- McNutt from TEXAS says....When
to fish top water lures...???
Being a long time topwater addict, to me it's always topwater time.
We catch fish year round up top, and at all hours of the clock. It
may not be the most productive method at times, but you can usually
draw strikes if you are throwing it where the fish are. And that's
the whole key, throwing it on top of fish. If they won't quite eat
it, many times they will at least show themselves to you, and you
can revert to subordinate sub-surface methods. When they bug off the
flats, you can still catch them on the surface if you just retreat
to where the fish retreat to, even if it's in fairly deep water. The
next level drop-off structure may be the ticket. If your getting a
lot of blow-ups but few hook-ups, small technique changes mentioned
above can often do the trick. However, another method that often works
is to just downsize a little. For example, if the famous Super Spook
is getting bashed but not eaten, even going down to jumping minnow
size can sometimes do it. Then theres stuff like 7m mirrOlures and
chugbugs that can change their mind. If they nail but don't inhale
your TopDog, try your TopDog Jr.!
One more thing, and I'll go to my grave believing this one. When they
want it, they DON'T miss. Let's remember that we're dealing with professionals
here, I mean that's certainly what they do for a living. Those blow-up
'misses' are probably instinctive reactions. The plug has excited
the fish to react, but there's a lot of responses besides just eating.
Sometimes it appears that they are just trying to kill it, or are
curious, or maybe just venting a little steam for lack of a better
term. BUT, when it's eatin' time, you CAN'T take it away from them.
We use VMC Conecut hooks, and they are so sharp that we catch a lot
in the top of the head, side of the head, back, tail, etc ...that
would normally be missed. We've seen fish on numerous occasions ram
a bait with their mouths closed, slam it with the top of their heads,
smack it with a tail slap,....or jump out of the water 2 feet away
from it and give it the 'eyeball'. If these tire-kicking fish even
breath on a cone-cut, many times it will hang long enough to work
itself in, and he's hooked! A classic sign that the fish are in the
eating mode with a plug the size of a SuperSpook, T-Dog, RedFin, etc
... is hook-up placement. When you land one, if the front hook is
in the lower jaw and the back hook is in the gill plate, he was going
for the Big Gulp. That's the classic hook placement of a fish that
was 'thinking' with it's gut. Also, sometimes a true 'feeding' fish
won't make all that surface show when he's (she's) taking the bait,
it's pure business and the plug just gets sucked down hard. This is
especially true with bigger trout, sometimes it vanishes without a
ripple.
. Hope some of this made sense.
- BlowUp Topwater Time!!
I think anytime is topwater time, as I fish and have fished, with
success, topwaters from before sunrise to dark and after dark, on
cloudy days, sunny days, all kinds of water action(I like choppy best).
I believe in them and just like to throw them more than other lures.
I'm kinda hardheaded when it comes to topwaters--I'm gonna chunk'em.
About the blowups that miss, happens alot, just change colors, technique,
or do like I do if they hit or miss it bring it quickly for about
10' if no hookup, reel in fast and cast again past where the first
hit took place and work it back. It's been my experience they will
smash it this time and you will HOOK UP!!!! Be patient and keep on
chunkin'. I sometimes put on a jointed thunderstick or corky slowsink
something that will get under just slightly if I just want a change,
but like I stated earlier I'm hardheaded and like the top. I'm out,
keep on chunkin' your time will come, enjoy!! BlowUp
Added: March 10, 1999
- Fish Stix says....
Personal favorites,# 1 bone Jumping Minnow # 2 Chartreuse Jumper/Ghost/Super
Spook/Top Dog # 3 bone Corky # 4 bone/chartreuse Zip-N- Ziggy/ Samurai
(both smaller baits for very clear water and spooky fish). You will
get enough responses to this question to make Danny at Cut Rate
very happy if you buy even 1/4 of the opinions for THE KILLER TOPWATER.
Colors and styles to follow....
- Redneck Biologist from TX says
TW choices....
Favorite lure has to be the Super Spook. First thing you need to
do after purchase is remove the wimpy split rings and worthless
hooks. Replace rings with heavy duty stainless types with flat ends
(versus pointed ends). Then replace hooks with quality, sharp hooks
in number 2 size (such as VMC Conecuts or Mustad triple grips, etc...).
Some folks remove the middle hook altogether--I have done that recently
on some of mine. I know it sounds silly--spend $5.50 on one bait
and then another $1.50 to get it right, but it really will pay off
in the long run. I have also caught some nice fish on Top Dogs and
Producer Ghosts. As far as colors go...I have caught fish on them
all, so pick a few standards (bone, natural mullet, chartreuse,
etc...)and then spend quality time learning how to work the bait
in different situations.
