Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

It all started with the plastic worm and has now mutated into a huge array of specialized offerings. Whose is the best and which one is your favorite? Come share your thoughts and opinions here.
Preston
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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by Preston » Tue Aug 30, 2022 11:17 am

Thanks for reporting in the progress. Was a nice read with coffee during the morning work breaks.

MK49
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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by MK49 » Wed Aug 31, 2022 10:54 am

Preston wrote:
Tue Aug 30, 2022 11:17 am
Thanks for reporting in the progress. Was a nice read with coffee during the morning work breaks.
OK, here's another report.

Because the topwater bite was good (for this summer) yesterday, I went back today.

What a day! Yesterday, the sky was clear. This morning, I didn't even see the sun until 9AM, because of the coulds/mist. Basically, a picture perfect topwater morning.

Got there around the same time as yesterday, and fished the same areas. Within the first 20min, I could tell something was wrong. I walked the dog, fast, slow and anywhere in between. Only one bite, and the fish missed the lure. That's the only topwater bite for the whole morning. I tried bunch of different topwater lures + a few jerkbaits until 8:45AM. Didn't have a single bite, since the first bite around 6:30AM. Oh, I tried a Caffeine Shad with weighted hook, but the result was the same.

I finally gave up on topwater, even though it still looked like a perfect topwater morning. I went back to the area, where I caught 5 or 6 fish yesterday, but nothing today, and started throwing Fat Ika. I caught two bass in the next 20min. When I got there today, I saw nine geese, pretty big ones, and yes, I counted. By then, my expectation was already low, so my guess is that even if the geese weren't there, I probably didn't catch fish. I went back there a few times, after those geese left, but didn't catch fish, until I started using the Fat Ika.

A couple of weeks ago, it was exactly the same. Looked perfect for the topwater, and the fishing was bad.

The water has dropped about 10", since yesterday. That's pretty fast.

MK49
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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by MK49 » Thu Sep 01, 2022 6:50 pm

I went back again this morning, just to see what would change. The weather was similar to the Day 1. It's clear.

I found a Lucky Craft Gun Fish in one of my tackle boxes. This used to be my favorite about 15 years ago, so I took it with me. After I didn't get a bite on Yamato Jr and Shower Blows, I tried the Gun Fish. I got 5 or 6 bites on it, but caught only one. Looked like the fish was hitting 1 or 2" behind the lure. I kept walking it fast, but they didn't hit more than once, unlike the 1st day. I was walking it fast, and they were missing it. I slowed down a little, and they didn't bite. I started walking it fast again, and they hit it, but missed it. I couldn't win.

After the sun hit the water, I started using the Fat Ika again, and caught one, and went home.

I think I kind of figured out the color they wanted. They want a blue back. On the Day 1, the Yamato Jr, which was matte chrome with blue back. It worked great, until I lost it. On the Day 2, I used another Yamato with a different color, and I didn't get a bite. On the Day 3, I used yet another color Yamato Jr, and didn't get a bite. The Gun Fish had 5 or 6 bites, and it has a blue back. I also got a bite on a OSP wake bait, which was the same matte chrome/blue back color as the Yamato Jr that I lost. So, I'm going to bring more blue back topwater lures, and probably going back there tomorrow. Yeah, 4 days in a row. The heat wave is coming in the week end, so I want to go back, before it comes.

The problem is still the same, since when I started this thread. Topwater walking baits and Fat Ika are the only ones that catches consistently. I did try other things like swimbaits, jerkbaits, crankbaits, Caffeine Shad, scrounger, plopper, buzzbait, poppers... I didn't get a single bite on those. Only the Heddon Meadow Mouse caught a couple of fish, besides walkers and Fat Ika. I might have to accept that's just the way it is this summer, and hope we get some rain in this coming winter. The water is really low, and it's just sad.

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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by MK49 » Sun Sep 04, 2022 4:48 pm

Day 4: I went back the next day. Caught only one on the Gunfish, and that was the only bite I had. This time, I spent more time throwing swimbaits. No bite.

Day 5: I skipped one day, but went back there this morning. Similar to the Day 4. But, I guess I got the answer for this thread (see the title). I caught one on the Gunfish. Then, a guy came to the same area. I believe he was using drop shots, definitely some kind of soft plastics. It was still early in the morning, and the sun hasn't hit the water yet. I caught another one on the Gunfish. Then, I moved to a different place . Didn't get a bite, after those two topwater bites. When I went back to the parking area, I saw the drop shot guy. I asked him how he did. He said he didn't catch anything, and that's pretty normal for this summer.

So, I guess the fishing is really tough this summer. And, I believe the topwater works better, after all, at least early in the morning.

