Big bass on top

Cast a topwater lure, then hang on this month

Bass fishermen love working topwater lures for bass because it’s the most visual and exciting tactic, and it’s highly effective throughout the Carolinas.  

Topwater magic is prevalent in May because largemouth bass are in relatively shallow water patterns. Productivity continues into the hot summer weather, but low light and nocturnal hours become prime times.

Brett Mitchell is a highly successful bass tournament angler throughout the Carolinas, and works as a bass fishing guide at the Santee Cooper lakes. 

“Topwater bass fishing is my first love, and while May is an ideal time, topwater fishing is good much of the year, often in cold weather,” he said.

Mitchell (803-379-7029) said short-lived, productive, topwater fishing often occurs even in mid-winter warm spells.

“The dramatic cold weather we experienced in January this year created low water temperatures,” he said. “In February, with an extended period of warm weather, shad were attracted into the shallows, and bass followed. Bass surface fed on the shad, creating a reliable topwater pattern for several days. 

“I typically have a topwater lure or two rigged and ready any time of year, because I’m all in on topwater action,” he said. “But May can be special.”

“Spook” the Bass

Mitchell said several lures rank high in his arsenal of topwater choices, and one favorite is a walk-the-dog lure, with the Zara Spook being his favorite.

“The Spook is a versatile lure, and one that I employ for different situations,” he said. “It’s excellent for working the edge line of grass beds in any lake. We’re finding it very effective on the Santee Cooper lakes now because hydrilla is returning in enough places to make it an effective pattern.”

He said these floating topwater lures are long and slim and typically sport a pair of treble hooks. Also characterized as stick baits, their typical walk-the-dog pattern makes them unique to other topwater lures.

Mitchell said the Spook is excellent for schooling bass action during May, but more prevalent in low-light conditions during summer.

Get froggy

Mitchell said artificial frogs are often his bait of choice because they enable him to fish topwater all day.

“The frog is a simple bait and works primarily as a feeding-forage lure,” he said. “It’s effective in thick cover, and I often fish frogs throughout the day, with the idea that a huge bass may blow up on it at any moment,” he said.

Mitchell backs that up with his biggest bass, a 12-pound, 2-ounce monster, caught mid-day fishing in thick weeds.

“Work the frog in, around, and through heavy cover. And since it mimics a food source, bass crush it,” he said. “I think the lure irritates them.”

For success with frogs, Mitchell said it’s all about the cover.

“The best cover varies on different lakes,” he said. “Find thick cover in shallow water, and if the edge line of the weedy cover is near a change in depth to deeper water, it could be a homerun target.”

Mitchell said a frog may be the most weedless topwater lure he uses. The lure’s soft body collapses when bass inhale it, helping with the hookset. 

“Bass retreat into thick, heavy cover, but the frog is my best lure to effectively fish many of those places,” he said. 

“Many lakes have a shad spawn during spring, and when shad run along edges of weed beds, the frog is ideal for me to work that pattern,” he said.

Pop the top

David Murdaugh is a successful tournament angler and a bass fishing guide on the Cooper River and the Santee Cooper lakes. Topwater plugs are his primary go-to bass lures, partly because of the habitat he targets. He loves the frog, like Mitchell, but other lures are highly effective, too.

“By May the aquatic weeds on the river are abundant and bass are in ambush mode,” he said. “A topwater lure is the right choice to draw them out of that thick cover.”

His extensive fishing experience and partiality for popping lures have enabled him to develop a keen insight into maximizing their effectiveness. He describes a popper as a floating lure with a cupped, indented, bowl shape in the mouth.

“This creates the action of this bait,” he said. “The lure can be effectively worked slow or fast, depending on the conditions of the day you’re fishing.”

Murdaugh (Cooper River Guide Service, 843-452-9566) said that it is essential to understand why bass are attracted to noisy lures.

“Popping lures, such as the Rebel Pop-R, produce reaction and feeding bites for bass to eat something just because it’s available. I believe the lure has the added advantage of making bass react to the noisy popping sound because it’s annoying, and they want to have it for breakfast.”

Murdaugh works weed lines and edges in rivers and lakes, and always targets random points or pockets. Any place a ditch cuts through the cover is a prime spot, especially for a big bass.

“Poppers attract bass from long distances, which is the key to this lure’s productivity,” he said. “When the bass gets to it, they may inhale it, or check it out.”

Popping lures mimic baitfish, and choosing the right color combination for the targeted water is essential.

“It’s true for most topwater lures, but the bass often eyeball poppers before they bite,” he said. “On different waters, the targeted forage may be shad, bream, crawfish, frogs, or other lake-specific food sources. Match lure color patterns to what bass are eating in the places you’re fishing.”

Floater/diver lures are good weed or cover edge fishing lures. Murdaugh said cast them to targets and twitch them to dive under the surface, and pop back up. 

“This injured minnow ploy is very effective,” he said.

Beat The Buzzer

Murdaugh said buzzbaits are a favorite for tournament anglers and guides because when a bass bites this fast-moving lure, everyone knows. 

“Most of the time, buzzbaits are the fastest moving topwater lures, so they’re effective at covering a lot of water searching for bass,” he said. “Plus, the speed and noisy commotion produce some of the most aggressive bites from big bass.”

Murdaugh said the lure has a prop, or propeller, enabling the lure to travel quickly across the surface while disrupting the water with considerable commotion.

“The splashing and churning of the water are bass-attracting characteristics of these baits, and they’re big bass-catching lures,” he said.

He said buzzbaits are versatile and can be fished around weeds and through some of the above-the-surface weed types found on many lakes. 

“Buzzbaits are not completely weedless, but their design makes them capable of fishing weeds and around woody cover,” he said. “The fast retrieve helps keep the lure from snagging very often.”

Both Murdaugh and Mitchell use all these topwater lures at the appropriate time and place.

“Topwater fishing is a tactic anyone can employ,” Murdaugh said. “It puts the magic into bass fishing.”

Mitchell said it’s bass fishing in its purest form.

“I get hyper-excited about big bass exploding on my topwater lure,” Mitchell said. “If a fishermen can’t get excited about topwater fishing for bass in May, then they need to buy a tube of crickets and a bream pole.” 

Props to the Devil

Prop Baits come in assorted models, and the length varies significantly, Murdaugh said. The torpedo-shaped body with noise-making props imparts the bass-attracting work.

“Models vary with one or two props, but a longtime favorite is the Smithwick Devil’s Horse, equipped with two props, one on each end, and it has three treble hooks,” he said. “Chugging the Devil’s Horse along the surface creates a significant disturbance that I believe bass not only hear, but also feel,” he said. 

Other models, such as the Heddon Tiny Torpedo and the slightly larger Baby Torpedo, have one prop, but have bass-catching advantages at times with a smaller body size and the single prop, Murdaugh said. They’re armed with two treble hooks. These lures are far from weedless, so anglers must pick their targets carefully. They work well along weedbeds and around wood or rock cover.

“If the wind is howling, the choppy water may reduce the lure’s effectiveness,” he said.