More Eastern Shore Topwater

[JAR]

Sweet blow up in your video! Nothing gets the heart pumping like the visual of a surface strike.

IMO, the key to hooking up with a surface plug is to resist setting the hook when you see the strike. It's tough to do at first but "Wait for the weight" then set the hook. In other words, don't set the hook after you see the strike but wait until you feel the weight of the fish on the end of your line first, then set it. I guarantee your hook up ratio will improve.

Regarding tail slapping, stripers do this often. I posted a video of this last year where a striper tail slapped my plug into the air. Again, wait for the weight before you set the hook. It keeps the plug in the strike zone and gives the fish another opportunity to strike. If you set too early, you risk pulling the plug away from the fish.

[ronaultmtd]

My favorite way to fish- and I keep a rod rigged with a popper or a top dog- I have pretty good luck with hookups because I usually wait until I feel the fish before striking, especially snakeheads- moving water around points, rip rap, bridge pilings, or around schools of bait usually produce fish on top water- I have even caught redfish on top water

[Slobber Bob]

I have even caught redfish on top water

When the puppy drum were all over behind Ocean City and Assateague a couple years ago topwater was my go to for catching them. Stripers are fun on topwater, but seeing the wake from a puppy drum b-lining it to your plug before it crushes it in 2 feet of water is a whole different experience.

I'm still trying to get my first speck on a topwater.

[ronaultmtd]

For some reason they hit differently here than in South Carolina and Florida- A L&S Top Dog is killer on gator trout there walking the dog...here is mostly stripers and Blues will respond to that plug...I catch most of my specks in Maryland on 3-4 inch Fat Sam Mullets on 1/4 oz red jigheads

[Slobber Bob]

So have you ever gotten any specks in MD on topwater then?

It seems odd they wouldn't hit one, but like you, even when I'm plugging a spook over prime speck habitat I usually only get stripers. Switch to a grub or paddletail and I'll usually get a speck - if they're there that is.

I'll keep trying though

[JAR]

I've caught specks up top in MD waters using spooks, pencils and poppers. Much like stripers, I find the surface bite with specks to work best in low light conditions (overcast skies or early and late in the day).

Check out this video of skinny water reds crushing flies on the surface.
https://vimeo.com/33872683

[dasher]

nice job, looks like you didnt really expect him either

[gurnbow]

[ATTACH]16460[/ATTACH]

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Good Topwater action yesterday in the wind. Last weekend was all soft plastics when it was almost glassy.uploadfromtaptalk1437311168255.jpg


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[gurnbow]

uploadfromtaptalk1437312778478.jpguploadfromtaptalk1437312813095.jpg

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[gurnbow]

Sorry for the double post, still trying to figure out this Tapatalk

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