Tricks To Catch More Topwater And Crankbait Fish This Summer!

Summer bass are aggressive if you know WHERE to look! Even more important is knowing WHEN to look! If you want to catch topwater and crankbait fish in the heat of Summer, the most likely bite is the low light pattern. Get up early and stay out late to catch bass as they feed aggressively in the low light periods of the day. 

Yes, some of the biggest bass are caught under a high sun, even in Summer. But that fact only matters if you're willing and able to withstand the heat. A lot of anglers aren't willing to subject themselves to the harsh Summer temperatures so for you, we've got some recommendations. If you focus early and late in the day you can experience an amazing reaction bite! Topwater, crankbaits, and swimbaits can all be great producers before the sun hits the water. 

When you get on the pattern remember that it is a PATTERN, it can be repeated. Don't get caught up with fishing a single spot. If you can mimic the area you're in somewhere else, don't be afraid to cover water and try multiple locations. This is especially important when your shade is fading. You can stay on the pattern and continue to catch fish, even as the sun rises in the morning sky, by pursuing those final shade pockets. 

Tim's "Go To" baits are broken down below. These are the baits he trusts when he goes out during low light conditions in search of a BIG bite. The links to the baits go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item.

Wakebait... 

-Evergreen ND180 Noisy Dachs Wakebait (Black Bone): http://bit.ly/2JbrbaM

-G Ratt Magic Mouse (Grey-White Belly): http://bit.ly/2ytrPbP

Buzzbait... 

-D&M Easy Roller Buzzbait (RedBug, White Shad): https://bit.ly/2SCqcmj

-D&M Double Buzz (Bluegill): http://bit.ly/29W2t9z

Walking Baits/Poppers... 

-Teckel KickKnocker (Bone, Chart Shiner): http://bit.ly/2nvxkoA

-Megabass Pop Max (Gill, White Python): http://bit.ly/2qqfmm1

Frogs... 

-River2Sea Bully Wa2 65 (Little Allen, Dirty White, TW Bluegill): http://bit.ly/2axyR2a

Subsurface Offerings... 

GlideBait- S Waver 200 (Warden): http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

Lipless- Lucky Craft LV-500 (Aurora Black): http://bit.ly/2aAUUbd

Silent Squarebill- Lucky Craft 1.5 (American Shad): http://bit.ly/2BGxKPa

Rattling Squarebill- R2S Biggie Crank (T-1000, Abalone Shad): http://bit.ly/2ahCzvo

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Senko and Topwater - Kayak Bass Fishing A Small Backwater Creek

Let's go fishing! Tim is in a small creek with crystal clear water that dumps into a big murky water lake. He's targeting post spawn bass with a Senko, popper, dropshot, and swimbait. The bass moved into this creek to spawn but now they're feeding along the lay downs and overhanging brush before returning to the main lake. Whether you prefer a kayak, a bass boat, or walking the shore bank fishing, you'll enjoy Tim's tips on saving money while catching fish. 

Tim started the day hoping for a quick reaction bite but it wasn't in the cards. He quickly switched to a wacky rigged senko and caught a ton of fish! The key here is to understand that he was still on the same water. We often push for the reaction bite but when you have limited areas to fish its best to adapt to the conditions. By giving up the topwater and fast moving baits Tim suddenly found himself surrounded with willing fish. While they weren't in the mood to chase, the slow falling senko proved more than they could resist. 

Below is a breakdown of the 4 lures that Tim brought on the kayak. He kept it simple but was still able to cover all his bases and adapt to changing conditions. The links go to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

Senko... 

Worm- Yamamoto 5" Senko: http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Colors: Green Pump/Watermelon Lam, Bama Bug

Hook- Owner Weedless Sniper Finesse 1/0: https://bit.ly/2zXirRH

O-Ring Tool- O Rigger:  http://bit.ly/2wtX7M8

O-Rings- O Rigger Rings: http://bit.ly/2h5MhX2

Topwater... 

-Megabass Pop Max (Mat Shad): http://bit.ly/2qqfmm1

Dropshot...

Worm- Roboworm 6" Straight Tail (Oxblood Red Flake): http://bit.ly/2awYSxM

Hook- Owner Mosquito (Size 1/0): http://bit.ly/2fqYFCR

Weight- Swagger Tungsten 1/4 oz Tie-On Weight: http://bit.ly/2YAoMuv

GlideBait... 

-River2Sea S-Waver 168/200: http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

Color: Warden Hitch

Senko Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 7' Medium: http://bit.ly/2osaj3q

Reel- Shimano Exsence 3000: http://bit.ly/2iMtscV

Line- Sunline XPlasma Dark Green Braid 16 lb: http://bit.ly/2OR5i2j

Leader- Sunline Sniper Fluorocarbon 10 lb: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Drosphot Casting Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'2" Medium Light+: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Shimano Aldebaran 50 MGL HG: http://bit.ly/2uQ4oH8

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 20 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- Sunline Sniper Fluorocarbon 10 lb: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

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Underwater Footage From Bass Heaven!! (Is This Even Real?!) Insane Topwater Strike Footage!!

This is the craziest school of GIANT BASS ever! They just finished spawning, they've schooled up on outside structure, and they're hungry! Come UNDERWATER and watch as we throw TOPWATER lures over them. These fish are exploding on a frog, whopper plopper, walking bait, and popper. The topwater strikes are crazy!

Its amazing to see how different the bass treat each of these topwaters. The Whopper Plopper gets hunted down at top speed and ambushed any which way the fish is able to get it. The walking bait is hunted back and forth and ultimately ambushed from the side. The frog and popper are both hunted vertically with the bass shooting straight up and eating the bait belly first. 

