If you are active on social media, it isn’t hard to find fish pics with topwater lures hanging from their mouths. To me, there is no greater feeling than a hard-hitting top water hook-up. With that said, there are some anglers that shy away from topwater, some because it is out of their comfort zone and some because of a lack of success or consistency. I would like to challenge those anglers to give top water a serious try.

As far as lure selection, there are several on the market and many produce. I am partial to the “Skitter Walk^®” line by Rapala. I have had repeated success with the black and gold with orange underbelly in our area, although I have had success with many other colors. I won’t say color doesn’t matter, but I believe it is more about the action that produces those reaction strikes.

There are many different ways to fish a topwater bait. You can work them slow, fast, with pauses, etc. The way you work it may change from one day to the next in order to generate a strike. It is important to pay attention to what the fish are responding to. The only way you are going to get confident and know is through practice, experience, and a little trial and error. The first thing is to learn the walk-the-dog movement. Over time, it will become muscle memory. Stay with it, watch some how-to videos if you need to, or ask a friend to help you out.

If you’re not a topwater angler, I promise the first strike will make your heart flutter with an added dash of adrenaline. I still get it to this day. So, let’s get out there and enjoy this time hot topwater action!