Topwater

Where to Start: Wow! Where do you start ?

Figuring out where to start can send a lump to our stomachs some days. That can be the first feeling that comes over a person when they encounter a lake the size of Table Rock.

Billions of gallons of water for those green ghost to hide in.  Even if you have been to the lake 50 or 1000 times before,   you still have to answer that question.

I’m heading to Table Rock Lake for a much-needed week of fishing. As I prepare—checking water levels, temps, and local guide reports—one thought keeps dominating my mind: throwing a bluegill-painted topwater for monster bass.

End of a Marathon: Tournament Day Gone Wrong

Sure, we’ve all had one of those days. Today was tournament day, and after a long Friday at work, we rolled into Lawrence around 9 PM—just in time to discover it was KU Graduation Weekend.

The scramble for a hotel room

First stop? No luck. It quickly became clear we might be spending the night in the truck at the ramp. As luck would have it, the very first hotel we called had an available room. We checked in, settled down, and prepped for the 4:30 AM derby wake-up.

The conditions were perfect for a buzzbait bite — post-frontal weather, a light chop on the water, and just enough surface distortion to hide the bait’s outline. A textbook setup.

Every time conditions line up like that, I start hoping the bass will commit to topwater. When they do — wow. There’s nothing like the explosion of a big fish hammering that bait across the surface.

Buzzbait Conditions

When It Works Best

• Low skies and low light, especially on a slightly cooler day
• Shallow fish holding near visible cover — the buzzbait flushes them out
• Over wood, vegetation, or any structure that gives fish a good ambush spot
• Light wind to flat calm water
• Stained or clear water where visibility varies

I like to keep things simple: a single-blade buzzbait, white or black depending on water and light. Sometimes I’ll add a fluke or spinnerbait-style trailer, but often I just run the skirt by itself. KVD swears by adding a trailer hook — it’s worth experimenting to see what gives you confidence.

Missed a Big One: Hit a local yocal today and found quite a few Big bucks running the bank.   Had about 20 min to fish, so I had to make the best of it.

Targeting spawning flats

Started with a custom painted Pop-r and had a nice 8 lber blow up on it.  Being my first cast of the day I choked and yanked it out of his mouth !  ARGH!!  Missed a Big One!