Topwater Lures for Creek & River Bass

What is the best way to catch bass from creeks and rivers during the summer? Working topwater lures is certainly among the finest ways to solve summer stream bass, and many anglers (if not most) would agree that it provides the most fun solution.

Topwater lures, selected and presented properly, work well for all black bass species and have the potential to call up some of the season’s most exciting fishing action. We’ll look at how streams are different from still waters and then examine different types of surface lures and the advantages of each.

Arguably the best thing about creek and river topwater lure fishing is that surface action commonly continues throughout the day. Where summer topwater fishing in lakes can be largely a morning and evening proposition, stream fish commonly look upward for meals all day long. That might be because the water tends to stay a bit cooler, or it could be because currents and eddies create natural ambush positions for attacking critters on or near the surface.

Also related to ambush positions, currents and eddies largely define the best areas to fish topwater lures in a stream setting. When current lines wash over boulders, shoals or downed trees, fish hold in the cover or behind it and shoot up to feed when would-be meals pass overhead. Likewise, fish will conserve energy by holding in places like cuts in the bank, seams between currents, and eddies behind significant obstructions or defined river drops.

Another distinction in many creeks and rivers is the make-up of the bass population. In many areas, a reservoir might hold mostly largemouths, while the streams that feed it hold more smallmouths, spots or regionalized river species like shoal bass, Suwannee bass or Coosa redeye bass. Likewise, smaller streams commonly have large numbers of bass but a smaller average size. Knowing the general makeup of the bass population of waters you are fishing allows you to target the most productive habitat and select the best topwater lures.

Creeks and rivers are also highly dynamic, and a stream’s character and its fish’s behavior can vary substantially based on conditions, especially water level and color. An important distinction is whether fish are generally aggressive, in which case you want to keep baits moving to prompt attacks, or are in a more cautious mode, meaning you need to coax strikes. Figuring out where stream bass are on this spectrum can make it far easier to select the best surface lures and presentations. Start with what seems to fit conditions but be willing to experiment and to adapt based on what the bass reveal.

Popper/Chugger – The cupped face of a bait like a Pop-R or Hula Popper creates a popping or chugging sound when you pop the rod. The tightness of the line and the sharpness and length of each rod movement dictate the character of the splash and sound. Poppers can be fished slowly in key spots to entice bites or quickly across broader areas to find fish and prompt attacks.

Walker – Decades ago, the Heddon Zara Spook established a category of lures designed to “walk the dog” with darting, gliding side-to-side movements. These baits, which include several Spook models, are especially well suited for covering water and finding feeding fish.

Prop Bait – Prop lures can have a churning metal propeller on the front and back like a Crazy Shad or just the back like a Tiny Torpedo. They offer more subtlety than a popper and a sound fish typically don’t hear as often. They are great choices for casting to targets and coaxing strikes because they can make a commotion without traveling far.

Tail Spinner – In recent years gurgling tail-spinner lures like the Spin’N Image have surged in popularity. With these lures, the entire back of the lure spins, and a fin creates a gurgling sound. They can fish be worked with rod snaps, twitches and pauses, but many anglers contend that slow and steady presentations call the most bass to the surface.

Buzzbait – Buzzbaits offer a quick surface-buzzing attraction and a degree of weedlessness. They work wonderfully for covering water to find active fish, especially along grass edges, beside bluffs, between laydown branches and over gravel bars and stumpy flats. If a bass slaps as at a buzzbait but doesn’t quite commit, follow with a wacky-rigged YUM Dinger, cast right to where the fish hit, and be ready to set the hook!

Frog – If a river has emergent grass or floating vegetation along its edges or a snaggy brushy cover, the virtue of a hollow-bodied frog bait cannot be ignored. The BOOYAH Poppin’ Pad Crasher Jr, which is slightly downsized and has a popping face, is an extra good choice for many river fishing situations.

Although it certainly is not always the case, in many instances, choosing small topwater lures provides significant advantages for summer creek and river fishing. That is due to common stream conditions, prevalent forage and the at times make-up of the bass population. As a bonus, diminutive topwater lures often appeal to a variety of fish species, keeping the action steady between bass bites.

Summer is a time of reduced rainfall in many areas, and that trend increases as the season progresses. Afternoon thunderstorms occur, but large systems with sustained rains are less frequent. That often leads to low creek and river levels and clearer-than-normal water – which makes fish more cautious and less apt to attack large lures.

Creek fish also relate heavily to small forage and remain on alert for terrestrial and hatching aquatic insects that find themselves afloat. Much of the foodstuff that shows up on the surface is at the small end of the spectrum, so a small surface lure, like a Crickhopper worked on top or a Teeny Torpedo, more effectively “matches the hatch” than does a traditional topwater lure for bass.

Finally, it’s valuable to know the make-up of a stream’s bass population. If it’s loaded with 10- to 13-inch smallmouth bass, with only scattered bigger fish in the mix, it makes far more sense to use a smaller topwater lure. A big bass will still nab a little lure, but far fewer fish will commit if your lure is too large.

Rebel Crickhopper Popper – This 1 3/4-inch, 1/8-ounce topwater lures offers the same insect-imitating profile as a Crickhopper or Bighopper, but a cup on the face creates a distinctive fish-calling pop with every snap of the rod tip.

Heddon Tiny Torpedo – The single prop of the back of this compact 1 7/8-inch lure spins quickly to churn the water and call fish with every forward movement of the bait. It can be fished quickly across a shoal to call up fish or cast into eddies and fished very slowly to coax strikes.

Heddon Zara Puppy – The smallest current member of the Heddon Spook family, the Zara Puppy offers a slender profile and a quick walking action. It is ideal for covering a water and calling up fish in a creek or small river.

Arbogast Jitterbug – The iconic Jitterbug, with its wide, gurgling wobble and the wake kicked out by its double-cupped lip, is arguably the ultimate topwater lure for night fishing in a creek or river.  The methodical churning calls bass from afar and they cannot resist attacking.

BOOYAH Pond Magic Buzz – This pint-sized buzzbait, which weighs 1/8 ounce, makes a big buzz for a small lure, and it can be fished effectively on the same rod and reel you’d use to fish a Crickhopper Popper or Zara Puppy.