STILL TIME TO TAKE ’EM FROM THE TOP

NOT TOO LATE FOR TOPWATERS

POPULAR BASS TACTIC STILL EFFECTIVE IN FALL CONDITIONS

By Capt. Bill Schaefer

As the air cools off and steam begins to rise from our lakes on fall mornings, it’s time for some topwater bass action.

You slide the trolling motor into the water, pick up the rod rigged with your favorite lure – in this case, a Pop-R – and launch a cast down the shoreline. You plop it once, twice and on the third pop, a giant largemouth engulfs it in one shot. Fish on!

Indeed, topwater fishing offers anglers one of the greatest feelings on water – a bass doing a tail walk across the lake in front of your boat.

TOPWATER ACTION NOT OVER YET

Yes, even in October it’s still the time for topwater action on your local lakes. It will eventually start winding down, depending on water temperatures, but this fall and winter are predicted to be among the warmest we’ve had in a while. If you haven’t been out yet, you need to get on the water and take advantage of the bite. All up and down California, lakes have been putting out some nice bass, with lots of them caught on surface-oriented baits.

With that said, how do you know what to throw to an eager largie? I prefer to go aggressive right off the bat with a propbait such as a Devil’s Horse, Whopper Plopper or an old reliable buzzbait. If they are not hitting those lures, then I usually have another tackle box staple, a

As lakes begin to cool down in fall, the topwater bass bite will eventually decrease, so get out there while you can and throw your favorite buzzbait. You might just have the time of your life. (BILL SCHAEFER)

Author Bill Schaefer likes classic Pop-R-style baits to entice aggressive bass to strike on the surface.

(BILL SCHAEFER)

Pop-R, tied on; or I’ll use a close variation.

Sometimes you just need to call bass up a little more with the more pronounced gurgling of a propbait. It helps if there is a slight chop on the surface of the water. The fish are less wary and can’t see beyond it.

CHANGE IT UP

As I mentioned, if they are not hitting the more aggressive baits, then I go to a Pop-R-style lure. The spitting action emulates a school of baitfish scattering on the surface. Sometimes the pros will carve the lips of these baits to get just the spitting action they want. Yes, it can make a difference. There are a ton of variations of these baits out there, as well as all the others; you just have to experiment with them.

Even a gliding bait such as an oldstyle Sammy or Zara Spook can be just what the doctor ordered. They don’t kick up as much water as others while you work them, but they do attract bass. Even the rat or mouse lures of today are in this category, and they do work. There is nothing like a rat swimming across the surface and a largemouth hitting it. You just have to see it to experience it. Another bait that works well this time of year is a frog imitation. Whether it is a popping frog or a regular body frog, it’s all what you have confidence in. Weeds grow all year and litter the surface with dead growth. Bass will lay up under it, waiting for something to fall in and scurry across it. That’s when you throw the frog and that’s when you get that big bass to explode up through the dead weeds to attack that bait.

There’s also the classic twitchbait – as in a Rapala or Rebel – to work on the surface. Or you can also just let it sit until a fish grabs it. These oldschool jerkbaits can be pulled just under the surface for some exciting action as well.

Whether it’s hard or soft jerkbaits, they still fall into the surface bait category. The soft version can be slightly weighted by the hook and sink a little if you let it.

GO HEAVY

You really don’t need to go out and buy any new tackle for this type of fishing; I’m sure you already have what you need. However, I tend to go to a little heavier when fishing topwater baits. Bass really can’t see the line you’re using, so you might as well go extra heavy. I use my Daiwa Tatula rods and reels in mediumheavy with at least 50-pound braid and a 20-pound fluorocarbon leader. A lot of the time you are throwing right up in the shoreline sticks. You don’t want to break off on them.

Let me reiterate that you must try this topwater action while you still have a chance. It is fun, easy to do and, most of all, it creates exciting fishing, but time’s running out.

Even if you miss a few fish, it is still something you just can’t believe when a giant bass attacks your lure on the surface. Whether it’s a Whopper Plopper, buzzbait, Pop-R, Sammy, Zara Spook, hard or soft jerkbait, this is the time to throw one. You will get a reaction and a thrill when it happens. CS

At Lake Isabella in the Kern River valley “The lake get’s smaller but the fish get bigger:”

Crappie are the order of the day shown by this recent catch in the trees at Lake Isabella.

Warm quiet days make for enjoyable fishing trips this fall in the High Sierras. Just a short drive from Bakersfield in the Central Valley.

All campgrounds around the lake and up the Kern River are open again after a recent fire threat. Contact the Kern River Valley Chamber for all the latest information. KernRiverValley.com