Bassin - Top Water Frustration...Any Advice?

[mob77]

Myself and a couple of fishing buddies hit Constance Lake yesterday evening for a couple hours of fishing. I was using my favourite skitterpop (something like a hulapopper) and despite getting tons of topwater bass action (i.e. swirls around the hook, sucking the hook in without breaking the surface, etc.) I was only able to hook and land just one 2lb LM.

I've used the same topwater skitterpop with excellent results at other lakes in the area, but it just seemed that it was extra tough to get a good hook on them yesterday evening at Constance Lake. It's almost as if they were extra spooky, but yet still interested in the hook.

Has anyone else seen this and maybe have some advice for getting that hook set well?

[curls]

All I'd suggest is giving a good 2-second count once you see the bait being sucked in, and THEN set the hook. Or wait until you feel the weight of the fish on the line and set the hook. Any earlier than 2 seconds or feeling the weight, and you are most likely pulling the lure out of their mouth before they finish sucking it in and closing their yap!

[Jigs]

...........And then, sometimes they just ain't hitting. They'll swirl, hit it with their tail, jump up and look at it. Just won't bite.

That being said, yer probably setting the hook too soon.......what do I know.?



Seriously, surface fishing can be a frustrating method. Usually, this time of year, when the water is turning colder, the bass slow down their attack, and a reallllllllllllllll slow presentation may be required. One of the reasons I switched to plastics.

[Flippen]

Somtimes I find either speeding up or sloing down wil do the trick. The water temp is getting colder and they are slowing down so you may need to slow down your presentation, give longer pauses between tugs or make smaller tugs on the lure. I have the skitter pop, walk, and prop. I really like them and they are very effective

[Pike Puncher]

Try tossing a weightless worm or fluke in on the swirls. Just let it sink helplessly to the bottom, and sometimes you can hook fish that are just playing with poppers.

Billy

[wolfe]

I've had this happen b4, and I think you've gotten some good advice. As when fishing a Scumfrog, it is verrrry hard to wait those 2 seconds (longest 2 seconds of your life)!

Maybe also consider tying on something with a slightly smaller profile, if they seem spooky, or something with a subtler action -- or just something else all together (not a surface presentation) as someone suggested earlier.

I was just mentioning how some obviously large fish manage to "miss" lures like Spooks. I often wonder if they are in need of prescriptive eye glasses.

Some times the rockbass will hit something much larger than you'd expect and often don't connect with the hooks. So you might have been getting some interest from them as well, but missing the mark.

W.

[Fishing 24/7]

hard time on surface .... this happend so often to me

I.e: i fished my favorite lake ALL day with surface ... got a couple of nice bass but 90 % of the time MISS MISS MISS BOIL SWIRV MISS BLOW UP NOTHING!!!

then you go the next day!!

80% hook up RIGHT IN THE ROOF of there mouths....

to me its how they want it .... yes you surface lure is a great lure BUT!!

was it a windy day?

do you own a baitcaster medium heavy at least ??

were they spooked???

let the bass tell you what they want!

im like you... i can fish surface ALL day even tho im not getting them... something about getting a 5 + on surface makes me

[mob77]

Thanks for the tips everyone.

24/7, there was a little chop on the water, but it was intermittent with calm periods and it was overcast all evening. We were fishing in probably 5 - 10 FOW.

The fish did seem spooky, but at the same time I had at least 8 or 10 good rises (but just one hookset).

As I said I'm usually pretty good at setting the hook, but yesterday it seemed exceptionally hard to set it. The next time I'm out I'll try to consciously wait 2 sec's before setting the hook and see if I have any more luck!

[curls]

As I said I'm usually pretty good at setting the hook, but yesterday it seemed exceptionally hard to set it. The next time I'm out I'll try to consciously wait 2 sec's before setting the hook and see if I have any more luck!

Say it out loud the instant you see the boil/swell/splash: "One-thousand one, one-thousand TWO!!!!" and hammer it on the 2-count!

Wear safety goggles.

[T Dot]

have you swapped out the hooks? thats a must do - owners, its the only way to go.

it also depends on how far you are casting and what line you are using. mono has alot of stretch over a longer distance. then again only 20% of fish will come to the surface.

one thing you should never miss hit, is stop the bait. if you are positive its a big fish, followup with a large plastic. repeated casts on a big fish are a no no. come back in aboot 2 hrs and let them reposition.

just like someone said above, wear proper eye protection.

hook 'em hard and throw 'em where they live!

gl

[Fish'n Technish'n]

Quite a while ago I spoke to a fisheries biologist re: this problem. He suggested putting some sort of SCENT on the lure. Said quite often a fish will "Bump" a lure and smell/taste the lure before eating. I now have MUCH better hookups!!! I have tried all different kinds of scents. You will have to find which one works for you.

FT

[DropShotr]

I have been having a tough time last year and this year on top-water baits.
I just wasn't getting much intrest in a few new baits I had high hopes for. I even had problems with the 'ol stand bys........Super Spook, Super Spook Jr. & the Super Pop-r.
I had purchased a Lucky Craft popper this year. The lure was much smaller than I was used to fishing.........but it was in a smallie color pattern. This little guy has been the best top-water lure for me this year.
I like a M/H action rod in the 6 1/2ft. range with reel with about a 6.3 to 1 ratio.

I try to set the hook on a downward type motion. I also try to fight the fish with a low tip to discourage the fish from jumping.

WHY?

Simple mathamatics. Bass blows up but misses super spook, you wind down and do your best "cross the eyes" hook-set into........water. You now have 3 treble hook heading right at your face traveling slightly slower than a hand gun round. Same thing for fighting a fish with a high tip. High tips encourage a bass to jump. I'm sure you can figure out where the lure is going to go. I have had to remove multiple penatrations in my legs several times till I learned this one.

let the bass tell you what they want!

This is SO true........


DropShot'r

[Bottoms Up]

I think you should carry 2 rods so, as others mentioned, you can pitch a plastic (wacky or teaxs rigged) right back to the area where you kept getting the missed strikes. I'm after telling you this 10 times but you refuse to listen

MOB for mayor of Ottawa!