Two Lures For The Price Of One

Two New 2-Way Baits Topwater fishing is a hot trend today, and two manufacturers have new entries in what John Neporadny calls “Two-Way Topwaters.” Ambush Lures, creators of the exciting new Stealth Diver, the vibrating baits with Flow-Through Technology, has released the Pop-A-Long, a walking bait with two halves joined with titanium wire. Shaped like a small Zara Spook, the two halves separate at rest, then clack together as the lure is twitched or popped, creating sound and splash. Another feature is the rolling head portion, showing the fish multiple colors as it turns. Two big Gamakatsu trebles ensure good hookups. Frogman Dan Cunningham, president of Southern Lures, maker of the famous Scum Frog and Bass Rat, has a new weedless hollow frog lure called the Walking Bass Rat. Its 31⁄2-inch body is tapered to perform a fine walk-the-dog cadence when barely twitched, say in an open pocket in a lily pad field. Otherwise, steady or intermittent winding causes it to ease along over the thickest muck and entice strikes from bass hidden below. -In-Fisherman

At times, though smallmouths like a buzzing bait. “On a trip to Lake St. Clair, four or five 3- to 5-pounders refused to strike,” he says. “So I started cranking in the Torpedo and a 4-pounder stomped it. I figured if I reeled it as fast as I could those fish would eat it—and they did.”

The mood of the fish determines whether Menendez rips or buzzes his Torpedo. He usually starts by ripping the lure and sometimes employs both tactics in the same retrieve. “If I see a bass approach and it turns away, I speed things up so the fish doesn’t get a good a look at it.”

When ripping the lure, Menendez jerks the Torpedo 18 to 24 inches to make it splash and spit. “Every day you’ve got to figure out how long you need to pause between rips,” he says. “Some days you have to wait 6 to 10 seconds and let the ripples disappear. Other days, the bass are more active and you can fish it faster.”

His favorite Torpedo is the frog pattern model (green with yellow belly), which he modifies by adding a yellow tail feather. He also uses a chrome-and-blue version with a white tail feather. Menendez suggest tying your line directly to the lure to generate the best action from a Torpedo.

A 61⁄2-foot medium-light-action Pflueger Trion Series rod and Pflueger Trion LP baitcast reel (6.3:1 gear ratio) are Menendez’ choices for ripping and buzzing the Torpedo. He selects 14-pound monofilament, light enough to cast well, yet stout enough to handle a hefty bass.

Poppin’ and Walkin’

The Excalibur Poppin’ Image features some unique qualities that make it one of Menendez’ favorite topwaters. “I love that bait for target fishing,” says Menendez, who likes to work it over stumps and under brush or overhanging trees. “The thing I like about that bait is that it stays in the strike zone. You can twitch it and make it walk side to side without its moving far.”

Menendez rates the Poppin’ Image a great postspawn lure to tempt bass resting in shady areas. He reaches these fish by making 15- to 30-foot roll casts with a 6-foot Shakespeare Ugly Stick rod with a fiberglass tip. These short, accurate casts shoot the lure into tight corners in brushy tangles where bass rarely see lures.

The Poppin’ Image performs well as both a popper and a walking surface bait. Menendez prefers walking the lure during the Postspawn Period when bass are protecting fry. Steadily twitching the rod with slack in the line turns the lure 10 degrees to each side without moving it away from the cover. “I try to keep it in that strike zone—next to a cypress tree and over a stump—as long as possible,” he says.

Popping the lure produces better for Menendez in fall when threadfin shad are larger. “It’s a large-profile bait that matches the hatch then,” Menendez says. He twitches the bait at a faster cadence than the walking presentation and also constantly reels to make the lure pop and roll more.

When your local tackle store has its big spring sale, remember to stock up on these two-for-one topwater bargains. You’ll get more than your money’s worth when the bass start surface feeding.

*John Neporadny Jr. is a writer and angler from Lake Ozark, Missouri, and a frequent contributor to In-Fisherman and Bass Guide.