Topwater in Gauteng?

L

Little Green Fish

Sealiner
Guys/Girls & Mer-peeps

Been wondering about this for some time now?  Effective Topwater bassing in GP that is? I'm sure it is happening but if so, at what frequency will this happen and obviously early morn and/or late aftrenoon would be the best time I suppose.

Structure? What part does this play in top water strikes?

Anybody, bassing in GP had success with this and if so give us some detail, please?

OH and NOT SUB-SURFACE bassing, I mean right on top of the water kinda-bassing.

lgf
 
L

Loams

Sealiner
Plastic frogs LGF.

I fish them around lily pads and grass. Sometimes a jerky retrieve, and sometimes a steady retrieve. I've caught some in Murray park this way.

Early morning (Spring and summer)
Late afternoon (whole year)
Evening (Summer) <-- but this was in North West province last weekend
 
B

Bigmouth

Senior Member
Rust der winter is kookwater in die laatmiddag op topwater,

Ja ja ek weet dit is nie in Gauteng nie maar dit is naby genoeg.

Horny toads, Hula Poppers en Zara Puppies werk awesome.

Hie horney toads werk in die grass flats, gooi die toad diep tussen die gras in en retrieve met 'n spoed.

Nog 'n plek wat awsome is met topwater is Potch dam. Ja weereens nie in Gauteng nie maar ook naby genoeg. Daar werk eninige topwater baits.

Ons moet bietjie 'n trippie potch toe reel, daar is smallies in daai dam ook.
 
L

Little Green Fish

Sealiner
ok, this is all good and well, but is it worth the effort to even tie on the lure, meaning is the strikes and fish landed of such a frequency up here or is this only something that is found at Mteri and that other "Best Place in GP to fish" at?
 
L

Little Green Fish

Sealiner
Ok

Would you tie a top water lure on everytime you go out or not?  Would the body of water dictate or is there certain areas or structure that needs to be present in a body of water before one should consider casting top-water.

What I'm trying to get at, is if it is a facet that should be explored more often or is it something that you need to leave for when you go to visit somebody like MAN in Pongola, or Mr. Prosper Hlongwane in Zimbabwe?

 
 
L

Loams

Sealiner
I always look for the topwater bite. When the clouds come over, or I am at the water very early, the frog comes out.

Like I said before somewhere. Lillies, grass beds, anything that covers the top water layer.

I sometimes swim my frog past protruding sticks and stumps as well..... LGF, we should go fishing again sometime boet. Having said that, I don't consider myself a topwater expert, but I love my froggies!!!
 
B

BigBass

Sealiner
The "classic answer" for topwater is low light conditions (early morning, late afternoon and after dark), BUT I have had my most explosive topwater strike at midday some years ago in a quarry near Lichtenburg. That old Zara Spook still had the chrome/ silver cheesy hooks which straightened with the Spiderwire I was using ... I wonder what that Bass weighed ...

Moral of the story: Topwater at midday can be good pattern!

My favourite topwater lures:
Zara Spook
Jitterbug
9" MS Slammer   http://www.msslammer.com
 
H

HennieS

Senior Member
I throw top waters all the time and had great success with them, must admit biggest thrill comes on top water. I don't really look for cloud cover or early morning to me it is more important to have calm water so that the lure can cause the necessary disturbance in the water. I fish them amongst trees, grass, jetty's any type of structure. Following is a list of dams I had success on:

Witbank Dam - Zarra Spook, Pop-R, Frog

Bronkhorstspruit - Buzz Bait, Frog

Hartebeespoort - Zarra Spook, Skeeter Pop

Roodekoppies - Zarra Puppy, Skeeter Pop

Vaal River - Buzz Bait, Frog

Rust De Winter - Zarra Spook, Frog, Pop-R

Middelburg Dam - Zarra Puppy, Skeeter Pop

I know lot of them is not in Gauteng but if you stay in Gauteng you more than likely fish all the above dams. The main reason why people are more successfull in the mornings and late afternoons is because that is the main feeding time for the bass. When it is cloudy they tend to feed aggresively for longer periods of time.

Top Waters is always worth a try, tend to attrack bigger fish as well!
 
P

PEETO

Senior Member
Nobody fishing the Bronze eye frog, have had lots of success with this lure. Middel lake in Benoni, Homestead even Blaauwpan. Good lur3e for Murraypark wth all the weed
 
L

Little Green Fish

Sealiner
thanx for the replies, it's given me some idea what to do with my half a Cruiser-load of topwater baits/lures.

Now when dragging, twitching, burning etc, say a frog across these infamous grass patches, how does one get a propper hookset as this seems to be a little weird, strikes galore even the miss striking (normally just as the bait is brought to a halt) (continuous retrieve seems to help them lgf's home in on the bait better), they smash it and pull it I suppose as all you get on the bank/boat is a ball of deadgrass.....

So how does one improve the catch/hooked/land/-rate?
 
L

Loams

Sealiner
Ryan wrote:
Count aloud 1001 1002 and hit him
Click to expand...
Yup, or wait until you feel the weight of the fish on the line before setting the hook.

LGF, I have also had once or twice after the fish missed the frog just left it there and twitched it, and sowaar, it came back to it and nailed it!!

One thing that is important though (Well I think it is). If they miss a buzzbait, reel it in fast, and put a senko or a fluke where the fish nailed it. I have never ever had a fish come back and hit a buzzbait a second time after missing it, but they will hit another lure
 
J

Jan-Harm

New member
Was at a spot over December in the North West Province.Between the four of us we caught 28 bass in 2 hours time.All on frogs and Zara spooks.They didnt even look at a senko or a fluke.My friend used an alcheapo topwater,the kind you get at Midas,and he got about 8 fish.

I must ad,this spot havent been fished in many years.
At my spot in GP I havnt had any luck with topwaters.
 
P

PEETO

Senior Member
A hoolla poper will always be hit twice, throw it on the same spot leave twitch now and then. i have found that yellow and or the greewn one works the best.
 
L

Loams

Sealiner
Jan-Harm wrote:
Was at a spot over December in the North West Province.Between the four of us we caught 28 bass in 2 hours time.All on frogs and Zara spooks.They didnt even look at a senko or a fluke.My friend used an alcheapo topwater,the kind you get at Midas,and he got about 8 fish.

I must ad,this spot havent been fished in many years.
At my spot in GP I havnt had any luck with topwaters.
Click to expand...
Yeah, Northwest province Bass love them frogs!!! Any chance you want to share where this place was??
 
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