Tips & Tricks on How to Topwater Fish

Back Close

How to Catch Fish How to Tie Fishing Knots Fishing Gear and Tackle How to Fish with Lures How to Fish with Live Bait Fishing Safety Fishing Tips When to Fish Types of Fishing Fishing Terms Fishing and Conservation View All

When to Saltwater Fish Saltwater Bait and Lures Saltwater Fishing Tackle Types of Saltwater Fishing Saltwater Fishing Gear Saltwater Fish Species Saltwater Fishing FAQ View All

Best Freshwater Fishing When to Freshwater Fish Freshwater Bait and Lures Learn About Freshwater Fish Species Best Freshwater Fishing Gear Freshwater Fishing FAQ View All

Fly Fishing Basics Fly Fishing Flies Fly Fishing Gear Fly Casting View All

Ice Fishing Basics Ice Fishing Gear Ice Fishing Techniques View All

Boating Basics How to Boat Boating and Water Safety Choose Your Boat Use our Boat Explorer Tool Get on the Water View All

Select a state to find fishing and boating information:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho

Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri

Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania

Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Get A Fishing License

Get started fishing today, purchase your fishing license online, check regulations and more.

TOPWATER FISHISHING BASICS

Fish respond very differently to different types of topwater lures. Smooth water usually calls for a quiet and gentle presentation while choppy water requires anglers to make a statement. You will need to learn how to rig a topwater lure for different conditions. Swim a slider or a soft plastic erratically around rocks, edges, deadfall, or weeds but aggressively chug a popper around the same type of water when a strong wind creates a chop. If it isn’t working, try experimenting with a different approach.

STEPS TO TOPWATER FISH

You can use topwater lures such as poppers, which have a concave face that makes a big splash when you jerk the lure sharply on the surface.
Cast the lure to your desired location, then reel in using a retrieval motion that mimics a fish’s meal.
When learning how to topwater fish for bass, try “walk the dog” type lures that shake their head back and forth when you just twitch the tip of your rod in a rhythm. This shaking head action mimics a dying baitfish on the surface.

TOPWATER FISHISHING BASICS

STEPS TO TOPWATER FISH

Find Places to Boat AND Fish

Know Your Fish

TOPWATER FISHISHING BASICS

STEPS TO TOPWATER FISH

Find Places to Boat AND Fish

Know Your Fish

Select A State