooks are the primary selection for seatrout anglers in again bay environments, as these fish feed closely by sound. After all, redfish, snook, and striped bass may even hammer them. Over the previous couple of years, big strolling topwaters adopted from the muskie scene have been gaining reputation with saltwater anglers concentrating on massive fish in deep, open water.
The one disadvantage of a Spook is that it’s troublesome to take care of that regular, rhythmic cadence when floor situations are tough. Wave motion could make a Spook soar out of the water as an alternative of gliding forwards and backwards, which may mar the presentation.
Prime Strolling Baits for Saltwater
Heddon Zara Spook
Major Targets: Seatrout, redfish, snook, striped bass
It’s laborious to beat the old-school Zara in plain Bone colour for virtually any skinny-water species that eats baitfish.
MirrOlure Top Dog
Major Targets: Seatrout, snook, redfish
Vastly well-liked throughout the South, the Prime Canine has lengthy been a staple within the containers of wading anglers and boaters from Texas to Florida to the Carolinas.
Jigging World Doc
Major Targets: Trophy striped bass, bull redfish
This outsized, bone-colored Spook has the uncanny capability to make enormous striped bass seem out of nowhere, even within the open ocean.
Sub-Floor Sliders
- Greatest for clear water, vibrant situations, skittish fish
The slider class is odd as a result of it encompasses a number of types of lure together with suspending twitchbaits. Are these floor lures? Sure and no. They’re designed to be fished simply underneath the highest, often a foot or much less deep. Normally, they’re shut sufficient that while you get smashed, it’s nonetheless very visible and ends in a boil or vacuum gap the place the lure was.
These sorts of lures shine on days while you’re seeing fish comply with poppers and Spooks with out committing. Causes for this may differ, however it’s typically throughout vibrant days, or when the water is ultra-clear, or a mixture of each. The fish are being triggered by floor exercise however not prepared to shut the deal up high. When this occurs, the darting, slashing, bulging motion of a slider just under the floor typically makes the distinction.
Prime Sliders for Saltwater
Mirrolure MirrOdine
Major Targets: Seatrout, snook, redfish
With a most sink depth of solely two ft, this bait is straightforward to maintain just under the floor when retrieved with a excessive rod angle.
Rapala X-Rap Twitchin’ Minnow
Major Targets: Snook, seatrout, striped bass
Two heavy-gauge single hooks assist this lure keep pinned when massive stripers or snook take a shot just below the floor.
Shimano Orca
Major Targets: Tuna, mahi-mahi, trophy striped bass, trophy snook
With an ultra-slow sink charge and heavy-duty parts, this lure can deal with the giants that may’t resist its erratic slashing motion.
Topwater Suggestions & Methods
Photograph by Joe Cermel
Do the Popper Drop-Again
Species like snook and striped bass love to make use of tidal present to their benefit when feeding. They’ll maintain someplace behind construction that breaks the present, resembling behind a dock piling or level of land, then dart out into the primary stream to seize a baitfish using the tide. When fishing a popper in sooner water, nonetheless, it’s not unusual for these fish to overlook on the primary shot.
What typically occurs is the fish traces up on the popper, however because the popper is transferring with the present, the hit occurs simply behind the lure. In different phrases, it wasn’t the place the fish thought it will be by the point it reaches the floor. A intestine response is to rapidly pop once more, however this may generally pull the lure farther out of the zone. As a substitute, practice your self to do nothing if a fish misses in heavy present. They’ll typically suppose they’ve surprised the prey and swing round on what they now understand as wounded forage. It’s not unusual for fish holding in sturdy present to solely enterprise to this point for a meal, so for those who let the popper journey after a miss, it’ll be transferring slower and hopefully stay within the kill zone simply lengthy sufficient for a second shot.
Loop Your Spooks
Spook-style lures get their efficiency from their rhythmic cadence. The preferred fashions sweep broadly backward and forward as they transfer, creating extra floor disturbance and sound. To boost their attraction additional, attempt leaning on a loop knot when tying on a Spook.
The simplest to grasp is the non-slip mono loop. By securing a Spook through this connection, it’ll have extra freedom of motion and, due to this fact, better vary of movement. The power of the lure’s hook eye to slip on a loop also can ramp up the bait’s erratic motion. Throughout pauses or slower retrieves, the loop will assist the lure jackknife and “look backwards,” which is usually a enormous set off with predatory fish.
Use a Single Hook
Thanks partly to a better conservation ethic amongst anglers, extra topwater lures are supplied with a single hook as of late. You may, in fact, retrofit any lure with single inline hooks, as they’re obtainable in a variety of sizes. However not wanting to stay the factors of two treble hooks in a fish’s face isn’t the one purpose to modify to single hooks. In some instances, you’ll truly enhance your odds of touchdown fish.
That is very true with massive fish that combat very laborious. Have you ever ever observed that offshore trolling lures hardly ever characteristic treble hooks? It’s as a result of underneath excessive rigidity, a single hook that’s nicely planted is way stronger and holds a lot sooner than a treble hook. This identical precept carries over to topwater lures. If you happen to’re chasing trophy redfish, stripers, or snook, swapping treble hooks for single hooks will guarantee extra strong hook units and a greater connection. In conditions the place you’re hooking toothy bluefish or jacks on each different solid, single hooks are additionally a lot safer and sooner to take away so you may get again within the motion.
Stroll the (Shadow) Line
Among the best occasions to fish topwater lures within the salt is after sundown. Predators like striped bass, snook, seatrout, and tarpon are nocturnal hunters. And the most effective locations to search out all of them after darkish is on a tough shadow line.
These are mostly discovered round bridges, although docks can produce glorious shadow traces as nicely. Gentle shining on the water from the dock or bridge deck is the catalyst. Though it might not create bodily construction, the road the place darkish water meets lit water is the proper ambush level for predators. They’ll maintain just under the floor at the hours of darkness space and anticipate tidal stream to maneuver prey in from the lit water forward. A topwater lure is an effective way to capitalize on this state of affairs.
Ideally, you’ll need to be positioned parallel to the shadow line. What’s necessary is that you just don’t solid on the road. As a substitute, throw nicely forward of the road into the water that’s well-lit. Whether or not throwing a Spook or a popper, make a loud retrieve till the lure is about to hit the shadow line after which cease. The commotion ought to alert fish holding at the hours of darkness, and a prey merchandise that’s not transferring when it crosses the road takes much less effort for a fish to spring up and snatch.
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