- Steve says broken backs ....
I like any of the broken backs from the cordell red fin. to the
hedden and some of the more expensice wood lures. The are a lot
easyier to fish. than a stick bait. I like bone. ORANGE belly black
back and gold sides. and then sivlever with blue back or black back.
and gold with chart back. What ever top water you choose make sure
you get little ones as well as big ones. THE cordells come in 6
inch and 4 inch models and those small ones can find there mark
on the right days. steve
- John H. says "fishing lure
color?"
I think many more species of fish see color than most people realize.
However, their ability to distinguish blood red from cherry red,
or brown from motor oil is probably pretty rare. At last count,
I had over 800 different lures in lots of different colors, but
I end up consistantly only using a few - the same few - over and
over again. In general, trout and especially redfish aren't too
picky. I think color for these fish are strictly based upon increased
visability. What I mean is this: Certain colors show up better (are
easier for the fish to see under certain conditions). For example,
BLACK is extremely good in very muddy water or "brown-tide"
situations. Silver is good in low light and gold is better in bright
light. For some reason, BONE colored topwaters are awesome on the
Texas coast. Be it a Ghost, Spook (yes they DO make 'em in BONE),
or Jumping Minnow - BONE just plain catches more fish day in and
day out. In clear water, more natural finishes seem to work better.
Soft plastics seem to work better in red, chartruese, root beer
(brown), or black with contrasting pink, white, or yellow tails.
Remember, most fish strike lures because they mistake it for something
to eat. So colors that appear natural to them work best. This is
not to say only use "natural" colors - For example, pink
in the early morning looks like a "natural" color. I rarely
change a bait because of color. But I do change a bait to get a
different action - noisy topwater vs. finess soft plastic. A big
Ghost to cast against the wind vs. 1/8 oz jig in very shallow water,
etc. For wading in Texas for Trout and Reds, here what I've been
putting in my box for years: (1) 1/8 & 1/4 oz Johnson gold weedless
spoons (2) 2 Bone Ghosts (3) Gold Pepper Shad Bass Assassins (4)
Red cocohoe or shrimp tail with white or pink tail (5) Motor oil
cocohoe or shrimp tail with chartruese tail (6) (just recently)
Gold or Silver Zip N Ziggy (a small topwater) (7) a manfield mauler
float If you can't catch 'em on these baits - you're in the wrong
area.
- Bryan from Texas says "Topwater
Fishing Lures...."
I primarily use Ghosts for topwater fishing. They are a Zara Spook
type bait.My favorite color would be gold sides, orange bottom,
and black top. Also bone (off-white) has been a very good color
for me.Also, jointed plugs seem to work well. There is a jointed
mirror lure that works well, sorry I can't remember the model number.
- Capt. Red from Tx says "Top
Water fishing lures..."
My favorite is the new "Top Dawg" by Mirro-Lure, has the
loudest rattle I've heard yet. As far as jointed Floater-Diver type
plugs I like Storm Jointed Thunder Sticks they have alot of action
when retrieved at slow speeds. As far as colors I like Chrome w/
Blue Back for brite sunny days, Bone or Gold combos for overcast
conditions. Green Back Silver Side White Belly is my choice in "Top-Dawg"
at the present time
- Jarret from TX says Super Spook
and Top Dog lures
I used to primarily fish Ghost, but have switched to Top Dogs (TD)
and Super Spooks (SS) fishing for Trout/Reds along the Texas coast.
I really like the action and size of the TD. I fish bone or 808
on cloudy days and fish #18(Green back, white belly silver side)
the rest of the time. I might only be fishing #18 soon. I have had
good results with it and am waited to compare it to a bone ghost
on a cloudy day. When the water is rough or I know there are big
trout around, I will switch to a SS. Favorite colors are the original
chart back/silver side on clear days and mullet color on cloudy
days. With any of the above lures you need to invoke a very erratic
"walk the dog' action. Don't just walk the dog at the same
speed all the time. Stop, jerk, walk some fast, stop, walk slow…..
