We all know that top water fishing can be an adrenaline pumping way to land some big smallmouth or largemouth bass. I look at several aspects on when I commit to topwater fishing for bass and sticking with it. Mainly I rely on how spring has progressed going into summer. Growing up I was always told that when the dogwoods bloom the topwater bite is on. In my experiences that is not always true. During the the spring the temperatures are up and down a lot. So my theory that I go by is when the blackberries bloom. By then the outside air temperatures are usually gonna stay up for the most part. That’s when I tie on my favorite topwater lure and prepare for the excitement.

When I commit to it I will have one tied on throughout the summer months into the early fall. There are many top water lures available on the market, but my all around favorite is the popper style lures. When fishing these there are many ways to “pop” them. I have fished right beside someone and both of us have the exact same one on and have out fished them ten to none. So that brings me to the action I replicate. I let the fish tell me what they want. I will start with a three pop then stop or a straight pop all the way back. It doesn’t matter which you choose to start with just remember which one you were doing when you got your first strike. Then keep popping it the same way you were when you got your first strike. One other thing is to control your “pop,” try to keep it real so to say. You can really make it look ridiculous if you twitch your rod to hard or to fast and so on. Control, rod action; I like a medium spinning, and confidence is all you need to have a blast fishing topwater poppers when you think you are ready to commit. Have fun, be safe, and be ready to set the hook on a top water explosion.