Fishing Topwaters

Nothing in fishing compares to an aggressive strike on a topwater lure. Fish lunge at them, swipe at them and sometimes even knock them completely out of the water. They miss topwater lures with some frequency, too, and many times they appear to get madder and more determined each time they miss.

While all topwater strikes are exciting, the strike of an upper-slot or bull redfish is special. These large, brightly colored fish can get your attention just by sight, but their wild strikes — their mouth is at the bottom of their head instead of the front) — are something to watch.

Red drum must roll over, at least onto their side, to hit topwater lures. When they do this and bring their mouth to the surface, they make a surprisingly big nose wake that pushes the lure away as they charge it. Many fishermen admit holding their breath when a big red pushes up behind a topwater, not exhaling until they’ve missed the strike or are fighting the fish.

Guide Allen Jernigan said the natural reflex is to try to set the hook as soon as the fish pushes up behind the lure. Unfortunately, this results in misses. It is of the utmost importance to relax enough to allow the fish to strike the lure and not try to set the hook until feeling the fish on it. If the fish doesn’t catch the lure, the lure needs to keep moving. Stopping after nearly being eaten would be unnatural for a baitfish, and the lure needs to react as naturally as possible.

Trout are also fun to catch using topwater lures. They can be frustrating, too, but in a different way than drum. Trout have a natural tendency to zig as the bait zags and either miss or get foul-hooked. Trout have soft mouths, and fighting them aggressively will sometimes pull hooks, which usually happens just when reaching for them with the landing net. They also rise to the surface and push a little wake just before swiping at the lure and often cause fishermen to react too quickly and try to set the hook before the fish has the lure.

Self control is a must for successful topwater fishing. It is a visual activity, with lots of fun and excitement, but fishermen must learn to react to feeling the fish, not seeing it.