# Topwater Creek Smallies



## JOSH gets2fish (Aug 16, 2018)

I have not targeted creek smallmouth in a month or two and was sorta worried I might miss the late summer topwater bite. No more worries! Hit two 19-20” on back to back casts on a home painted walking topwater. NEVER done that before in a creek. Then three casts later got a nice 17”. They were actively chasing large baitfish at the base of a fast run. Caught some smaller ones and Had two other quality fish in faster current miss twice and not come back after feeling the hooks I suppose. I guess the point is I had a blast and you should not put away your walking topwaters yet!!! Worked the bait at a medium pace with a slight pause every 4-5 twitches.


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## in2deep2quit (Feb 13, 2016)

Glad to know the topwater bite is still on! Nice catches!


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## AKlo (Apr 19, 2016)

Same JOSH as THEEEEE Josh? What, next we'll start reading posts about these great home-painted topwater lures, slowly growing into a local legend lure company?

Great post, great pics.


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## Dovans (Nov 15, 2011)

AKlo said:


> Same JOSH as THEEEEE Josh? What, next we'll start reading posts about these great home-painted topwater lures, slowly growing into a local legend lure company?
> 
> Great post, great pics.


Was just thinking the same thing...Hope he will..


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## JOSH gets2fish (Aug 16, 2018)

AKlo said:


> Same JOSH as THEEEEE Josh? What, next we'll start reading posts about these great home-painted topwater lures, slowly growing into a local legend lure company?.


Not likely. For my next trick I will try to make several limits of saugeye appear out of thin air...

Just the one 15” last trip lol


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## whiskerchaser (Mar 13, 2013)

Well hopefully your able to get them limits non the less your able to fish while what you created is still being produced... By the way that color in that saugeyes mouth is awesome


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## JOSH gets2fish (Aug 16, 2018)

Color is Pro Shad. Produces well for me.


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## whiskerchaser (Mar 13, 2013)

Just got a pack of pro shad haven't had chance to try it out but man it looks good will be trying it tomorrow in an upground res..


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## tpat (Apr 4, 2008)

I love topwater. Never give up on it. My last smallmouth of 2017 was on topwater in november.


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## JOSH gets2fish (Aug 16, 2018)

Yeah this is 4 pics of the same fish but such a chunk and so much fun I just gotta show her off!
Same topwater and spot as last week. I don’t normally measure smallmouth but I measured her and she was around 19.5” Makes me think the two I had before were closer to 21”! I Had another nice one in the same spot thrash a buzzbait but did not hook up and never bit again. Water was warmer today than last week no doubt. Lots more prime creek time left!


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Sure looks to be eating good, Josh. Good job.


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## 3 dog Ed (Apr 25, 2014)

Good lord that is a fatty. Nice job what it the bait?


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## MIGHTY (Sep 21, 2013)

Looks like a sexy dog? I just picked one up myself and few weeks ago if that’s the case. I haven’t chased smallies in a while so figured I’d give the catfish a break for a week or 2 and chase some smallies


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

What’s everyone’s favorite top water lure for river/stream smallmouth this time of year? 

1) walking style bait?
2) popper/chugging bait?
3) prop bait (e.g. torpedo, devil horse, whopper plopper)?
4) weightless fluke? 
5) buzz bait? 
6) jitterbug?
7) wake bait?


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## JOSH gets2fish (Aug 16, 2018)

3 dog Ed said:


> Good lord that is a fatty. Nice job what it the bait?


http://www.getbitcustombaits.com/product-page/gbb-walker-jr-alternative-to-barely-lgl-vixen

heres where I got the blank. painted with epoxy that I tinted with some pearls and colors I used to use to make swimbaits. I like the size big enough to get attention but small enough they can get it in their mouth. I did a blue pearl back with a clear smokey black belly. i like dark topwaters on cloudy days when the sky looks white, and lighter baits when the sky is blue. pressured fish like baits that are more subtle colors im finding also. Saw some sexy dawg jrs at wallmart recently they are about the same length but this bait is a little thinner profile. BTW hard to believe but I also saw Jordan Lee aka back to back bassmaster classic champ at wallmart also LOL. I just happened to be driving through his home town.


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## Tazmanme (Jul 5, 2017)

Fluke rigged weightless , just have so much Confidence in it I rarely change


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## whiskerchaser (Mar 13, 2013)

Mines a toss between popper and buzzbait don't fish rivers as much as use too or like too and my arsenal not what it use to be had to start all over last year and keep I vesting my little bit of money into big joshy swimbaits they just work everywhere and almost anytime


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## Cheesy (Sep 12, 2018)

I got a nice smallie this morning on a walking topwater in Big Walnut. He smashed it the second it hit the water.


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## JOSH gets2fish (Aug 16, 2018)

RiparianRanger said:


> What’s everyone’s favorite top water lure for river/stream smallmouth this time of year?
> 
> 1) walking style bait?
> 2) popper/chugging bait?
> ...



1 for me now of course. My theory is that the bigger fish I have been catching are chasing and eating large baitfish/shad and the walking bait is the best imitation of those so they are showing a major preference toward that right now.

I usually like poppers in super clear low conditions when the fish are holding in very specific spots. When its a little more stained or early and late in the day buzzbaits have always served me well. And my largest creek smallie ever came on a buzzbait in mid october.
I have never done well at all on torpedoes. To me a wopper plopper is more of a buzzbait style bait than a tradidtional prop bait. Wake baits are cool and also seem to get a similar response to buzzbaits but you can pause them and you catch more short strikers which is a huge problem with buzzbaits.


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## n-strut (Apr 14, 2010)

Big walking baits for me.

















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## MIGHTY (Sep 21, 2013)

I like Big walking baits myself. Was that fish caught today n-strut?


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## n-strut (Apr 14, 2010)

MIGHTY said:


> I like Big walking baits myself. Was that fish caught today n-strut?


Friday


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## Daveo76 (Apr 14, 2004)

I love to use wakebaits for Hybrid Stripers and the Smallies will clobber them! The only thing is holding on until the fish have it. This is a jerk Jerking too soon!!. I love zoom flukes and a prop bait called a Crazy Shad from Cotton Cordell, the same folks that make the ever working Pencil Popper for our Hybrids. It's just awesome to watch a fish hit the lure and then you miss it from getting excited and miss it by setting the hook to soon. When they are in that top water mode, as mentioned before, the







y will hit as soon as the lure hits the water, so don't give up. They are competing for what food is available to them. Creeks are awesome though. Grew up with one across the street, then when the parents figured I was responsible enough to go at it alone,, it was the mighty Ohio River, 2 blocks away. Great job and keep the pics coming. Beautiful coloring on the fish. An Ohio River Smallie


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## n-strut (Apr 14, 2010)

Here’s a few more topwater fish from this week
























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## Cheesy (Sep 12, 2018)

I got a small smallie tonight on a topwater. Just had a few casts while I was taking an evening walk with the dog.


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## MIGHTY (Sep 21, 2013)

Both are really nice fish n-strut!


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## Cats1967 (May 25, 2017)

Nice fish n-strut good to see a post from you


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## n-strut (Apr 14, 2010)

Cats1967 said:


> Nice fish n-strut good to see a post from you


Thanks man, looks like you are getting those BWC smallies figured out. 


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