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Posts: 106
Location: Des Plaines, IL | When do you go to top waters? Does it depend more on water temp or weather conditions? Or niether, you just like seeing the strikes. |
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | I love topwaters, and use them alot.
Sure you can catch fish on top in colder water temps, but I generally see that the topwater bite usually happens between the temps of 60 and 75 degrees.
Any time we have low clouds, one of the three people in the boat will be throwing topwater. |
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Posts: 32881
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I always started in ernest at 59 degrees, because of the success rates in my logs I kept. Many of my guiding clients throw them all year, so i was able to make some observstions as to best temp ranges. |
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| 55-62 I have had best luck with walk-the dog baits, especially during a warming trend. (weagle & jackpot)
Once the water hits the mid sixties anything goes (tail baits, creepers, ect) |
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | I think it helps to define what type of topwater you are talking about. A fast moving prop style may not work as well in cold water as a slow moving glider type like a Viper or Jackpot.
I think the water temp is an important factor, but not as much as the mood of the fish on a particular day. If a fish is in an aggresive feeding mood, it may not make a difference if the bait is on top or not. If its in their strike zone - WHAM!
Just my thoughts. |
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| Topwaters work ice out to ice up, and you can use them anytime effectively. They are most effective in warmer waters as stated  |
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Posts: 1168
| Any time I am out from ice out to ice up they at least get a look...or at the very least a serious thought. Boated fish with them as low as 39 degree surface temp and 20 degree air temp. It's always an option I try to keep. Different water has different temp ranges where they really shine....one I know is great from 62-72 but another lake sucks for topwater once temps get above 64. Hell, on a pike lake I like to fish in the winter I've given thought to weighting a creepenstein and putting it on a jigging tipup.
-Bob |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | i go off of light conditions to sound or water-moving baits including topwaters and also go to topwater when it starts raining and also if i've moved a fish after she's settled back into her "spot" ... it's always been a high percentage progression for me and i've learned over the years what to grab.
when i'm fishing to cover water i use the prop-top and when it's the bottom of the ninth and barry bonds' fat-ass is at the plate i pull out either mr. jingles (hawg wobbler) or the weagle (although i'm still trying to gain confidence in this bait LOL). |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | ulbian had a good point. It can happen anytime after openner till close but each water is quite unique. One thing I can say from our experience is it seems that it takes longer to get a consistant top bite going in spring, but it hangs on longer than most care to admit in fall(it is more consistant in lower temps in fall than spring for obviopus reasons, and some not so obvious). Nice warming trends in spring sure help though. the other thing I have seen is a propensity for fish to eat topwater more readily in bright sun later in the season too on lakes that they typically do not, maybe something to do with sun angle... As a die hard topwater junky(to a fault admittedly), certain patterns do seem to arise each year regarding lure choice too, and progressions as johnny said. One thing I learned from one of the(maybe THE) topwater gurus of all time(Chuck Schauer) some years back, was not to wash the water too much with those tail baits. If you think you are going too fast, you probably are.
Edited by Reef Hawg 5/11/2006 3:22 PM
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | "if you think you are going too fast, you probably are" .... more accurate words have never been spoken!!!! ... THE KEY IMO |
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Top Waters