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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Do any of you guys use top water baits right away when the season opens ? And if you do which ones?
I will start out using a Weagle around 5:00am on opening day in Mn.
Jerome
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Posts: 1243
Location: Musky Tackle Online, MN | Opener in MN is a great time to be throwing top water. Some people like to down size early in the year. But I say go big from the start on MN waters. Everything in my box is an option come June 2nd.
Aaron |
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | Without doubt I will try the top on the opener. One year the first fish boated on the opener was on a topraider, another year a weagle. Fish will eat on top right from the get go. I wrote an article published on this website, part of which explains my bait choices in the spring. In it I detail under what conditions I will throw topwater in the spring. It might be worth a read.
http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/articles/03.28.2007/1003/Making.Wis... |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | What Norm said. Add a Flaptail style bait to that list. |
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| I have had very good luck the first week of season on fishsticks and skywalkers. Work them slower with lots of splashing seems to trigger strikes.Low light periods will be your best bet.
Jeff
Madisonmuskyguide.com |
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| A few years ago I caught a 41" fish on a Topwalker on the opener. I was casting across water over 20 feet deep at the time. Depending on the conditions, you can catch fish all season on top. |
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Posts: 186
Location: Kaukauna, Wisconsin | I really love topwaters so they are always out the first day and week. I just like to work them a little slower or faster depending on the situation. I have some new ones to try but I think the first I am goin to throw will be a globe. |
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| Me, topwaters ice out until ice up  |
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Posts: 2112
Location: The Sportsman, home, or out on the water | Lolleitta throws her Topperstopper from opening day until it bounces off the ice! |
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Posts: 1455
Location: Kronenwetter, WI | I will be tossing a topwater....
Couple winters back I came across an old wooden topraider at Farm and Home on clearance for 6 bucks...
Strapped in on on opening day and threw it just to see what it sounded like...
Cranked a couple times and an even pace...
...then wanted to see how much noise I could generate, so I CRANKED AS FAST AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE...
Next thing I knew the water swelled up along side it as a 48"er completely ate it!
Biggest fish to date.
A good day.
Opening day, topwater....fast as I could reel...who says only slow works in spring? |
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Location: Sun Prairie, WI | Opening day last year in Southern Wisconsin, my fishing partner caught a 36" right away (5:30 AM) on a creeper. I had two follows on a creeper that day (no fish boated tho).
Another group we talked to on opening day got a 40"+ on a Topraider. |
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Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI | We use them for the WI/MI opener (May 15), and have had decent results. Not alwyas hooking them, but it some times has been THE bait the fish would move on. Also moved larger fish on the topwaters versus other baits. Last year for the northern WI opener I was using a Fish Stick HD and had a 45"+ at boatside try and suck the bait in off the top. A few more feet and she would have been mine!
We have found that walk-the-dogs have been best. The Recon, Jackpot, Fish Stick HD, and Phat Boy has been best. Slow (typical walk-the-dog style) is best, but make sure you speed it up onc in awhile. I didn't know the fish was behind my bait last year until I gave it a few quick "walks" about 10' from the boat. As soon as I did that the fish waked up onto the bait and was very excited. I learned my lesson.
Time of day, it hasn't mattered too much. It has showen fish all day long, even under bright skies and clear water.
Edited by CiscoKid 3/29/2007 11:13 AM
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | Definately....
Southern WI opener (first weekend in May)
every year I usually get at least 1 fish to commit...and sometimes if condtions are right we get mutiple fish to go.
I ahve shared this with some before, but about 5 years ago, opening morning...in the dark...about 15 minutes into first drift...boat side blide L with creeper style...first fish of the season....got to love it.
I prefer the slower baits like the creeper style over the side to side myself....just from the amount of sucess. However, we have caught fish on them as well on opener.
Cory
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Location: Contrarian Island | I tend to throw more walk the dogs early...jackpots, even super zara spooks with beefier hooks/split rings...with a topraider next..but like Cory, creepers can really get em going too...try it all...
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Posts: 574
| Opening day last year we moved about 10 fish on a chopper, but couldn't get any to bite. We did get bit on a glider, and a small bucktail. I'll be throwing topwater within the first probably 100 casts this year. Even if its only to locate fish, they seem to get action early. |
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Posts: 8781
| I used to believe the "too early for topwater" guys...
Early April, 2005, fishing the Fox Chain (IL), spent the day throwing 6" phantoms, shad raps, crane 207's, conventional wisdom fishers are we...
about 4:00 I decided to throw a topraider, basically because nothing else was working, and because well... they're fun. If I'm gonna crash and burn I may as well have some fun. Within 15 minutes I had two blowups from decent sized fish. I chalked it up to pollution, maybe the fish were just plain screwed up down here. But now that I've heard the same thing from everyone, that topwater lures really DO work early in the season? Well, I'll probably fish phantoms anyway (ha ha nelson) but I'll at least be THINKING about a topraider this spring! |
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| Bulging a good wake with a bootail or bucktail works great many years when our season opens near the end of June. 10" jointed Beleiver slowly crawled back on the surface can be good, too. |
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Posts: 201
Location: Stevens Point | I will be throwing topwater in May, why? because it is fun and it works. |
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