Finesse Topwater Fishing

While driving into town this morning I grabbed my water bottle off the seat of the truck and attempted to take a swig. I was caught off guard when nothing came out and it took several seconds for reality to sink in. Something about that solid block of ice staring back at me from inside the bottle got me thinking about how much I missed the warmer weather. It bothered me so much that I soon found myself flipping through old footage of flip flops, shorts, and topwaters.
I know that many of you are in the same situation. For some of you it was cold when you launched the boat last weekend, for others you wish you knew exactly where your boat is under all that snow. Either way, we’re a long way from topwater season.
Instead of tearing up and thinking about how far away the topwater bite is I suggest you get proactive and start preparing your tackle for the coming year. I’ve talked about frogs, spooks, and wakebaits in the past but I’ve never really touched on poppers. I absolutely LOVE fishing a popper on a spinning rod on a quiet morning. Year in and year out the popper comes to my rescue when the topwater bite seems to be falling apart on a tournament day.
My favorite aspect of the popper is its versatility. When the fish are aggressive you can work the bait fast and in the case of the River2Sea Bubble Walkercan even get it to walk-the-dog much the same as a spook. When the fish are moving slow you can turn to a Yellow Magic or a Rico (I’d suggest the “20th Anniversary Absolute” color) and get those critical bites during off peak times. The key to the Rico on a cold morning is to work the bait so softly that it splashes without making the “bloop bloop” sound that poppers are known for. That subtle approach consistantly gets bigger bites for me than the more aggressive retrieves.

Another great aspect of popper fishing is that unlike most other baits, the higher-end poppers come equipped with great components and are ready to fish out of the package.
The only modification I make at all is to change the front hook out for a red one when the fish aren’t fully committing to the bait. I know it sounds silly to a lot of anglers but that really can help your hook up ratio on a slow day.
I know we’re a long ways away from a wide-open topwater bite but I thought it would be nice to take a break from all this cold weather and focus on something a little less draining. I hope your dreams of big bass, small topwaters, and explosive strikes keep you company until warmer weather arrives for good.

Open Water Froggin'

Sometimes its just about having fun. Here is my good friend Sieg Taylor putting the hammer down on some quality Clearlake bass. The fish were feeding on small minnows around the edges of offshore grass lines and the frog bite was on fire. Often times the key to catching frog fish in the open is to “walk the frog” but for whatever reason these fish wanted it popped along quickly making as much commotion as possible. The bites were vicious and the fish kept getting bigger.

Sieg targeted them with a custom rod, 65 lb braided line, and the Snag Proof Bobby’s Perfect Frog in “Wild Bullfrog”

Snagproof Open August 6-7

For those of you on the west coast, you probably know that this weekend is the annual Snagproof Open on the Delta. For those of you around the world, the Snagproof Open is a unique 2-day tournament in which anglers weigh in 3-fish limits (instead of the typical 5) and are only allowed to use Snagproof brand products. In other words, its a topwater frog tournament.
Unfortunately I won’t be fishing the event this year. However, I will be there to help where needed so track me down and say hello. Northern California as a whole has had an EPIC frog year thus far and that should translate into some big weights at the tournament.
In the spirit of the event I thought I’d throw in a quick video of a fish from last week. She’s not huge but she absolutely crushed a Bobby’s Perfect frog in Cicada color while walking it in open water. If I had the option to fish the event, there is no question that this is the bait I would be using and would fish it in similar conditions. (Open water between weeds and tullies)

Best of luck to those fishing the event and again, take the time to say hello. I’d love to put faces to names and maybe we can grab the camera and shoot a clip or two for the site. See you there!

Night Fishing 101: Topwater

Prior to creating this site I had no idea how many anglers were interested in night fishing. I don’t know if it is the taboo of lurking in the dark, the potential of giant bass, or simply the appeal of a new technique but the constant barrage of emails and calls requesting information on night fishing have made it clear that this topic requires attention.
What I intend to do is create a very in-depth series of videos on night fishing. This first video highlights a variety of top water techniques. It will soon be followed up by subsurface patterns, the impact of weather, moon phases, and a handful of other elements. I hope to create a resource in these videos that you can tap into again and again.
Night fishing is an exciting way to more and bigger bass, all across the nation. Whether you are new to this genre of fishing or a virtual pro, I hope you enjoy this video as well as those to follow.

As always, support your local retailers. However, if the baits mentioned in this video are not available I recommend you take your tackle warehouse. Here is a direct link to the Lunker Punker on their site: Lunker Punker at Tackle Warehouse

I assure you that the next few videos will become more and more in-depth as I share what I know of night fishing with you. Like any technique, on the surface it is quite simple but there is always more to know. My goal is to shorten your learning curve as much as possible so that you can see immediate success on your next outing. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.