Topwater Tactics for July
July is probably not the first month that comes to mind when you think of good top water fishing, the surface temp is hot and the fish are in deeper, cooler water, right? Not necessarily so. Although deep water may be cooler, oxygen levels can also decrease as depth increases. On the Cape Fear and the rivers and creeks that feed it, the tidal currents and dark waters keep the fish high in the water column even in the hottest times of the year. A noisy topwater bait is often the ticket to good catches even in the middle of the day. Dawn and dusk are commonly known to be opportune times to generate a lot of strikes on topwater presentations, whether you are winding a buzz bait or working a popping bug for bream. But don’t put the surface lures away when the sun is high in the sky or you just may miss some explosive strikes you wouldn’t have otherwise gotten fishing bottom-hugging baits.
For bass, you’ll have several styles of topwaters to choose from that generate the most bites on a given day. Floating plastic frogs and weedless buzzing frogs are good choices in the pads and walking baits like a Zara Spook can draw vicious strikes where the cover isn’t so thick. Buzzbaits are a good choice when the fish are actively chasing and you want to cover a lot of water in a short amount of time. Slowly twitching a minnow plug or prop bait may be called for on those days when the fish are a little more picky.
For bream, a white popping bug or even an ultralite twitch bait can be hard to beat. One of the key features to look for is shade, and not just a bank with long stretches of dark water, but any shady pocket big enough to hold a fish is worth a shot. So when you’re out on the water this month and your favorite worm or spinner bait isn’t doing the trick, pick up a topwater and give it a try, you just might be in for a nice surprise.
Capt. Mike Lanier
Ranger Boats Pro Staff,
Yamaha, Pure Fishing, Collins,Inc.
SENC Pro Bass Guide Service
(910) 253-8115
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