Topwater plugs hook lots of smallmouth bass Motion, commotion are pivotal to success

Being born and raised in Aroostook County tends to mold a young angler to certain species of fish and styles of fishing. Brook trout and salmon have always been the bread and butter in my angling pantry, but I must admit to a growing interest and involvement over the last few years in bass fishing.

It all began a dozen years ago during a trip to Florida when I chose to spend a morning enjoying the magic of sunrise on a lake in search of largemouth bass rather than carousing with mice, ducks and dwarfs in the Magic Kingdom. I caught a lot of hard-fighting, high-leaping bass, including one over 71/2 pounds on that initial outing, and just like the fish, I was hooked, too.

Upon returning to Maine I discovered to my disappointment that dependable largemouth bass fishing was limited to the lower end of the state. On the plus side however, top rate smallmouth waters abound throughout central Maine and a few real corkers are located in southern Aroostook County and just across the border in New Brunswick. I began to explore various lakes and rivers and experimented with the best methods to catch smallies. Each season I fished more, learned more and enjoyed more. From May to October, I currently do my very best to fish for these bronzeback beauties at least once a week.

Try topwater

I determined early on that the greatest fun and most exciting tactic for catching smallmouth bass was with topwater baits. Anglers who are good long distance, pinpoint casters with a fly rod will have great luck dropping floating poppers and trimmed deer-hair flies among logs, stumps, and other floating debris. Strikes are explosive, the fights ferocious on a lightweight rod and at least half of the bass never get to the boat on a single hook fly. But once you experience the topwater take, the rest doesn’t matter.

For non-fly fishermen and novice anglers in general, the best all-around option is plug fishing. Plugs, also called hard baits, are floating, carved or molded wooden or plastic lures with two or three sets of treble hooks. Vivid colors and holographic designs, along with unique shapes and hardware accessories that create noise and notable water disturbance make such lures deadly topwater offerings. During the warm, muggy weather of late July, August and early September, surface plugs will produce consistent smallmouth action for sports of every level of skill and experience.

Basic tackle

Many Maine anglers who regularly fish for trout will already have the necessary tackle for smallmouth bass. For topwater plugs, a 6- to 71/2-foot spinning rod will offer the best results for casting distance and precision, as well as having enough backbone to fight and control larger fish. Sportsmen looking for a real challenge can opt for ultra lightweight rods in the 5- and 51/2-foot length. Some casting length is surrendered but the tug-of-war tussle of even a twopound smallie is enhanced and an acrobatic, four-pound bronzeback will offer an epic battle on ultra light gear.

Anglers who fish large and smallmouth bass, fish in reeds, weeds and heavy cover or depend on sub-surface baits frequently, often prefer a bait casting reel. These reels are strong and dependable, but have a tendency to back lash and require patience and practice to cast for distance and accuracy with ease. Weekend water warriors should opt for open face spinning reels and real novices and youngsters might consider a closed face spincast reel.

I often rig two or three rods per outing and even after years of bass casting still prefer the open and closed face spinning over bait-casting reels. I even go a step further for comfort, convenience and speed and use models with a finger trigger for autocasting. The better the drag system, the smoother the retrieve gearing and the addition of features like anti-reverse and long stroke spools drive prices from the $25 range to the $50-$75 bracket.

For best all-around results, match your reel to your rod and select a combo that’s easy and simple to cast all day. If you already have a combo on hand for trout fishing try it for a trip or two and see if any changes are really needed. Six- to eight- pound monofilament is a good compromise for strength, durability and casting distance with topwater baits. If a waterway has a lot of weed beds, lily pads, floating or stationary debris or a heavy population of pickerel, upgrade line strength to at least 10- or 12-pound mono. At five dollars a lure, minimum, toothy pickerel and unrelenting logs and reeds combined with too light a line gets expensive.

Dogwalkers and topknockers

On any fishing trip, having the right bait is crucial. For warm weather bass fishing, topwater hard baits that create a surface disturbance in the water and/or make a good deal of noise are consistent fish takers. A myriad of colors and holographic finishes are available, but yellow, silver, green, black, and red and blue in one combination or another continue to be top choices. On any given day, your guess is as good as mine, but more than color it’s the motion and commotion that draws strikes.

Walking the dog is a method of retrieving a topwater plug so that it travels in a “Z” pattern across the water surface causing a conspicuous wake and noisy splashing. Bass either believe the plug is injured prey or are just irritated into striking by the water disturbance. Among the most popular of these elongated, flashy, floating hard baits are Heddon’s Zara Spook and Rapala’s Skitter Walk.

A Topknocker plug has the same shape and travels across the water surface just like a dog walker but has the addition of an internal noise maker. These hard plugs have an internal sound chamber with at least one metal ball that rolls and bounces around. Add the rattle to the surface commotion the plug creates and bass rush to chomp on it. Try a C’ultiva Tango Dancer or Rip’N Minnow, or tie on a Sammy produced by Lucky Craft.

Propeller plugs

Another hard bait that creates noise and surface disturbance via a propeller is one of the simplest plugs to use, yet one of the most productive. These 2- to 4-inch long oval, torpedo-shaped plugs may have one or two propellers that spin as the lure is retrieved across the water surface.

Simple to cast, these propeller plugs are retrieved in a straight line and the spinning prop creates a wide wake, makes noise as it spins, and at faster speeds even creates a small, splashy rooster tail. These plugs are a great option for young anglers since the smallies engulf them and generally hook themselves.

Heddon’s Teeny, Tiny and Baby Torpedos are sure propeller plug winners, especially in blue shad, fire tiger, and bull frog colors. Smithwick’s Devil’s Horse and Luhr Jensen’s Wood Chopper plugs should be in every bass tackle box as well.

Poppers and chuggers

Plugs that use a flat, beveled or concave face to create a loud popping, chugging or glugging sound with each sharp tug of the rod tip during a retrieve are called poppers. Not only does the oddly shaped front of these topwater plugs produce a sound that attracts bass, but it spits and splashes water creating a surface disturbance as well.

Of all the surface plugs, popper styles seem to consistently excite smallmouth bass the most and elicit the most devastating, explosive topwater strikes. Hard baits of this fashion are simple to use and excellent for casting long distances. A few models have internal rattles or are jointed to add even more noise and motion during retrieval.

Try a Pop’N Image by Excaliber, a Hula Popper by Arborgast, a POP-R by Rebel and Lucky 13 by Heddon. There are dozens of other popper plugs, but these have caught bass for years. A few hybrid surface plugs that create noise and scuttle across the water are worth having on hand as well. Check your local fishing shop for a Sputterbuzz, Jitterbug, or a Gunfish.

Late summer and early fall are prime times for topwater smallmouth bass action. Bronzebacks are hard fighters under any conditions, but add the thrill of surface strikes on plugs the angler is working along the surface and you’ll be hooked as quickly as the bass. Acrobatic leaps, head shaking deep dives, and a thrashing, splashing surface battles will ensue with each hookup. Every smallmouth fights as if it’s twice its true size, so toss out a topwater plug, create some motion and commotion and hang on.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached via e-mail at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com