Top Guns: Banging it out with fall bass
By MATT WILLIAMS Outdoors Writer

Few things are more addictive in freshwater fishing arenas than going after bass with a topwater plug. Even if you don't catch a bass, the mere thrill of witnessing one blow up on a surface plug is more than enough to keep you coming back for more.

My fascination with surface scratchin' dates back to when I was just a kid - too young to shoot a gun and barely old enough to cast a rod and reel.

My dad had taken me dove hunting and we were hunkered down on the backside of a tank dam at my grandparents' farm. Dad had already dusted several doves and I had a accumulated a healthy pile of 16-gauge hulls at my feet.

Bored between volleys, I grabbed up one of the spent hulls and tossed it into the gin clear stock tank. The hull bobbed in the still water for a few seconds, then disappeared beneath a savage explosion of white water.

Shocked, I looked at my dad for an explanation. "Bass," he said. "Mean SOBs, ain't they, son."

Amen.

Micropterus salmoides will hit topwaters during all seasons of the year, but Fall has a deep history for being one of the very best. Here's crash course in topwater pluggin' to whet your appetite for one bass fishing's most eventful times:

Like other families of lures, topwaters come in an assortment of shapes and sizes that take on different appearances and make a variety of noises.

Some topwaters wiggle to simulate a wounded bait fish. Others are constructed with a cupped nose that digs into the surface and creates the infamous `plop-plop-gurglegurgle' racket. Furthermore, there are topwaters that dart from side to side, fizz, bubble, sputter and buzz.

One the most famous topwater lures of all time is the Rebel Pop-R. The cup-nose bait is about 2 1/2 inches long and comes stock with a bucktail on the rear treble hook. Twitch it and the bait goes "plop-plop."

Another deadly surface lure Heddon's Zara Spook. The bait is particularly attractive to big bass. It produces best with a rhythmic `walk the dog' retrieve attained by twitching the bait with your rod tip and reeling in unison. Practice and you'll develop the rhythm in no time.

Buzz baits can be equally effective, especially when there is some chop on the water. The buzz bait takes on many of the same physical characteristics as a spinnerbait, except for it has a large, rotating blade that keeps it on the surface and creates a buzzing noise that can be heard from long distances.

Bass rarely hold anything back when they pounce on a buzz bait. In fact, strikes are at times so violent that it is easy to jerk the bait away before a fish eats it.

For that reason I used to think a buzz bait demanded more discipline than any other topwater to fish effectively. But am not so sure anymore. Working a Ribbit Frog can be a nerve-racking experience.

The Ribbit is Stanley Lures' version of topwater fishing's newest wrinkle. The weedless soft plastic bait casts like bullet, yet fishes like buzz bait. Wind it at a steady clip and the bait's little bootshaped feet stir up a racket that bass can't stand.

Frog strikes are almost always violent. The inclination of most anglers is to jerk the instant the explosion occurs. This usually results in a missed opportunity.

Legendary lure maker Lonnie Stanley of Huntington can't help but chuckle when he looks back on his frog fishing debut.

"It seems like took me a full year to get it down, mainly because I've been fishing a jig so long," he said. "My natural reaction was to set the hook as soon as the fish hits. You can't do that with the Ribbit or any other casting frog."

The key is to be patient. Allow the fish to swim with the bait a few seconds, then set hook. Those cast/catch ratios are sure to improve.

Longview bass pro Jim Tutt offered a good tip to help frog lovers turn more hits into solid hook-ups.

"When I am fishing a buzz frog I keep the butt of the rod buried in my belly and the rod pointed straight up," Tutt said. "There is no way you can jerk the bait away if you are in that position. The fish has time to eat the lure before you are in position to set the hook."