Top water is Still happening!

  • Steve Root
    South St. Paul, MN
    Posts: 5623
    September 15, 2012 at 3:58 pm #1321691

    It was pretty brisk an hour before dawn on my favorite East metro bass lake. It makes me wonder how many days of Top Water Bassin’ are left? The water temperature was 66 degrees and there was a light Southerly breeze. As usual I was using my 8 weight Fly Rod and deer hair poppers.

    I didn’t encounter the same sized fish as my last trip but I’m not complaining. These fish are very healthy, football shaped and hard fighting. Most of todays action came from 16-18 inchers. The cooler water does have them slowing down, however. I never had a fish hit a moving bait. All my action came when I just let the bug sit still on the water. Sometimes for as long as a full minute! Once hooked however they all jumped and ran around. Great fun.

    In addtion to my usual flies, today I was experimenting with a salt water pattern called a Gurgler. It uses 2mm

    craft foam. They’re cheap to make, float well, cast well, and the Bass just devoured them. I just might have a

    new favorite Top water!

    Rootski

    Steve Root
    South St. Paul, MN
    Posts: 5623
    September 15, 2012 at 4:08 pm #1099025

    Gurglers. Simple, cheap, easy. My kind of Flies!

    gary d
    cordova,il
    Posts: 1125
    September 16, 2012 at 12:14 am #1099051

    Very nice!! I do a little fly fishing myself. I will have to tie some of them for bluegills and bass.

    red89
    Hudson
    Posts: 918
    September 16, 2012 at 1:27 am #1099058

    Not a fly fisherman here, but last year I was catching bass on topwater (spooks, frogs) down to 49 degree water temps on the Mississippi.

    Steve Root
    South St. Paul, MN
    Posts: 5623
    September 16, 2012 at 2:45 am #1099061

    Quote:

    Not a fly fisherman here, but last year I was catching bass on topwater (spooks, frogs) down to 49 degree water temps on the Mississippi.

    That’s interesting. Do you remember what time of day you had most of your action? I’m in the habit of being on the water well before sunrise and leaving when the lake gets busy, usually between 8 and 9 AM. I wonder if the late afternoon might be better after the sun has had a chance to warnm the water up a bit. Thanks for the tip, I don’t want to give up on the season yet!

    cade-laufenberg
    Winona,MN/La Crosse, WI
    Posts: 3667
    September 17, 2012 at 5:06 pm #1099294

    Right now there is a very strong morning topwater bite going on on the river. Spooks and buzzbaits will get some nice fish on shallow sand flats early in the morning. The water temperature is still 68-71 degrees. As it continues to cool, the topwater bite will get better, produce bigger fish, and last longer into the day. The water is still warm enough right now that the sun shuts them down around 10AM on a bluebird day. In my opinion, the best topwater bite is somewhere between 65 and 58 degrees in the fall. The colder the water, the more time of day becomes irrelevant.

    Jack Naylor
    Apple Valley, MN
    Posts: 5668
    September 21, 2012 at 5:22 am #1100162

    Nice Bass Steve, and good looking bugs.
    Jack

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