I have talked a lot about February and March being the best months to catch a big bass from any of our lakes, rivers and ponds in South Carolina. Despite that, May is probably my favorite month to fish.
If you look at my track record in tournaments, I’ve been real successful in May. There are a lot of things going on, and as a tournament fisherman, you need to know all the different techniques and use the one that can make you the most money. But this month, I’d rather be throwing a topwater plug.
Almost any fisherman you talk to will say that they enjoy seeing a largemouth bass explode on a topwater plug, and in May, you’ve got a lot of fish that will do just that. There are still a few spawning fish, there are a lot of postspawn fish still guarding beds and fry, and there are a lot of fish that are out chasing blueback herring as they spawn.
I know you can probably fish a little deeper water and catch fish, but I’ll wait to do that in June, because fishing topwaters is my favorite way to fish in May.
My No. 1 topwater bait is a Zara Spook; I also fish the Spook Junior and the Super Spook. The clearer the water, the smaller the bait I fish, unless I’m in big water trying to call a fish from farther down, or trying to catch fish that are feeding on big blueback herring. That’s when I’ll go with a Super Spook. You need to pay attention to the baitfish you’re trying to emulate, but if you are going to err on one side or the other, I’ll lean toward the bigger bait.
I want to throw a Spook on a longer rod, a 7-foot, medium-action All-Star baitcaster, and I want to have my reel spooled with 14- to 17-pound Trilene XT. I’ll throw the smaller Spook on 14-pound and the bigger ones on 17. The other thing is, so many fishermen get all tied up with fluorocarbon lines, but they are heavy and pull a topwater bait down a little bit and not have the same action, so you want to be fishing topwater baits on mono.
When I fish a Spook, I work it one of two ways. If I think I’m fishing for fish that are still spawning or guarding fry, I’m going to really work it, chop it hard from side to side on slack line and make it stay in one place for a long period of time. You can really make a lot of noise jerking it on slack line and aggravate a spawning fish into striking without moving it too much.
On the other hand, if I’m fishing for schooling fish or bass that are keying on blueback herring, I’ll fish it faster and keep it moving forward, almost pulling it back to the boat. I want it working left and right, but I want to keep it coming in, like it’s a herring trying to get away.
I love shad and bone colors, but if I’m fishing on a very bright day and I think fish are a little deeper, I’ll go with a chrome bait so I can get more flash.
The other topwater bait I like to fish is a Zell Pop, an Excalibur bait that’s like a Pop-R. It’s a really good popping bait. I throw it on a 6½-foot, medium-action All-Star rod on 14-pound Trilene XT. You can work it fast or slow, depending on the mood of the fish that day. If they’re not out chasing baitfish, I like to fish a popping bait. You can fish it around docks and rockpiles and buck bushes more easily. You can work it very hard and only move it two or three feet.
I’ll fish it a lot when I think I’ve around a lot of postspawn fish, because that’s something they’ll chase, but you have to adjust to the fish each and every day. You have to see what’s going to trigger them that day.
Usually, when a bass hits a topwater bait, he gets it real good, and the only problem you’ll have getting him in the boat is if you’re using a rod that’s a little too stiff. The other problem is a bass missing a bait or short-striking it. I always have a follow-up bait tied on, and my favorite is a shad-colored Senko. If I get a short strike, I’ll just throw it and not do anything, just let it sink like it’s a dying or wounded shad. They’ll eat it that way.
So get on the water this month and remember, it doesn’t get any better than a good topwater bite. n
Davy Hite, a 45-year-old native of Saluda who lives in Ninety Six, was BASS Angler of the Year in 1997 and 2002, and he has won the 1999 Bassmasters Classic and the 1998 FLW Tour Championship. He is sponsored by Triton boats, Evinrude outboards, All-Star rods, Pfleuger reels, Berkley Trilene, Yamamoto Baits, Owner hooks, Humminbird depthfinders and Solar Bat sunglasses.
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