Topwater Bassin'

[John Sheehan]

The beginning of Summer makes for topwater action and not just after dark with Black Jitterbugs but that's great also .Philips Crippled Killer dual prop  ,Black Jitterbug, Teeny Torpedo and the Floating Rapala (Topwater /subsurface) have all caught Bass  the last few weeks .

Double prop baits have moved into 1st place for my top 7! Work even when windy around shallow cover  .

[Allen Morgan]

I have a black Jitterbug, bought it a couple weeks ago.  It got me Big Bass that weekend in a tourney.  Fishing fairly early morning, about an hour after sunrise, in partly cloudy weather.  Would that have been good, or would the frog-colored Jitterbug I also have been a better choice?

I'm fairly new to actually targeting LMBs.  I catch them, usually when targeting other fish.  But, I've got 3 Plano boxes full of stuff that is probably designed for Bass, although I got them more White Bass and Stripers.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I've used "Jitterbugs" over the years, Allen. Certainly not to exclusion, but I'm not convinced that the color is all that important. I am convinced however that contrast in hue is what matters.

 I can say, though, that some of the biggest and numerous bass I caught while in FL were caught on the Jitterbug. As I recall, I didnt know I wasnt supposed to use them in white and yellow, so I did.

Even at night.

I remember landing a huge bass on the white J-bug in total darkness. I cast out the plug, heard it splash down, and reeled it in . "Sploosh, sploosh, sputter.... BAM!" FIghting a big bass with no light at all was surreal.

[John Sheehan]

After dark I keep the lure(almost always a black Jitterbug for me) moving at a a slow gurgling rate .I believe it helps the bass track the lure which they are reacting to by sound and vibration more so than  sight .Stop the lure and you increase the chance of a missed hookup .Keep that lure moving again at a steady slow rate because  that hungry fish is there waiting to hit again .When fishing daytime or low light but not dark ,pauses are often the ticket for hookups .Most if not all of the daytime catches I've had the past two weeks came  the instant the lure hit the water or after a short movement of the bait . I caught all the fish but one at the far NW leeward end of the lake in water from 2-4' at the edges of slop and weed /grass that was wind blown and gathered .That was their ambush cover .The exception fish was in weeds on a wind blown flat far down the lake from the S wind .It was great to fish a dual prop bait while its choppy and still have a Bass find the bait and have a solid hookup .In fact I usually tell myself ,"don't fish top water unless its calm on the surface ".Now I tell myself ,"don't fish top water unless its calm on the surface, unless it's a dual prop bait "

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I've read articles suggesting the RIGHT topwater is fine when there
is a lite wind ripple.
Prop baits are one that seems good. Ditto for spinner basis and if I remember right, stick baits like Zara Spooks. Poppers were the one that
wasn't so hot when a ripple is on the surface.

[John Sheehan]

White Bass and Stripers!!  ,I envy you Allen ! Oh and for your big Catfish too !

 

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Nice John! I note a PBR container in one of the pictures. My favorite 'lunker libation!'

Thanks for posting pics with the lure. I appreciate that.

[John Sheehan]

Ha ha you ol eagle eye ! "Lunker Libation" ,ha ha!

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

HEY JOHN DON'T KNOW HOW I missed this group but glad to join it !!!!!! 

Ya know back in the day before I started my gill fishing adventures I was an ardent Top Water Nut of the first order . I still have the best Jitterbug I've ever owned and is the OOOOOOOOLd Frog Pattern with light green top , White belly, with a splash of red just under the lip. Caught TTThousands of bass on that one single lure over the years and still have it in my bass box. 
  Next favorite top water lure was a #13 Floating Gold Rapala. We used to fish weed pockets with em and required very good accuracy so as to hit the back of the pocket and just leave em sit as long as you could stand the suspense . Most always they would hit on the very first twitch of the lure ! Great times and really miss some of those days. We fished outta an Aluminum Grumman 17' double ended canoe for years till I got my scanoe which was a square stern . More stable than the Grumman but a pig to paddle compared to the ALuminum one. Wish I had a dollar for every bass caught out of either of those canoes. We could just paddle right across the tops of the weeds etc. with out any trouble. 

  Next on the list of topwaters were two baits, Big Hula Poppers , Frog or Red and White, and green BILL PLUMMERS FROGS . BOTH GREAT TOP WATERS TO BE SURE.  WOW this blog brings back some great memories and if you guys like I can take a few pics of my old baits and post em on here .

  Great blog John and can't wait to read em all ............

[Allen Morgan]

My very first Jitterbug belonged to my Father.  When he passed, I inherited all his stuff (didn't know what to do with it at the time.  After he had been gone a couple years, I found an old metal tacklebox with a large clip on the side.  I assumed it was meant for wading.  I opened it up, and there were lures in there!  Most were soft plastic, and had melted from the intense summer heat over the years.  However, there was an old Jitterbug in there.  I think the body was more like a foam plastic, instead of hard plastic.  The lip was the same foamy material, not metal.  I got a few hits on it, but I can't remember if I ever caught anything on it.

[John Sheehan]

Ah yes Dad's  old metal tacklebox ! Great memory, thanks Allen! Foam plastic Jitterbug ?? Search engine that thing !

[John Sheehan]

Great account!  Love rippin Raps and then letting them sit .Rippin works even when it's windy. Please do post your old baits .This is the Hula Popper (your fav colors0 that caught my best Bass.

[Allen Morgan]

Another good topwater lure, IF YOU CAN FIND THEM, is a Rebel Jumping Minnow.  It was discontinued last year, and marked down for clearance at Wally World and Dick's.  I picked up about a dozen of them.  For LMBs in ponds and lakes the stock lure works fine.  However, I tend to target Striped Bass in the river with them; I have to upgrade the hooks to premium hooks.