(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
No one gets more animated when talking about bass fishing than television host Mark Zona, and if you really want to see him ratchet it up, the key is to bring up topwaters. While he’s exceptional with spinning gear, cranking and just about any other technique, like most of us he lives for surface strikes. Unlike many of us, though, he has a very refined system for choosing which ones to use.
Two of his favorites are walking-style pencil baits and poppers, and when either is in play he usually has both on the deck of his boat. A walking bait is ideal when he wants to find fish fast, he said, because “I’m able to cover water a heck of a lot better.” One favorite for locating the mother lode is a Strike King Sexy Dawg. He said that while it hooks plenty of fish, it’s also exceptional when he doesn’t care if he catches any and is just trying to locate them for the future. That’s his “bird dog” approach, and when he pinpoints their location he’ll often slow down and fish the popper. Many times they seem to inhale it better, too, while with the walking bait they’ll push it up in the air like they’re playing volleyball.
There are, of course, some slight differences in timing. He said that a walking bait excels later in the year, while a popper’s typical timeframe – at least in his part of the country – is from just after the spawn until Labor Day. While the walking bait is good around shad, perch, alewives and many other types of bait, the popper is at its best when bass are feeding on bluegills. The popper shines when it’s relatively calm, while a bit of breeze or chop favors the walking bait, because “they can find it better.”
With either of them, he said that in order to elicit the most action “you want to throw line back at the bait,” as if you’re working a jerkbait.
One nice thing about these lures is that you don’t have to buy a special rod to throw them. Zona prefers a 6’10” to 7’2” cranking stick, which allows for really long casts and “let’s ‘em get it.” Because he typically uses a main line of Seaguar braid with a fluorocarbon leader, no he-man hookset is required. “Just keep working it until the rod loads up,” he advised.
One trick to ensuring this sort of patience is to look away from the bait while you’re retrieving it. “I rarely look at my topwater bait,” he said. “I don’t want to see what the shark’s going to do to it,” even though he knows he is “missing the movie.” He’ll pair his cranking rod with a high speed reel, at least 7.3:1, which allows him to pick up slack quickly.
If you want to learn some of Zona’s additional tips for maximizing your topwater effectiveness, check out his full video, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