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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by Drakestar » Mon Sep 05, 2022 8:46 pm

If you haven't done it yet, I'd mix in an actual Super Fluke on top of the Caffeine Shad. I like Caffeine Shads and used to throw them exclusively, but after I went to the Super Fluke for a smaller profile, I realized that I'd been missing out on bites.

Maybe that doesn't change a thing, but it's worth trying out IMO.

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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by MK49 » Wed Sep 07, 2022 6:51 pm

Drakestar wrote:
Mon Sep 05, 2022 8:46 pm
If you haven't done it yet, I'd mix in an actual Super Fluke on top of the Caffeine Shad. I like Caffeine Shads and used to throw them exclusively, but after I went to the Super Fluke for a smaller profile, I realized that I'd been missing out on bites.

Maybe that doesn't change a thing, but it's worth trying out IMO.
Thanks for the suggestion. I used soft jerkbaits quite a bit 25 years ago. I believe Zoom Fluke wasn't out yet. I was using those from Bass Assassin. Before that, it was Slug-Go in the early 90s. To me, it's kind of forgotten kind of bait. And, I think I should start using them again, because I caught a lot of fish back then.

I think I still have the Bass Assassin and Fluke, maybe not Super, so I'll probably try those, after the heat wave. Right now, it's like 100+ degree everyday. It hit 113 yesterday, and of course, my house lost the power. All I could do was driving around, until the power came back, because it was way too hot to stay in the house. The power came back around 9PM (lost around 6PM). At 9PM, it was still 90 degree. I've lived in this area for over 25 years, and this is probably the hottest heat wave.

According to the weather forecast, Sat will be less than 90 degree, so I'm planning to go back. Only problem is that it's full moon. A morning after full moon is usually bad. I might go 2hrs before the sunrise, so I could do some night fishing, or you might call it super early morning fishing . I need to find my old black Jitter Bug. :) I'll be interesting to find out how the fishing goes after the heat wave.

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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by senksoam » Sat Sep 17, 2022 11:15 pm

I may be ol' fashioned but I remember catching many smallies and LM on the following classic lure and newer lures:
Poppers
Zara Spooks
Floating Rapalas and other crankbaits
Jerk worms (floating plastic) or slow sinking like the Kut Tail worm using a light jig head and short hook

Time of day and on days just before a major front are the best times regardless the water fished.
Of course fishing from a boat and covering a lot of territory is primary as well as knowing where to fish when it comes to location patterns.

Retrieves vary for different lures: some can be a steady popping or swishing of the lure; others require a slow and gentle presentation with pauses. Finesse baits can be worked at any depth and I've found fish in water in 2' - 5' with cover nearby or in open water over structure. In small rivers, I've gotten surface strikes most times of day and especially under a cloudy sky.

Lure action is everything along with the presentation used. On one outing many surface and near-surface lures can catch fish and not just bass. Here are a few examples:
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senksoam
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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by senksoam » Sun Sep 18, 2022 6:26 am

Try using the Kut Tail worm by GY rigged on a 1/32 oz ball head jig with a #1/0 hook. The darting action near the surface is amazing and all fish species go after it. Use the rod tip to jerk the lure with pauses in between 1- 4 jerks.

MK49
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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by MK49 » Mon Sep 19, 2022 7:02 pm

senksoam wrote:
Sat Sep 17, 2022 11:15 pm
Lure action is everything along with the presentation used. On one outing many surface and near-surface lures can catch fish and not just bass. Here are a few examples:
xl2NRqu.jpgfUsGnXY.jpg
Thanks. Yes, I understand that. I've caught many bass with topwater and within a few feet from the surface. Here are a few examples of 8 to 10 pounders. These were all caught on topwater, but my PB, a 12 pounder was a Rapala Original Floater jerkbait. I hooked an even bigger fish with an OSP jerkbait, but I couldn't land it. That was over 10 years ago, and I still think about the loss. :( That fish was most likely over 13lbs.

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MK49
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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by MK49 » Mon Sep 19, 2022 7:07 pm

senksoam wrote:
Sun Sep 18, 2022 6:26 am
Try using the Kut Tail worm by GY rigged on a 1/32 oz ball head jig with a #1/0 hook. The darting action near the surface is amazing and all fish species go after it. Use the rod tip to jerk the lure with pauses in between 1- 4 jerks.
I have some Kut Tails from 15 years ago. Those little Kut Tails with 1/32oz head is too light for baitcasters. I don't use spinning tackles, just because I don't like them. They don't have enough power to land big fish (or at least, much harder to land a 10 pounders), and they just don't work as good. So, I'll try the small Kut Tail with 1/8 or 3/16oz, which should be heavy enough for baitcasters. Besides, those small hooks can't land big bass. I've lost so many 8+ pounders, because the hooks were straighten out, even 2x Strong treble hooks.

