The best conditions for Top Water S/L mouth Bass

[worm31]

Hey, Every one

Just wondering what the opinons of the members of fish hawk are concerning the best top water conditions for s/l mouth bass. What time of year, weather, water tempurature, over what structure. Ive always had
my best top water fishing in the fall when the sun is going down with, small twitching poopers over drop offs.

Worm

[Todd B.]

Worm,

I always have a #10 black panfish popper in my box as my goto topwater fly. I prefer to fish it when the weather is calm but it all depends on fishing conditions. What I have found is that if I'm not getting any action with my normally producing wet flies, I'll switch to the popper. The action of the popper will attract any aggressive fish.

If I'm going to fish tipwater flies straight off, it's usually at dusk/dawn when the surface is calm.

[wongrs]

clouser's fly-fishing for smallmouth bass suggests that sunlight has an adverse effect on fish feeding activity. specifically, high direct sun (as in mid-summer) shines directly into the water. as fish do not have eyelids, they cannot block it out and seek cover. during low-light (dawn/dusk or cloudy days) they are free to feed all the time.

now my personal experience is that bass are very opportunistic. i've caught big largemouths in lily pad fields in July/August on the sunniest days of the year at high noon. my theory is that they are already in cover and if you toss something in there that will either irritate them or look like an easy meal, then they'll go out into the light to take it and then retreat back to cover.

i'd fish the surface in summer and early fall. when they've moved off to deeper water in the very late fall, they'd be hard to get on the top.

[OTRA]

I generally only use topwater in the late afternoon or early morning, but I have had smallmouth bass hit a topwater in the middle of a bright sunny day, go figure.