There is so much we can learn from this! Knowing how the bass eat the baits tells us which baits to throw when the bass are in different moods. We also see that the slower moving baits will rely much more heavily on "fooling the fish" (bait color, sound, hook color, etc) than the faster moving offerings. 

Below is a breakdown of the baits in the video including our top 3 baits from each category. We've also included our favorite color choices for each style, hook and hardware upgrades, and our favorite rods for throwing topwater. All the links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

Frogs... 

-R2S Bully Wa 2 65(Shown In Video): http://bit.ly/2axyR2a

Favorite Colors: Little Allen, Ghost, TW Bluegill

-Jackall Kaera (Small Profile): http://bit.ly/2Fz6SA3

Favorite Colors: Glitter Hasu, Green Frog, White

-Snagproof Bobby's Perfect Frog (Soft, Easy Hookset): http://bit.ly/2abpR40

Favorite Colors: Brown Bullfrog, Sexy Shad, Tweety

Poppers... 

-R2S Bubble Walker 80 (Shown In Video): http://bit.ly/2e0PZOY

Favorite Colors: Sooner, Loon, Bluegill

-Megabass Pop Max (Incredible Colors): http://bit.ly/2qqfmm1

Favorite Colors: Gill, MB Gizzard, Ito Wakasagi

-Yellow Magic (Small Profile): http://bit.ly/2al0dKP

Favorite Colors: Smoke Shad, Japanese Shad, Alewife

Whopper Plopper...

-Whopper Plopper 130 (Shown In Video): http://bit.ly/2a7ipHL

Favorite Colors: I Know It, TW Bluegill, Chubby

-Whopper Plopper 110 (Stop and Start Retrieve): http://bit.ly/2bsPbQV

Favorite Colors: T-1000, Monkey Butt, Bone

Walking Baits... 

-R2S Rover 128 (Shown In Video): http://bit.ly/2acSVea

Favorite Colors: Abalone Shad, Ghost Minnow, Sooner

-Evergreen Shower Blows 125 (Amazing Sound): http://bit.ly/2zIkqUH

Favorite Colors: American Shad, Emerald Shiner, Bone

-Heddon Super Spook (Inexpensive): http://bit.ly/2diThgH

Favorite Colors: Bone, Lakefork Shad, Okie Shad

Hook Upgrades…

Red Hooks- Owner ST-36 (Size 2, 4): http://bit.ly/2wSknXp

Strong Hooks- Owner St-56 (Size 2, 4): http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

Split Rings: Owner Hyperwire Size 2,3,4: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Favorite Frog Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'3" XH: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Shimano Curado 200K HG: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 65 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

All-Around Topwater Rod... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'2" Med light+: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Shimano Curado 150 DC HG: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 40 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Budget Topwater Combo... 

Rod- Sellus 6'10" Medium: http://bit.ly/2dQNkw7

Reel- Caius B HG: http://bit.ly/2O3Dvuw

Line- Power Pro 40 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

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TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

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Best Topwater Tricks For Spring and Summer Bass Fishing! Easy Modifications!

Its topwater time! The most exciting fishing of the year is here! Check out our favorite baits and some awesome new options for this season! From poppers to spooks, whopper ploppers to frogs, Matt explains them in depth. If that wasn't enough he explains colors, bait modifications, and upgrades as well.

Today's video is broken into two distinct sections. The first is directed towards anglers that prefer a simple approach. We cover 3 baits that will cover virtually everything you'll face on a water. The second section covers 7 baits, color selection, and bait modifications to help you adapt to changing conditions. 

Below is a breakdown of all the baits in the video (In order of appearance) with colors recommendations for each. We've also included our favorite topwater rods. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

3 Great Baits... 

Popper- Damiki D-Pop 70: http://bit.ly/2Pjvqo3

Colors: Spayu, Phantom, Black Holo

Walking Bait- Heddon Super Spook: http://bit.ly/2diThgH

Colors: Okie Shad, Lake Fork Shad, Bone

Plopper- R2S Whopper Plopper 110: http://bit.ly/2bsPbQV

Colors: Bone, Monkey Butt, T-1000

Matt's Favorite Baits By Category

Walking Bait... 

-River2Sea Rover 128: http://bit.ly/2acSVea

Colors: Sooner, Bone, Ghost Minnow

-Evergreen Shower Blows 125: http://bit.ly/2zIkqUH

Colors: American Shad, Half Mirror Wakasagi

Popper...

-River2Sea Bubble Walker 80: http://bit.ly/2e0PZOY

Colors: Sooner, Bluegill, Abalone Shad

Whopper Plopper...

-Whopper Plopper 110: http://bit.ly/2bsPbQV

Colors: Bone, Monkey Butt, T-1000

-Whopper Plopper 130: http://bit.ly/2a7ipHL

Colors: TW Bluegill, Chubby, Matte Black

Frog...

-Bully Wa 2 Frog 65: http://bit.ly/2axyR2a

Colors: Little Allen, Ghost, TW Bluegill

-Jackall Kaera Frog: http://bit.ly/2Fz6SA3

Colors: White, Glitter Hasu, Glitter Bluegill

Bonus Bait... 

-Megabass I-Loud Prop Bait: https://bit.ly/3bjDxaF

Colors: Galaxy Gill, Smelt Wakasagi, White Python

Hook and Hardware Upgrades...

Split Rings- Owner Hyperwire (Sizes 3-4): http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Trebles- Owner ST-56 3X Trebles (Sizes 2-4): http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

Matt's Favorite High-End Topwater Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis GLX 843C MBR: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

Reel- Shimano Chronarch MGL HG: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 40 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen 12 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Favorite Frog Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'3" XH: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Shimano Curado 200K HG: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 65 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G