There is nothing better than getting on a good topwater bite. The excitement of an explosion on the surface is what keeps all of us coming back for more. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Jeff Kriet considers topwater fishing one of his favorite ways to catch bass and in this article he shares some of the secrets he has learned over the years for catching bass on top.
Popper Baits
One of the oldest style of topwater baits, poppers are a specialized tool that excel when fish are guarding fry and also in the heat of the summer. “I’ll throw a popper quite a bit anytime the fish are shallow, say less than five feet. When they finish spawning and are guarding fry, the popper is the perfect bait,” shared Kriet.
He will also fish them in the middle of the summer if the fish are around shallow cover and in pockets of shade. “The best way to explain how I use poppers is as a target bait. You want to be fishing it around visible targets like stumps, docks, shade and anything else that will hold a bass in shallow water,” added Kriet.
Kriet’s preferred popping bait is a Yo-Zuri 3DB popper due to its ideal size at three inches long and he prefers colors like baby bass to match the hatch of the shallow water prey of bass.
Walking Baits
Walking baits are most likely the most popular of all topwater baits and have been for many years. They work in many conditions and on all species of bass. A walking bait excels any time there is a slight ripple on the water and fish are in more open water according to Kriet, “points and anytime you have schooling fish or baitfish activity is a perfect time and place to throw a walking bait. I’ll let the wind and size of the bait determine the size of the bait I can use and will go as big as I can to try to get some bigger fish, topwater is a great way to catch a kicker bass.”
Kriet likes the Yo-Zuri 3DB Series Pencil walking bait because of the good color selection and quality hooks. “One thing I like about these and all of the Yo-Zuri baits is I don’t need to change out treble hooks like I would with other brands. Sharp hooks are probably more important on topwater baits than any other style of bait because they are coming from beneath to hit it and sometimes barely slash at it,” he said.
Wake Baits
While not a true, traditional topwater style, wake baits are an exciting way to coax bass from the depths. “I hardly ever see weekend guys throwing wake baits, but let me tell you everyone on the Elite Series throws them because they are a big fish bait. They drive big bass nuts” adds Kriet. He says there are two things needed for this style of bait, clear water and very long casts.
Kriet prefers a Duel Hardcore Noi-Z wake bait and fishes it over deep water with submerged cover, “probably my favorite place to throw a wake bait is over really deep water with submerged trees. Table Rock Lake in Missouri is a great example. I fish a wake bait in 80 feet of water where there are trees under water that come to within 20 feet of the surface, those fish will come a long ways to the surface to hit a wake bait. It might surprise you how deep they will come from and this is a great way to catch a giant,” added Kriet.
Does Color Even Matter?
A fast moving bait above the water is hard for a bass to gauge a color pattern. While Kriet stopped short of saying it doesn’t matter, he believes you can get away with just a few color patterns to cover your bases in many scenarios. “I like all variations of white or a white belly if I am fishing stained water and will switch to a more clear pattern in clear water. Probably my favorite color of them all is bone, it works everywhere,” said Kriet.
Rod/Reel/Line
According to Kriet, a good rod has to have a good backbone and soft tip. His favorite rod for most topwater baits is not even made for topwater, it is a Falcon Cara T7 7’2” Swim Jig Special rod. “It has a great action and is not too stiff, I do not want to pull the hooks away from fish with all of my topwaters,” said Kriet.
When it comes to reels, Kriet always uses a high speed 7.1:1 gear ratio reel so he can quickly retrieve and make another cast. “If you see a fish busting or schooling activity, you need to get that bait in quickly so you can cast to them,” he stated.
For line, Kriet uses both Hi-Seas monofilament and braid. “Topwater fishing is about the only time I will even use mono anymore. I’ll use anywhere between 10-20lb test. 10lb for light poppers where there isn’t much cover and up to 20lb mono if there is heavy cover and the lake has big fish in it. 15lb is a good all –around size,” 
shared Kriet.
He will also use braided line quite frequently and anytime he feels he can get away with it. “30 lb braid is perfect for fishing a walking bait because you can cast so far and reach those schooling fish if they come up a long ways away from the boat.
Retrieves
Retrieve speed and the action on your popping and walking baits is the most critical thing for topwater fishing according to Kriet. “The speed and action of your retrieve is critical and you can learn a lot about what the fish want based on each fish you catch. If you are getting hits when the bait is stopped you need to slow down and if they are hitting it mid twitch you probably need to speed it up some,” shared Kriet. With that in mind, he will vary his retrieve speed throughout the day in an attempt to refine his presentation and catch more fish.
Wake baits on the other hand require a fairly constant retrieve according to Kriet, “I like to just reel it as slow as I can stand it and then slow down some more. They sometimes follow this bait for quite some time, so that is why you need to make very long casts.”
Topwater fishing is a way to catch both numbers of fish and the kicker you need. Kriet relies on them heavily from the time right after the bass spawn until late fall as bass are keyed on schools of baitfish. His approach is dictated by the conditions and how the fish are acting that day. He adjusts his presentation to match the hatch and makes sure to pay attention to clues the bass are giving him.
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