Bass Fishing Hacks
Simple Hacks and Tips to Help You Catch More Bass
What is the best time of year for topwater bass fishing?
You can catch bass all year long but during the Spring is the best time to catch a ton of bass. This is the time of year when those female bass that are fat with eggs move into the shallow waters of the lakes, ponds and canals to spawn.
The bass are not only trying to get something to eat but they also will try and kill anything that gets near their nests. Topwater lures work great during the spring, summer and fall for bass but during the spawn it definitely the best.
I am a Bass Fishing Charter Guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been catching bass in the lakes, ponds and canals all over the state of Florida for more than 40 years. In the article below, I will teach you everything that I know about catching bass with topwater lures.
Let’s get started.
Watch the video below and catch more bass in the Spring time with topwater lures.
Topwater Bass Fishing Pre Spawn
Bass need to consume lots of nutrients for the spawn. The females have a very biologically expensive job of producing thousands of eggs. These female bass can produce 10,000 eggs and those eggs need nutrients to develop.
Female bass are desperate to consume enough calories to make it through the spawn. This is the time of year when anglers can often find their personal best bass on the ends of their lines. Those egg producing females are ravenous for calories and will eat just about anything that they can get those bucket mouths of theirs around.
These female bass spent their winters in deeper water going through long periods of inactivity and infrequent feeding times. As the water temperatures begin to warm up in the lakes, ponds and rivers where the bass spent the winter, they will migrate towards the shallows.
During the winter months the bass are mostly in the bottom layers of the water column. Pitching a topwater lure to bass that are in the bottom layers of the water column is a fruitless endeavor. The only way that works in the winter months is when the bass rise in the water column to feed on schools of shad or other bait fish that are in the top of the water column.
Topwater bass fishing is the most exciting way to catch bass in the spring time. Those bass are aggressively feeding in an attempt to make it through the spawn. They will eat just about anything that gets too close to them.
A walk-the-dog type of bait works great for pre spawn bass. A topwater minnow jerkbait is another great choice for pre spawn bass. Topwater lures with props and chug types of topwater lures are a good choice too.
The bottom line is that it is hard to go wrong with a topwater lure in the pre spawn stage of the bass’ life cycle in your area of the country. This time will fluctuate on water temperatures but wherever you are 50 degree water temperatures will get the bass moving from their deep water winter homes into shallow water so they they can start nesting.
Topwater bass fishing is something that has to be perfected. It takes concentration or you will miss a lot of bass that ate your lure and then spat it out because you didn’t set the hook correctly or at the proper time. You don’t wan to set it too fast but you also don’t want to set it too slowly either. Let them hit it and swim for a second or two before you set the hook and you will catch a lot of bass.
Topwater Bass Fishing During the Spawn
During the spawn the males that are guarding their nests will try and kill anything that get near their babies. Salamanders, bluegills, crawdads and other freshwater creatures will do their best to eat the bass eggs before they hatch. In the world of bass, the males get stuck with the guard duties of the nest as the females head out to deeper water to recuperate after laying their eggs.
This is a great time to pitch your favorite topwater bass lure near the bass nesting areas in the waters where you live. You will get to see some exciting hits as the bass will sometimes launch all of the way out of the water to kill your lure.
You can use any lure in the nesting areas and get a hit. It can be a Carolina rigged worm or burn a buzzbait over the nests. The bass will react violently to get rid of any creatures that dare to trespass near their precious eggs.
My personal opinion is that topwater bass fishing is the most exciting way to catch bass. I would rather catch one bass on topwater lures than 5 bass using some other fishing technique. But that is just me.
Watch the video below and catch more bass on topwater lures in the Summer months.
Topwater Bass Fishing Post Spawn
You can catch the biggest bass in the area on a topwater lure if you work it correctly. Often times the biggest fish of the day will get caught on topwater lures of some sort. The bass will have to regain their health and vitality after expending so much energy during the spawn.
It is now late spring or early summer and the hot weather can be a factor for fishing with topwater lures. The best time to fish with topwater lures during those really hot days is very early. You have to hit the water as the sun is starting to come up. Those first couple of hours will be your best hours when it is very hot outside.
You can fish shady spots a little longer because the water temperatures will be a few degrees cooler for longer than those spot that get direct sunlight. It is a good idea to hit those banks and areas that will be getting the direct sun first. After you have thoroughly fished those areas, then move to the shady areas with your topwater lures.
What is the best time of day for topwater bass fishing?
You can fish topwater lures all day but the best time to fish them is sunrise and sunset. As the light changes the predators like to take advantage of the low light to hunt their prey. Night time is another good time to fish. An all black walk-the-dog type of topwater lures works very well during moonlit nights out on the water.
You can take advantage of those low light scenarios to sneak up on your prey, the bass. They are much less able to discern your lures from a real prey item when there is less light for them to use when hunting. They like to rely upon their lateral lines and will hit the lures the put out those low frequency vibrations that sound like a struggling fish.
Are topwater lures good for bass on sunny days?
You can use topwater lures on on sunny days for bass. The best ones are the light ones when the water is clear and there are not any clouds in the sky. When the water is dirty and the sky is sunny, then you can use a darker color so that the bass can see the silhouette of your lure better.
Are topwater lures good for bass in the Winter?
Bass are moving slowly in the winter months. Bass are cold blooded just like an alligator or a snake. This means that they must use the surrounding water to regulate their own body temperatures. When cold fronts move through their areas they will tend to stay down deep.
The deep water will have less temperature fluctuation than the waters that are closer to the surface. The bass will often stay down deep until the sun warms the upper layers of the water column. As the waters begin to warm the bass will sometimes move to the upper part of the water column to hunt their prey.
That is when you can use a topwater lure to catch bass in the winter time. The key to fishing with lures in the winter is to work them more slowly. Those bass that are cold will not chase your lure very aggressively or for a very long distance. You have to bring it to them and present it slowly if you want to get a bite.
Do topwater bass lures work at night?
Night is a great time to catch bass with topwater lures. The key to bass fishing at night is to use a black topwater lure. That color will maximize the contrast of the lure against the moonlit or starry nights.
You can use blue or purple topwater lures but the all black ones tend to perform the best. A walk-the-dog type of lure will work very well to send out those attractive splashes and low frequency vibrations that are so attractive to bass.
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