Many times the fish will blow up on a pause or when you start hauling
it. Several other points. If you get a blow up and they miss it,
there are two general ways to try and get the same fish to strike
it again. Either stop the bait and let it sit then twitch it or
reel fast and imitate a mullet running for its life. I have had
better results with the second technique, but that is one heavily
debated topic. Red what do you do? I would also recommend a hook
change on all of the above lures. Remove the middle hook on the
SS and replace the front and back with #2 VMC conecuts. I also replace
the hooks on the Top Dog with short-shank #2 VMC conecuts. They
come with regular VMCs, but the conecuts are much sharper. Lastly,
learn to tie a loop knot to your topwaters. There are several kinds
of loop knots out there. Find one you can tie fast and strong. It
will give the bait more side to side motion.
I am still trying to figure a
good color for murky/off water. I have only heard people talk about
color patterns based on sunlight, but not water clarity. Anybody
know anything about this topic? In the last Troutmasters and IMS
tournaments the top 3 fish were caught on either Super Spooks, TDs
,Ghost. or Corkys. That has got to tell you something about the
potential of these baits. You might not catch more fish, but you
are likely to catch better quality fish!
- Mullet from Tx says Top Waters
There are a few topwaters that you need on the Tx coast. My number
one bait is the Super Spook. The Top Dog by Mirrolure has made a
big splash since it was released a fewmonths ago but I find the
SS easier to walk. They both cast like bullets and they're bothloud!
The Ghost is also right in there and is a lot cheaper than both
these other baits.There are really only a two colors you need. Bone
is the first and Halloween(black back, gold sides, orangebelly)
is the second. Bone is for clear water and Halloween is for dirty
water. You can get more colors if you like but I've caught hundreds
of trout and reds on only these two.The floater/divers are popular
on the lower coast but they don't cast well in the wind which seems
to plague the upper coast.Go get some of these in what ever colors
catch your eye and give them an honest try when you know the fish
are there and you'll never use soft plastics again! Hope this helps!
- Greg from Texas says Pluggin
I have been fishing primarily topwater plugs for a while now and
I have really seen the size of the fish I catch increase. I have
had some success on many different plugs, but now I throw about
four plugs on a consistent basis. They are: Producers Ghost in bone,
SuperSpook w/ chartreuse back (modified: #2 VMC concuts front and
rear, Dremel off the middle hook hanger and attach a chartreuse
bucktail to rear split-ring). Topdawg (I am still breaking this
plug in, but it looks and sounds like a winner to me) and finally
the C'ultiva Zip-n-Ziggy by Owner in orange/gold/black for a softer
presentation (and it slays em!) Nothing like a topwater explosion
and then netting a BIG sow trout while you're wading a shallow Texas
flat! Jarret, keep that plug moving and Gig Em!
Drags A Burnin!
Fishing the Top
Dog Lure
- Hevy Dee from Texas says:
Although the Top Dawg has been available for only a short while
it has gotten nice reviews. I have chunked them the last few months
and have had some real nice blowups. One made me piss in my waders.
I work them similar to the Super Spooks (SS). They seem to be a
slight bit heavier and will squat a little lower in the H2O. If
anything you can probably walk these baits a little slower. Favorite
color is haloween (808) for typical Upper coast bay clarity - In
clearer water consider some of the more natural colors. My favorite
topwater by far is the SS (Excal) Speckled trout Pattern. I do not
know why, but most of my topwater boils have been on this lure.
If you get a decent strike and do not hook, keep the bait moving.
At times larger trout will give you a Tail-boil in order to dis-orient
a prospective meal. Many times they will come back with a big yellow
mouth. A 26" trout tried four times in early March and finally
got a hook. If new to topwater chunkin' try fishing with a hard-core
grinder guide like Cliff Webb out of Corpus (Baffin). He will help
you with things like technique and strategy. Working these baits
should not tire you out if done correctly. See Post # 10433 for
other Texas topwater tips. Some of the better looking Top Dawg patterns
are a bit difficult to locate. See Pikes article in the Tuesday
Houston Chronicle and chunk these baits as often as you can. As
it gets warmer, the earlier the better. Good luck and there is nothing
like a BLOWUP. Try TD's in 808 or bone.
- FS from Tx says:
Walk 'em like a Jumping Minnow ,Ghost ,or Super Spook.They're
heavier and more compact so they really fly.They ride differently
in the water, at rest also.Go get 'em.Oh, they work best on a home-built
rod.
- John from Tx says:
One common mistake I see a lot on the Texas Coast
are guys with really stiff rods trying to walk the dog. It will
walk much better with a medium action rod than on a 6'6" worm
rod
- Bayduck says:
I've tried alot of different combinations and the
one I found to be the best for "shakin and bakin" a topwater
is a 7ft med/hvy action, 4500 ambassador spooled w/20 lb fireline.
