# Topwater Smallmouths



## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

I'm heading smallie fishing on Sunday and would like to try to get some on top with poppers. The river I'm fishing I never had any luck on topwater but catch tons on buggers and such. What type of water should I be fishing? Riffles? Slow pools? I have caught some in slow pools spinfishing on top but thats the only experience I have, and its at a differen't river than the one I'm fishin this weekend which I never had luck with topwater. So any tips or pointers? It's a tailwater if that makes any difference.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

GRASSHOPPERS - Dave's Hopper to be exact.
try them on top and keep them lubed up to float. Pop them a couple times when they land. Cast them next to structure like wood, rocks, bridge supports, give a couple pops and cover alot of water. I also use a Clauser Crayfish dropper about 3 feet below. For me these 2 flies work all spring, summer and especially early fall. On Rocky River, dock areas and area ponds. Let us know how you do. When you catch a few fish in an area, you may have to move to catch more. They seem to shut down after a few fish on.


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

+1 for casting near visible structure. Also, the transitions where fast water empties into a slower pool are obvious feeding grounds and shouldn't be ignored. Another rule of popper fishing (in my experience), is to hit the bank or as close to it as possible, and work it out to deeper water. The fish might hit it out in the open, but i'd bet it followed the popper from the bank. It's just a bit more natural presentation i suppose. Don't be afraid to cast to the same spot 5+ times if it looks fishy. You never know when the fish is gonna bust it. 

None of this is intended as advice for fishing hoppers. Just poppers. Good luck and post the results.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Thanks for the replies guys



> When you catch a few fish in an area, you may have to move to catch more. They seem to shut down after a few fish on.


Actually this isn't a problem in the river I'm fishing. Theres a ton of fish in just about every run/pool and I always get multiple fish in the same area. They only average 10in but they're everywhere.

And yeah I do have my best luck in the transition areas, just not on poppers. It seems like the only bank structure in the river are in the very slow deep pools which hold more catfish than bass, and I don't fish those areas much for bass because of the lack of fish, but maybe I should try casting tight near the structure and might be surprised.

Rickerd, do you have problems with the crayfish sinking the hopper?


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

Regardless of visible structure, I suggest starting the popper retrieve from the bank into deeper water. This is especially necessary on steeper banks where fish are tight to the wall/edge. And in small streams, my biggest smallmouth (and sometimes largemouth) have always surprised me by coming from those deep slow areas (but again, usually at the transition where there's more oxygenated water). If any portion of the bank looks out of the ordinary, try there first...you probably knew that already...good luck!


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Ok I'll try that, there are some pretty steep banks in the big slow pools and I once had a monster flathead on in that area(not on the fly) but there could be some big bass though. I'll post results when I get back!


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Well, I tried some poppers out for a little while and had one nice hit in the middle of a slow pool but that was the only topwater action I got. There were a few downpours throughout the day but still managed a couple hours of fishing. 6 smallies, 4 crappie, and 2 gills all on buggers.

Here's a pic


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

Sounds like a successful day on the water! Nice smb. Topwater is special--one on top is worth 10 on a streamer, you know? It's a lot of work but the reward is awesome. And every now and then you get a day where there's no reason to tie anything else on. I would keep catching all the numbers you want with whatever method suits you, then when you feel pretty good, only bring a handful of poppers/surface flies...or even just one. Then you will have to discipline yourself to work the heck out of that popper. Eventually, you'll catch a fish, and it will be awesome.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Yeah it was still a success, except for the lightning having me in the car for a while but I waited it out. I've caught largemouths on poppers, and the couple smallies I caught on spinning gear with topwater just exploded at my lures! I guess I just need to fish poppers more often and the fish will come.


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

Nick,

I forgot to ask about cadence. What sort of retrieve have you tried and what do you prefer? What were you doing with the popper to get that bite the other day? What worked for the largemouth in the past?


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Usually I just cast it out there and then twitch it every couple seconds enough so it "pops." I do vary the speed though. This is what I do most of the time and has worked for largemouth.


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

Sounds good. I'm not one of those erratic-retrieve types. With topwater I like to have a metronomic beat. Of course, on different casts, I might give a different amount of time to the "pause" between pops, but within each cast, i try to keep the rhythm constant. My rationalization is that the fish can plan the attack more accurately, or so i tell myself.

With smallmouth in rivers/streams, I've also caught and seen a fair share by dead drifting the popper near some cover or over a dropoff. They probably hear it land, look up, stare at it long enough to be ticked off and just wallop it. Always worth a shot.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

My approach for top side bronzebacks is a consistently fast retrieve, pausing shortly between pops. Rinse & repeat. I will second the "letting it float by cover" approach too.

For largemouth, I make a huge gurgle...then let it sit for 10+ seconds. Counting down that 10 seconds kills me every time. Not fast paced enough!


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

I can fish a #4 hopper for an hour and a half plus, using the gel floatant before a weighted crayfish starts to keep it down. Now I tie my own crayfish and leave out the lead wraps. This helps the hopper float longer. If I use a weighted crayfish, I speed up the retrieve or time between pops to keep it from sinking the hopper. When the hopper gets wet, or I just put on a floatant, I will false cast it from side to side a few times to dry it. I have tried the Joes hopper and foam hoppers also, but Dave's Hopper outfishes them consistently. Even the foam hoppers seem to sink after an hour or so. 

I was given a fly by a westcoast guide to try this year. I tried it in place of the hopper a few weeks back and I will say it was equal to Dave's in catching fish. Its called a TITANIC fly, from South America somewhere. It has a very good splish splash sound when popped with short quick jerks. It has a foam head that looks like a teardrop. I will also be trying it on steelhead this fall. We will see how it does.

Tight lines,


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