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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by MK49 » Mon Sep 19, 2022 7:23 pm

BTW, I went back to the lake a few times, after the heat wave. The heat wave was the hottest, as far as I know. It went up to 113 degree, and my house lost power twice in three days. Even after the heat wave, the air temperature 30min before the sunrise was about 14 degree warmer than the normal temp. Then, 5 days later, the temp was back to normal. The temperature difference must have screwed up the fishing, along with dropping water level. I caught only one bass :(

So, a few days ago, I went to another lake, where I usually catch smaller bass. I caught five bass in 1hr , but they were all less than 2lbs. I wasn't satisfied with the small bass, but when I go to the other lake with bigger fish, I may not even get a single bite. I just can't win. It's really sad to see the super low water level. Those spots I used to catch lots of fish are like 40ft above the water now.

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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by senksoam » Tue Sep 20, 2022 7:18 pm

Know where you're coming from with the drought dropping water levels big time! Patterns have changed and may be the same for the fall bite. A medium-action rod can handle large bass though used with a spinning reel. Too heavy a forward weight used with the Kut Tail negates the topwater/ near surface approach. Off course a wacky rigged Senko twitched near the surface might be heavy enough for the b/c reel and is a good presentation. I do the same using a mini stick and catch everything.
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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by MK49 » Wed Sep 21, 2022 5:13 pm

senksoam wrote:
Tue Sep 20, 2022 7:18 pm
Know where you're coming from with the drought dropping water levels big time! Patterns have changed and may be the same for the fall bite. A medium-action rod can handle large bass though used with a spinning reel. Too heavy a forward weight used with the Kut Tail negates the topwater/ near surface approach. Off course a wacky rigged Senko twitched near the surface might be heavy enough for the b/c reel and is a good presentation. I do the same using a mini stick and catch everything.
I'm in California. We got some rains a few days ago. It's very unusual in Sept. The water is still dropping, though.

BTW, I went fishing this morning, and the topwater bite was on for 45min. :) Got about 10 bites, and caught 6 of them, including a few decent ones (3~4lbs). More fish were in the shallow today. Then, I didn't get any more topwater bite, so I used the Kut Tail (Texas rigged with a 3/16oz weight). I caught one on the 2nd cast. Obviously, I fished the bottom with it.
This was actually my first weighted Texas rig fish in this year. :lol: I stayed for another hour, but didn't get a bite on Topwater, jerkbait, Kut Tail and Fat Ika (no weight). Well, at least, the Kut Tail caught one. I'll try the Kut Tail again. I haven't used it for about 15 years, so thanks for mentioning it. I found a few packs in a box.

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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by senksoam » Wed Sep 21, 2022 7:00 pm

I went to a lake I'd been ignoring since my last visit was a bust. But rather than beat the banks or fish shallow flats that came out from the banks, I fished open water. Dang if I didn't catch fish! The lake has been overfished with too many bass kept so I didn't expect any size to the bass. The pan fish were fun and some of the crappies were 11". I even caught a yellow perch that I had introduced along with the dozen I stocked from another lake a year ago! Guess it remembered me and waned to say hi.

My hybrids did well - some better than others. Jig weights used went from 1/32 - 1/16 oz depending on depth fished and lure size. Will have to use the Kut Tail next time.

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Re: Soft Plastics During Topwater Time

Post by MK49 » Fri Oct 07, 2022 6:40 pm

A quick update: The fishing actually got even worse. So, a few days ago, I finally decided to use a spinning tackle for the first time in 15 years. After I gave up on the topwater (too windy), I used a 1/16oz shaky head. Guess what happened? I had 5 bites in the first 10 casts. :D I went back again this morning. I threw walkers and poppers, like I always do. I didn't have a bite for 15min. So, I tried the shaky head again. That was probably 10min before the sunrise. It didn't work. So, I came to the conclusion (at least for me) that fishing the bottom with soft baits isn't as effective as the topwater early in the morning. The fish must be looking up, not the bottom.

Then, I moved to another spot, and the topwater bites picked up. Because the topwater bite died around 8:30 (the sunrise was 7AM), I threw the shaky head again, and caught some bass.

BTW, about 17 years ago, I fished a pond in a park every morning, started before the sunrise. For a few weeks, I caught 4~5lbs bass every morning in my first or second cast by using the same shaky head thing (that's why I still had the shaky head setup.) It's exactly the same spot, right by the bank, and literally every morning. No joke. Only reason why I sometimes didn't catch in the first cast was because I screwed up the cast. Every time I casted to the same exact spot, I caught a 4 ~ 5 pounder. I don't believe they were the same fish. So, I guess the soft bait early in the morning works, but only right by the bank. :D That was interesting. I'm not sure why there was a decent size fish always there every morning. It was a rocky bank, but didn't look special.

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