Topwater bite?

[CanoeKing]

It looks like folks are catching most fish fairly shallow. Is anybody having any luck with topwater yet? I plan to fish Chickamauga tomorrow for the first time in a decade, from pre-dawn to late morning. I usually fish smaller/medium sized ponds and lakes, and like to fish soft plastic (Ribbits) and hollow-bodied frogs around grass and thick cover in the mornings, especially in the late spring. But I have not seen much mention on here of people using topwater on Chickamauga.

Thanks for any feedback on what topwater baits work, or when/how.

 

[Gator]

Personally I believe it is too early. Conventional wisdom says best to wait until when water temp is 70 plus on a regular basis. However with that said there's no reson not to try. Go for it!

 

[akoutdoors]

I've caught some fish on a buzzbait and prop bait

 

[HunterDuck25]

Caught a decent spot on a buzz bait the other day, first cast of the day. Wouldn't really call it a top water bite because he hammered it before I could even turn the reel.
I wouldn't be shy about throwing one right now especially morning, evenings or if there is chop on the water. Are you going to load the boat with fish(?) Probably not, but you may just piss off the right female and watch it hammer your buzzbait.

 

[lafae7]

My buddy fishing the back of the boat was killing them on the famous hard to find 'chug bug'.

 

[Hooker]

Was crappie fishing today and watched a man catching them on a buzzbait

 

[CanoeKing]

Thanks for the comments.

Due to a variety of factors, I didn't make it onto the water until 8:30-ish. By then, the wind was going and waves lapped the shore. Another guy said he was getting a lot of strikes on a popper, but only until the wind and waves started, so I did not bother with topwater. In the first half-hour, my daughter and I got a couple hits on a lizard and on a fluke (one was real small, half-pound, the other was larger, but snapped the light line when it swam under the boat and around the anchor chain). But then the bite turned off as the wind picked up and we had white caps even in the slough we were working. We fished for a couple more hours and got no more strikes.