This combination will allow max. action with min. effort. When your
buddies are worn out you'll still be walkin the big dog. trust me
on this one. good luck
- Mike says.....
Topwater advice is like most everything else, everybody
has their own viewpoints and favorites about what is "best",
including rods, reels, line,etc.., I have been a topwater compulsive
obsessive for years, and I can tell you that I have been literally
smoked by a few people that I have taken out who had never even
seen a topwater plug before. Why?, because they tried something
different than the standard techniques that we all become comfortable
with using. Just start out by making it look like a scared mullet
and go from there. Watch the bait around you and then let your instincts
take over. Imagine that on every cast there's a trout 'eye-balling'
that plug, because there probably is if you're in a decent area.
It's kinda like teasing a kitten with a string, just try different
things untill you entice that attack, then do it again! Each day
can be different. Be confident, keep chunking
- Mark for texas
says...
My 2 favorite lures are Heddon's Super Spook &
Mirrolure's new Top Dog, use them just like bass fishing. There's
nothing like a 9 lb trout hitting a top water lure 10' in frout
of while wade fishing.
- Jon from Maryland
says Top water Trout Lures
I use a lot of differnet lures like Mirrolure and
Bomber's mullet but, my personal fav. is the Jerk n Sam. Its made
by the same company that makes that great crippled herring. I like
pulling the Jerk n Sam across the across the flats. Some times it
looks so real a seagull will come down try to take it.
- Shep from Mississippi
says Redfish and MirrOlures
use about a five inch MirrOlure with a green
back and silver sides with glitter speckles on it. These babies
are deadly for speckled trout and redfish in the bayous. They immitate
an injured or dying baitfish. Fish it like you fish a banjo minnow
for largemouth bass, except I usually don't jerk quite as hard or
fast.
Using "The
Corky" lure
Wh
- Dan B. for Tx says
The Corky is a waders bait.
Lesson 1; tie it on with a loop knot and your action will improve.
In 3-4 feet I throw it out and count to 5 then give it a little
twitch, pause 2 sec's, twitch, and so on. Just enough movement to
keep it out off the grass or shell bottom.
Colors are just like any other plastic; red/white, Root beer/orange
belly, Chartruese, Green.
One tip is to watch the bait move in clear water with a 2"
rod twitch or a half turn on your Curado reel to get a feel for
how slow you can fish these great baits.When you master this bait
you will catch fish when everyone else around you is not because
they will not fish slow enough. Another good action comes from 1/2
turn stop, pause, full turn.
- Hevy Dee says....
I will probably get some flak over this but.... I
don't think that the Corky is the best bait when you are looking
for trout. It's just too slow. You cannot cover large amounts of
water with a snails-pace presentation. That being said, once the
fish are located tie one on, use the loop knot suggested by Dan
and you will slay em two to one over your buds chunkin all the other
plastics. They also tend to be a little better fish. Favorite colors?
Depends on the water, sky conditions and venue. I fish Matagorda
alot and with clearer water and clouds use pearl/Ch slow sinker.
If the water is a little off or and/or sky is blue, I'll use Red/White
slow sink. have not used the Topwaters much and am looking forward
to chunkin the Fatboys I picked up last month. Good luck.
Rigging Lures the
Right Way!
- Brian from Texas
Says: Topwater terminal rig
I use a split ring on my spooks, ghosts and topdogs. I think it
gives the lure a little more "wiggle." It is possible
that the knot could work its way off the split ring, but I've never
had it happen. I never use snap swivels for anything. I think it
messes up the action and looks fake. Furthermore, when I fish with
plastics I fish exclusively with bass / saltwater assassins and
I always tie directly to the jig head. I never have experienced
a problem with line twist. By the way, have you seen the new oversized
glow-in-the-dark bone ghost w/ red gills? It is as big as a superspook
(but with 2 hooks) and it really lights up the night. I just picked
one up at Oshman's in H-town.
Best regards,
Brian
- Jack H. from Florida
says......
KEEP THE METAL OUT OF THE WATER.
Tie the leader directly to the eye of the hook or lure. I believe
and practice that the more metal you put in the water, the less
hits you will have. This goes from lead sinkers (use the lightest
sinker you can get away with) to wire leaders (only when fishing
for toothy critters) to swivels and swivel snaps (only used for
trolling or, as a stop for a sinker, never to attach a lure. Learn
to tie lines and leaders together and use good terminal knots, Then
do away with the metal.
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