05-06-2009, 03:25 AM
I'm a self proclaimed topwater junking. I can't get enough of the surface action. I lived my whole life in Idaho until I moved to Texas a year ago. As a result I have more experience with a fly rod than a flipping stick. Watching a trout delicately sip my fly off the surface of crystal clear stream or a bass cautiously inspecting a plug before quietly taking it under are both very exciting. The anticipation often gets the best of the angler and we attempt to set the hook before the fish has a chance to close his mouth on the hook. However, the best topwater strikes are the violent ones. Because bass have a larger mouth and eat larger lures they have the ability to make the most violent strikes.
My morning started off good with 1-3lb largemouth bass, wipers and white bass hitting my topwater bait about every third cast. Many of them produced violent strikes. It was one of those days the fish would hit the plug better if I kept it moving at a brisk pace with occasional short pauses.
A little less than an hour after first light the bass in the picture below crushed my topwater bait. Some people describe a big bass taking a surface lure as “the toilet flushing”. This strike would have been better described by “a boulder being tossed in the water”. For a topwater junky like me it doesn't get any better than watching a bass this size viciously hammering a topwater bait.
By the amount of water displaced when she smashed the bait and the weight I felt when I set the hook I knew I had a large fish on. It didn’t take me long to get my first look at her because about 10 seconds into the fight she jumped and then jumped again. I put my rod tip down in the water to discourage her from jumping again but she still ended up jumping 3 or 4 more times during the fight. I had 10lb line on and there wasn’t any cover for her to wrap me up in so I took my time playing her. The fight lasted about 5 minutes. I quickly took a couple quick pictures and then let her rest in the water for a few minutes. Before letting her go I took some quick measurements and weighed her. Unfortunately the lighting was bad and I didn't have the right settings on my camera so the pictures didn't turn out very good. Rushing to get her released and not checking the quality of the pictures before releasing her at least put a little less stress on her. Hopefully someone else or possibly even I can enjoy catching her some other day.
She weighed 9lbs 12oz, had an 18" girth and was 26 1/2" long. I also attached a picture of a 21" wiper I caught today.
![[Image: 2-18.jpg]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/BrianID/2-18.jpg)
![[Image: 1-22.jpg]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/BrianID/1-22.jpg)
![[Image: 3-12.jpg]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/BrianID/3-12.jpg)
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My morning started off good with 1-3lb largemouth bass, wipers and white bass hitting my topwater bait about every third cast. Many of them produced violent strikes. It was one of those days the fish would hit the plug better if I kept it moving at a brisk pace with occasional short pauses.
A little less than an hour after first light the bass in the picture below crushed my topwater bait. Some people describe a big bass taking a surface lure as “the toilet flushing”. This strike would have been better described by “a boulder being tossed in the water”. For a topwater junky like me it doesn't get any better than watching a bass this size viciously hammering a topwater bait.
By the amount of water displaced when she smashed the bait and the weight I felt when I set the hook I knew I had a large fish on. It didn’t take me long to get my first look at her because about 10 seconds into the fight she jumped and then jumped again. I put my rod tip down in the water to discourage her from jumping again but she still ended up jumping 3 or 4 more times during the fight. I had 10lb line on and there wasn’t any cover for her to wrap me up in so I took my time playing her. The fight lasted about 5 minutes. I quickly took a couple quick pictures and then let her rest in the water for a few minutes. Before letting her go I took some quick measurements and weighed her. Unfortunately the lighting was bad and I didn't have the right settings on my camera so the pictures didn't turn out very good. Rushing to get her released and not checking the quality of the pictures before releasing her at least put a little less stress on her. Hopefully someone else or possibly even I can enjoy catching her some other day.
She weighed 9lbs 12oz, had an 18" girth and was 26 1/2" long. I also attached a picture of a 21" wiper I caught today.
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