That’s pretty much the size of it this week. I’ve become addicted to topwater again and right now there’s no hope for recovery. If bass blow-ups could be defined as the fisherman’s high, right now I’m all jacked up on the chronic.

It’s just been blow-up after blow-up this week and I’ve given up on the drop shot and spybait. With the topwater right now I’m just running and gunning 20-30 places a day and only spending maybe 10-15 minutes per spot. I’ve been focusing on the main lake humps and points but I usually spend a little time in the creek on the way back home around lunchtime. Basically I’m looking for areas with a little wind and a little chop. If I can find some brush on a hump or a point in 20-25 feet of water I’m just placing the boat up wind and making fan casts down wind and bring the popper or skimmer back over the top of the brush or around the brush pile area. I like to work my baits back against the grain if the surface chop because that will cause the most surface disruption. That’s what it’s all about right now, it’s the surface disruption followed by a wake that the fish can zero in on. It’s a blueback thing and right now the bass are focusing on pushing bluebacks to the surface and chasing them down so my popper has been a good imitation for a bass slamming a blueback on the surface and the skimmer, used correctly, imitates a skittering blueback trying to evade a predator. In both cases the result is usually a giant blow-up followed by an adrenaline rush of excitement. Using my technique of running and gunning I’ve cut down on the number of fish I’m catching but the tradeoff is bigger fish and less smaller fish to fool with. Another benefit of the summer topwater running and gunning technique is avoiding overheating in this July sun. If I’m moving frequently and drinking plenty of cool water in this heat it really isn’t so bad. I get the occasional big topwater bass as a reward so it’s a fun way to spend a morning. Right now the water temps are mid 80’s and the lake is about a foot below full pool. The corps is generating during the afternoon for just a few hours during peak power usage. Here’s a video of the baits I was using this week and a nice 4lb 6 oz bass I caught this morning on the popper. I also posted a few pictures from my week.

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