This time of year I get many requests to top-water fish, so I must be prepared to find the top-water bite. It’s always not as obvious as some years in the past. Last year for example the grass was way behind compared to most, and finding that perfect top-water spot was not quite as easy. There are about four things that you need to look for to find the top-water bite when the obvious is not hitting you in the face.

The first thing is to find the bait fish. If you know where the bait fish are schooling you have a great chance of getting a top water bite first thing in the morning. It seems the schooling baitfish come to the surface and create a feeding frenzy just as the sun hits the water.

The next thing is to find some calm water, it’s much easier to get a top water bite when you can find water that is calm or at least has a very light chop. This allows you to work the bait easier and also makes the movement of your bait on top more obvious to the bass. Sometimes finding the calm water is very difficult, so pay attention to the wind direction, check your map, and head to sheltered areas to fish.

The next tip, at least on grassy lakes like Guntersville, is to find some grass close to the top. Throwing to holes in the topped-out grass is a great place to generate a top-water bite.

Not all-top water baits are equal in my mind. Some are easy to work, while others require some finesse. Whichever top-water bait you try, place it in the best position for the bite near edges, grass openings, points and humps and work it properly.

Captain Mike Gerry
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
Web: www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
Email: bassguide@comcast.net
(256) 759-2270

Tags: guntersville, Mike Gerry, Top-water bite

This entry was posted on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 5:00 AM and is filed under Fishing Articles, Tips and Tactics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.