The Right Chop to Pop w/video

I got out a few days last week and was able to find a few on topwater, spybaiting and dropping. Right now the topwater bite is the big ticket item for me so that's what I've primarily been doing. I've been using my little emerald popper to catch them but just about any surface disruption bait works right now. I've been catching some doubles lately and that tells me a couple things, one, the bass are hungry and two, the bass are competitive. Here's my philosophy about topwater baits right now on Lanier.

The bass are feeding on bluebacks that they have pushed to the surface. They have probably singled out one little blueback and they are relentless in there pursuit to get that little blueback. If you've been out lately you've probably seen this going down on the surface in the form of a bass chasing a skipping or fleeing bait on the surface. If you watch and listen you can hear the noise the bass makes when he's attacking the bait. I try and emulate that noise with my popper and if you've watched my videos, it's been working out well and I think I've got that noise down to a science. Right now the bass are very competitive so if they hear that noise they think another bass is chasing a bait and they have no problem trying to steal that bait from their buddy. That's why you see more doubles being caught on one lure right now. Another thing bass do right now is follow wakes to the source. If you've ever watched a blueback swim on the surface they create a wake, bass can see this wake and they will track it to the source, thinking it's a blueback so I use a combination of waking and popping. With my little popper, I put a dressed hook on the back and tied up holographic Krystal flash on the hook for added attraction.

Now, here's where the chop comes in. Here's one of my biggest tips I can give you about surface fishing and bass, if you want more success with your topwater, find a light chop, whether it's a point or over structure, position your boat up wind of the chop and throw down wind over or across the point or structure and make your retrieve against the grain of the chop. This does two things, it makes the pop and wake more exaggerated and easier for the fish to see as well as distorts his view of your lure, more so than fishing calm or glassed over water. Another thing fishing up wind gets you is a longer cast and let's face it, the more time that little bait is in the water the more chances of catching a fish. Here's a video from earlier this week and a 2 hour afternoon run. You can see the chop and how I work the popper.

Good stuff Jim!

Scout'nStripers said:

throw down wind over or across the point or structure and make your retrieve against the grain of the chop. This does two things, it makes the pop and wake more exaggerated and easier for the fish to see as well as distorts his view of your lure, more so than fishing calm or glassed over water.

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that's totally opposite of what most pro's will tell ya. we are always told to cast into the wind and retrieve with the wind. supposedly the fish will face into the wind and bringing your bait with the current or wind is the more natural retrieve

that being said, my new ultrex has enabled me to fish a different way that resembles what you said. normally my bow is always pointed into the wind and i'm casting to a waypoint. some days the wind can make this impossible. so with the ultrex, i've been spot locking up wind of the target and fishing from the back of the boat and casting with the wind. it's pretty awesome to be able to fish from anywhere in the boat and not be tied to the motor