(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.)
Koby Kreiger is an exceptional sight-fisherman, but his true love is topwater fishing. “I dream about it at night,” he said. Indeed, he has some sort of surface lure tied on and ready to go almost 12 months out of the year. “As long as the water temperature is around 50 degrees, give or take, you can get a bite on a topwater.”
Nevertheless, he admitted that his love of topwater fish can lead to some disappointments.
“A lot of times you get your butt beat trying to do it,” he explained. Still, he keeps trying, because when it’s on, not only is the topwater bite more fun than just about any other presentation, but it can also lead to tournament wins.
One of his favorites is the original P70 Pop-R. “It’s a big Pop-R about 3 1/2 inches long,” he said. “Back in the day it was made out of a particular type of plastic.” It has one BB in it that creates a rattling sound and because it is tail-heavy, it stays in place walking side-to-side for a long time. He learned from former tour pro Craig Powers how to make a reverse roll cast to put it in places where most others would only throw jigs or frogs. It was frogging before frogging became popular, and has a much better hookup ratio than hollow-bodied amphibians. “The way the topwater bait sits in the water is key,” he said of its top-down posture. While he doesn’t shave the baits’ lips or bodies, if he gets a non-original he will sometimes add a strip of weight or a heavier hook to make it sit properly.
In order to make accurate roll casts, “you need to use a short rod,” he explained. He likes a 6-foot Powell with a short handle (not a pistol grip). “It’s a medium-action, very tippy,” he added. He pairs it with a mid-speed Abu-Garcia Revo STX reel and 15-pound Hi Seas mono, which floats, unlike fluorocarbon. Braid doesn’t allow him to throw in the right amount of slack to make the bait work properly.
Another vintage topwater that he employs consistently is an old-school Bomber Long A. He wants the ones with a screw-in hook eye in the rear, with solid plastic (the same as was used for the old Pop-Rs), and a solid bill. The plastic should be milky white and they have two BBs in them. The lure makes a subtle V-wake when retrieved slowly.
It’s not just out-of-production baits that work their way into his lineup. In the summertime when fish are more active and chasing, he likes a saltwater Super Spook Jr. in the bone/silver color.
He admitted that it was difficult for him to move beyond those top three choices. “It’s tough for me to change,” he said, but then noted that in recent years he’s used a Berkley Choppo a lot, and because he lives in Florida a prop bait plays a roll at certain times of year. “I threw a Boy Howdy forever.”
If you want more information about how Kreiger fishes topwater baits, including how his friendship with East Tennessee legend Powers began, check out his full video filmed at the Bassmaster Classic in Alabama, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
