Topwater Time: Three lure styles every fall angler should possess

While many outdoors-minded folks switch from fishing to hunting as fall arrives, there is a compelling reason to not winterize the boat quite yet. As the longer, cooler nights start to lower the water temperature in Minnesota’s rivers and lakes, bass begin to school up and feed.

Compared with many of summer’s fishing opportunities, this is the best time to get out and target good numbers of bass, and quality fish, to boot. Both largemouths and smallmouths will get in on this feeding frenzy, and one of the most exciting ways to catch them is on topwater lures.

This category contains a huge array of different lures, but they can largely be broken down into three styles. Every bass angler out there should possess lures of each style.

Chug, chug, chug

Poppers might be the most consistently productive topwater lures on the market. They work all season long, but they really come into their own in late-August. The options in this category are plentiful, so consider owning a few different sizes.

Anglers often default to big poppers.

This allows them to make more noise and move lots of water with each cast and retrieve. But it’s also a good idea to be able to downsize when needed.

There isn’t a self-respecting bass out there that won’t slurp down a 2-inch popper, which must look to them like a small minnow struggling on the surface.

As far as colors go, don’t overthink it.

RELATED STORIES: Read more bass-fishing coverage from Outdoor News

It’s the action that draws the strikes, not the color scheme. If you happen to whiff a lot on strikes, then a good move is to buy poppers with a brightly painted mouth. Lures with orange faces are easy to see in a variety of light and water color conditions. With these, you know whether or not a fish has taken your popper down and you should set the hook, or if you should wait because of a short or wild strike.

Back and forth, back and forth

You can catch bass all season long on walk-the-dog baits as well, but they really become effective in the fall. There’s something about the slow back and forth that causes largemouths, and especially smallmouths, to violently strike.

Again, size matters, but if you go too small, you’ll sacrifice the sound and the exaggerated action that triggers strikes. Find a lure size that you can easily work, and then let the fish tell you what they want. A lot of anglers struggle a bit with these lures at first, so mess around with spinning and baitcasting rod and reel combos of various sizes until you find one that allows you to easily walk the dog.

You can search for schools with walk-the-dog baits, but a better bet is to use something in the next category to get the fish to show themselves. When they do, if they’re schooled up, there’s no better tactic than slowly walking the dog over the top of them.

Whirring all the way to the boat

Prop baits are the ultimate topwater search baits. Whether you opt for a traditional buzzbait, or if you go with a hard-body lure that offers a little more subtlety, prop baits are a must.

If you’re unsure whether the fish are holding on rocky points, positioned on sand drops, or poking their noses out of a weedline, prop baits are the best search option. They allow you to chunk-and-wind your way along until you find fish.

The key is to figure out what the bass want on any given day. Sometimes they want a black buzzbait that makes a lot of noise and is easy to track. Other times, they want a smaller, lighter colored prop bait that softly gurgles its way back to the boat.

With these baits – and really with all topwaters – the best bet is to try out different styles and at least be mindful of color. There’s no reason to get fancy, but having light (white-ish) and dark (black-ish) lure options in each category is often enough. This allows you to cater your lures to bright, sunny skies or darker, overcast skies.

Don’t put away the bass rods quite yet. While early fall offers a plethora of outdoor opportunities, one that doesn’t get much love but should is bass fishing. There is no better time to catch lots of fish – and big fish – than fall. Just as there is no better way to do this than topwater fishing.