Chasing the Fall Bass Fishing Topwater Frenzy

Large schools of shad often stay in the same general areas for days, so once you find them, you can return to the exact spots—often at the same time—to wait for the surfacing bass.

The Best Weather for Fall Topwater

In cloudy, breezy conditions, bass may school for much of the day, aggressively smashing any number of topwater lures worked within their midst. These are prime days to expose kids or newer anglers to the sport - there are few experiences in fishing better than this.

If the day is sunny and calm, the bass will still school on top, but the action is often measured in seconds rather than minutes. It's especially frustrating to make a long cast on the left side of the boat, only to have the bass explode on the opposite side. When surface schooling is erratic, holding your cast until you see the bass surface will lead to more topwater blowups.

Top 3 Topwater Lures for Fall Bass

Walking baits, poppers, and prop baits all get equal billing in fall.

1. Walking Baits Excel in the Fall

Fall is a great time to throw topwater walking baits. The original classic Zara Spook still catches a ton of bass, but there are many great variations available worth considering. The slashing, zig-zagging, walk-the-dog moves of these baits gets topwater schooling bass to react.

Don’t be afraid to go big with your fall topwater selection—think big enough for three treble hooks, like on a Super Spook. When the surface action is hot, choosing a lure that can be cast the furthest to reach a distant school may be the primary criterion in lure selection. Plus, a larger lure will stand out in the crowd of smaller baitfish and appeal more to the larger bass within the school.

2. Poppers are the Power Finesse of Topwater

However, when the water and sky are bright and calm, bass can become quite choosy, even when erupting into a school of shad. A cupped-face popper-style bait is a bit more subtle, and can finesse bites from less aggressive topwater feeding fish.

Vary the intensity of each chug and the duration of the pause between chugs. Some days, a gentle splash, splash followed by a pause of several seconds is what is required. Some days, a frantic splashing, chugging almost out of control cadence gets the bites. But a popper allows you to make those adjustments.

3. Prop Baits

The old Smithwick Devil’s Horse is a classic that still catches them, but again, there are lots of options and variations available like the Rapala X-Rap Prop. In the fall, stick with longer, thinner, shad-style profiles rather than bluegill shapes.

The propellers create a bubble trail and cause a surface commotion bass can’t resist. A stop-and-go ripping motion draws violent strikes.

Pro Tip: You can adjust how much drag, noise and disturbance the blades make by bending them forward or backward.

Experimenting with Size and Color

When a topwater lure worked directly through the surface feeding action gets inexplicably overlooked, it's worth experimenting.

Let each day dictate what the fish want. If they’ll eat a big bait, by all means, give them a big bait and improve your odds of catching bigger fish. If you’re fishing for spotted and smallmouth bass, which have much smaller mouths than the aptly named largemouth bass, consider downsizing to achieve better landing percentages.

Amid the chaos of a feeding frenzy on top, lure color often doesn't matter. Chrome, bone, or any shad pattern will produce; however, if the water is ultra-clear and the bass are just swatting at the lure, choose a clear or translucent finish, that makes the lure less visible to the bass.

Use Retrieve Speed and Action to Trigger More Strikes

Bass are accustomed to feeding upon prey that are disoriented and frantic in their attempts to survive, so make your topwater action act the same. Work the lure fast, aggressively, chaotically - anything to better imitate a desperate baitfish.

A fast, frantic action to the topwater lure can also bring the school back to the top once they go subsurface. Once the surface calms, fan-cast the area, working the lure with an erratic action to imitate a straggler left injured on the surface.

Make the Most of the Fall Topwater Frenzy

• Look for fall schooling bass in deep open water, often where major tributaries join the main reservoir
• Have an assortment of topwater lures rigged and ready, including poppers, ploppers, walking baits, and prop baits
• Experiment with lure size, color, and retrieves on days when bass are refusing a topwater lure
• Maintain a fast, frantic action to the lure, even when the school goes subsurface

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