Section: ontario-bassin
Bill RiversBest Bass BaitsTopwater Plugs |
| Because bass respond inconsistently to topwater presentations, including them in this list wasn't automatic. However, when bass are in the mood, there is nothing quite like topwater bassin'. Bass must be active to take topwater plugs. Hints of higher activity levels include bass feeding on the surface, chasing down faster baits (spinnerbaits, crankbaits), and locating in shallow water, near cover but not in it. The surface is a breakline, not unlike a weedline or drop-off, and bass regularly relate to breaklines under favourable conditions. |  | |
| Topwater baits are incredibly diverse - buzzbaits, poppers & chuggers (e.g. ChugBug, Hula Popper), wobblers (e.g. Jitterbug, Crazy Crawler), rubber creatures (frogs, rats), weedless spoons (e.g. Moss Boss), prop baits (e.g. Torpedo, Devil Horse), and twitchbaits (e.g. Zara Spook) are the most familiar styles. Accordingly, lure retrieves vary widely, and no one retrieve is best. One day bass want it this way, the next, that. | |
 | Some, like poppers and chuggers, are fished painfully slowly, oftentimes sitting motionless for seemingly endless periods. Others topwater baits, prop baits and twitchbaits among them, require an erratic stop-and-go retrieve to create the illusion of prey skittering on the surface. A few, including buzzbaits and wobblers, are retrieved at a steady pace so that bass can easily locate and track them down.Try several baits and retrieves, and let the bass demonstrate what and how they really want it.
 Spinnerbaits |