Top Water Bass Fishing – Fishing a Stickbait
It‟s early morning, thick mist blankets a clear and calm lake surface, and the water
mirrors the sky. Suddenly a loud splash, a few seconds of “popping” on the water
surface, and then wham! A monster largemouth bass inhales your top water bass
lure. Sounds fun, right? „Walking the dog‟ with those cylindrical stick baits isn‟t
difficult, and can be used to catch huge bass. In this article, I will discuss some
important factors you need to take into account when throwing a stickbait for
largemouth surface bass.
Firstly, let‟s look at what a stickbait is. In essence, these versatile bass catchers can
be equated to its basic „broom-handle‟ shape. Nothing more than a pipe like bait with
two pairs of trebles hanging off either end, the simplicity of the stickbait, I believe, is
key to its effectiveness. The coating of these baits is also not much to speak off.
Usually they come in very bland, matt finishes although I have seen some brighter
lures pull in decent bass on occasion.
What I really like about fishing stickbaits is that one good bass fishing outfit will suit
most occasions. In fact, you could get away with just having one quality bass fishing
rod set aside for stickbait fishing. There really isn‟t a need to have many bass outfits
for this method of bass fishing. I would go for graphite, 6 ft. 6 bass fishing rod
combined with a large bait casting reel with 12 lb. monofilament fishing line.
There are a variety of bait colours to choose from, but as I mentioned earlier, a few
simple colours will work just fine. I suggest that you look into getting large
brown/black bait, a black and white bait, a fire chartreus lure and perhaps one
stickbait which imitates the predominant baitfish found in the lake you‟re fishing. I
recommend going for larger lures, since you‟re fishing for big bass. Also, a large lure
crushing on the surface will attract bass from a larger area, thus increasing the
number of fish you can catch from a single piece of water.
You can fish your stickbait through the year, with the only exception being the middle
of winter (and if you‟re really intent on it, you could try throwing a stickbait into
shallow water during a warm winter afternoon when bass come closer to the shore to
feed).
I believe though, that the prime time for fishing a stickbait is during summer.
Especially during early mornings and late afternoons when the bass are actively
feeding and will hammer a well fished stickbait. You can really hook into a number of
bass by throwing your topwater close to floating lilies, and around dock edges. Try
casting your lure out far, and begin a steady side-to-side swimming action by dipping
your rod tip into the water. To walk the dog effectively, you want to reel in the slack
while the bait is jeering off to the side, and to snap your rod tip only when the line is
stiff.
There are a number of modifications you can make to a stickbait to get it to swim
differently. A simple technique to get a wider, more erratic wobble is to replace the
lure‟s back treble hooks with new, larger pair. This will cause the bait to sit slightly
„dipped‟ in the water, allowing more glide on each dart. The point here is to
experiment with how you fish your stickbait. Many bass anglers have found their own
unique retrieves that work for them, and I suggest that you find your own personal
retrieve style as well.