I know it's still a tad early in the season to be thinking topwater bites, but if you're a true bass fisherman you're always thinking topwater bites, whether you want to or not most times! It is just such a fun way to catch bass, and especially if you have young people fishing with you, it sure is an exicting way to fish. With the myriads of topwater baits avilable on todays market like floating rapala's, zara spook's, stick bait's, frog's, buzzbait's, torpedo bait's, wake bait's, popper's, chugger's, spitter's, and the rest, it's easy to just buy a bait, take it out of the package and fish it....however, with a little tweaking, some of these baits can release undiscovered potential!

Let's take buzzbait's for example: 2 blades, 3blades, 4 blades, double buzzers, in line buzzers and that thing from Booyah that's like 9 feet long!! They all serve their purpose at different times. I like the tri-blade models in colder water, they move slower and make a more subtle wake than the 2 blade style. I like the 2 blade in stained water or when there's a little wind chop on the water. But here's a little trick I learned a few years back....when you buy a standard 2 blade buzzbait, buy a 1/8oz and a 1/2oz at the same time, then go home and swap the blades! The 1/8oz with the bigger 1/2oz blade makes and good commotion and can be retrieved much much slower than a 1/2oz bait. The opposite is true of the other and now that 1/2oz bait with the smaller blade can be burned in clear water where you don't want the bass to get a real good look at it as it rips by and you also may need to make longer casts around more wary fish! Double buzz baits are great for very stained water, especially over submerged grass, but try painting the blades bright orange like a baby ducks feet, and use a brown and white skirt, I saw a baby duck get eaten while it was running to catch up to mama 30 feet from my boat by a monster bass 15 years ago, the unexpected explosion almost made me jump off my boat, boy would I have loved to hook into that thing!!

How about baits that are't intended to be used as topwater baits? Like tube's for example...tube's come in a vast array of colors and sizes, which make them ideal for matching the hatch, stuff a couple foam earplugs up in them and they float! Now they can be worked on top like a Zara Spook only this Spook is weedless when the hook is buried Texas style! I love the 3" or smaller models right after the spawn hatch, when bass are gorging themselves on tiny fry and bigger baits just don't get it done! You can also attach a swivel about a foot above the tube and above the swivel slide on a feather tail trebble hook, it makes it look as if the tube is chasing a smaller baitfish, this too can be deadly around post-spawn!

Torpedo style topwater baits are great for beginners, because they are easy to use, they float when stopped, but still act like a buzzbait when in motion, however, we have all had issues with the stupid screw-in back hooks stripping out! Sure, you can try to epoxy them in place, but a big fish lost to a bad epoxy job is never a good thing! Go to your local hobby store and buy a couple strands of .50 steel wire, then take the hooks off of your torpedo baits and carefully drill a straight hole clean through the length of the bait, feed the wire through the bait but be sure to leave extra wire for making eye loops and reattaching the blade, hooks and any other hardware. NOW you have a tiny torpedo bait that's a tough wire through construction and can handle anything that grabs it!

One last one, and this is one of my favorites! It's a bit complex, but when you get it right, it can be awesome! We all have a collection of lipless crankbaits, mainly because of the many different ways you can fish them and the fact that they are very effective in the right conditions! About 5-6 years ago I began experimenting with drilling the heads open and filling the heads with melted lead, it makes them very nose heavy so you can fish them deeper, faster, and cast them across the lake! I mainly wanted to do it for hoping them down rip rap banks and around rock fields for smallmouth, worked good! Then I started wondering about doing just the opposite...a lipless wake style bait? I found some stuff that mixes up and makes an expandable foam that hardens very quickly, so I bought a couple cheapo lipless cranks, drilled a couple holes along the top and injected the foam. The foam skins over when dry and you can lightly sand and repaint the bait, no biggie. What I found was the bait would indeed float, but on it's side...that was until I added a couple wieghted treble hooks! It took a bit of tweaking to get the action right, but boy did they ever get the results when burned for summer smallies!

I once heard that most lures are disigned to catch fishermen not fish! LOL To an extent that may be true, but I for one love bass fishing as much for catching the fish as experiencing the innovations in the lures and techniques that continue to evolve over the years! I love making my own "franken-baits" at home, and there is no greater pleasure than when one of your personal creations works! I have thrown stuff over the years that have had my buddies laughing or scratching their heads at times. It can be tough to commit the water time to experimentation, but it can also be very worth it, especially when you're kicking your buddies butt with a lure he can't go BUY!

Those are some good ideas for tweakin different lures, I'll have to give it a try! I'd never really done more than mabey bending a blade or changing out spinnerbait blade combinations and such. I've got some lipless crankbaits heading to the work bench!!

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Don't ever give up! - "try doing something different"

Right on bro. Great stuff.

Here is an article I wrote a couple years back - "Tuning In" The Buzz for Lunker Largemouth

It will be interesting to here how others alter baits around here. To me it's fun and some baits you can really inhance by tinkering with them. Besides, nothing beats the feeling of hookn into a fatty on a bait you made or tricked out.





fishnislife

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I am a Bassaholic

Fish, Baits, Tournaments & BBQ's, Scenic Pictures, Hunting and World Record Pix:
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I heard that!!! Can't wait to try that tube trick too. Thanks

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The fishing is always great. The catching on the other hand....


http://s783.photobucket.com/albums/yy119/fishnguy_photo/?albumview=slideshow

I can never resisit throwing topwaters and it is never too early for topwater. Got one a zoom horny toad in april at Harts lake. Got one in april of 08' too. And I am already throwin my spook (the funnest bait EVER) just haven't hooked up yet. Can't wait to try the new money hounds I ordered!

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http://s284.photobucket.com/albums/ll12/bassmasterderek/?albumview=grid

You are the man, I tried the other night with a perch colored popper and nothing.

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"One more......."

Nice 2 see you back posting again "D",..as for Top~Water,..nothing beats it,..especially when you can see the water swirl behind your lure as you retrieve it back 2 the boat then WHAM! Haven't thrown anything on top yet,..then again I haven't fished much,..allot going on,..but soon!

BB

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"Passion-4-Bassin"

Cannot wait to get my first topwater of the year. Am throwing the toad BMD!

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'course they don't have biscuits and gravy ... but if they did, I bet everyone would eat there.

B.A.S.S. Member
F.L.W. Member

HaHa,..2 funny!

BB

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"Passion-4-Bassin"

Sight fishing bass a few years ago I did go swimming after a monster. Heavy braid was tangled up in heavy cover had the fish snubbed to a limb. Wasn't able to bring the fish up with me however

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A fisherman= A JERK ON ONE END OF A FISHING POLE WAITING FOR A JERK ON THE OTHER!!
Hello, my name is Tim and I am addicted to fishing!
Coming to you from Wyoming!!!
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