Topwater

Topwater lures include poppers (cup-faced, spitting water), walk-the-dog lures (gliding side-to-side on a slack line), buzzbaits (propeller-driven surface disturbance), and frogs (weedless, rigged for dense surface vegetation). Strikes occur when fish attack prey at or near the surface — typically dawn and dusk when ambient light is low and surface prey activity peaks. The visual drama of a surface strike makes topwater fishing uniquely exciting. Effective presentation often requires long pauses between movements — counter-intuitively, a stationary lure is often struck more readily than a continuously moving one, as the pause mimics injured or stunned prey.