Best topwater hit

[ausable_steelhead]

What fish has the best topwater hit?

Largemouth Bass

Smallmouth Bass

Muskellunge

Northern Pike

[Lunker]

BEst so far for me have been rainbows blasting a grasshopper out west. But around here Ive been happy with the river smallies on buzzbaits. WOW is all I can say.

[ESOX]

Muskie grabbing a topwater at night:
KABOOMMMMMSH!!!!!!
"What the heck was that, we hit a mine?"
"Got any spare pants on board?"

[jeremy L]

never got a musky, so maybe they are. Anyways, pike hitting anything on top is a huge hit. One of the hardest hits is when jerking a live chub across the top of the water. I also fine that kings hit very hard on mepps/bombers. they don't run on top, but i would still consider them hard hitters.

[trout]

I voted Muskie as well.
Ya didn't have rock bass listed LOL

[stelmon]

I went with small mouth bass.

If only that one hit the hook and not the plastic:(

[jaid]

I think all topwater strikes are pretty exciting. I love using floating rapalas, buzzbaits, and jitterbugs for that reason alone.

However, that said, I dont think anything even comes close to the excitement level of a musky annihilating a topwater bait under the moon light on a quiet night.

Musky gets my vote!

[gregm]

Seeing how I've never witnessed a Muskie hit on topwater, or at least hit a lure on topwater. I did see one take a duckling in Wisconsin once. I would have to vote Smallmouth. Yeah, when a 30# muskie hits, I'm sure its exciting, but in one good morning you can get more small mouth blasting a J-11 rapala out of the water than you will get muskies in any manner in a life time. I've tried the muskie thing and I've caught them (although not on top water), however I have had a 4# smallmouth hit a Suick and I thought for sure it was a muskie!!!

Pound for pound and in sheer numbers -- Smallmouths hands down!!!!

[YPSIFLY]

Muskie.

Had one slam a plug on the surface right in front of me. I was doing the figure-eight and saw the fish before it struck and it still made me jump.

[Termie33]

Ive never witnessed a muskie strike unfortunately, but ive seen some amazing stuff with their cousin the pike. With this being said, im going to go out on a limb, and chose a fish even though its not a warm water fish...and that would have to be a steelhead. I fished several years out of Saugatuck, and on days when kings were hard to find we would run out to the scumline, and fish the surface for steelies. Talk about unbelievable. Ive seen yellow birds fly 5 feet out of the air on a steelie strike, downrigger rods that had reels screaming before i could even get to the rod. Also had fish break bombers in half, straighten hooks, and strip every ounce of paint and tape off spoons. (sorry for the long post...just brings back memories) Thats my opinion...Steelies in 48 degree water on the surface

[ausable_steelhead]

Hey man with something like that, forget about the kings! You could probably get them casting, man would that be exciting!

[Termie33]

Ill never forget about the kings. While steelies are more acrobatic, the kings are still the "kings" of stamina and power, which makes them my favorite. Also, im back to lake huron, and it doesnt have a constant scum line like lake michigan, so it makes it hard to get into a huge school of steelies. Scumline fishing is awesome, 20 fish on in a couple of hours is common, the cold water also makes the fish very energetic...if you ever get an offer for scumline fishing, take it, theres nothing like it.....other then a screaming 20+ pound king.

[ausable_steelhead]

I hear ya, I love king salmon! I just meant, if their not going, I'd hit those steelhead, man does that sound like bad-ass fishing!

[chewy2407]

Nothing better than a big smallie who misses the pop-r on the way out of the water but gets it on his way back in.

[GOTCHA]

I went with muskies, last year while trolling for skies I took a small mouth of the boards, getting it within 20' from the back of the boat out of the depts comes a big muskie, trashes the hell out of the bass, had the muskie and bass on for a moment till he let it go :cool: bass was pretty tore up after that battle.

[Gone Fishing]

I went with Muskie also. I'm a troller so top water hits have not happening using that method. When I was about 12 years old, I was casting off a seawall next to Decker's on the North Channel. I was using a deep diving crankbait and as I was lifting it out of the water at the end of a cast, here comes a big Muskie from the depths. He exploded out of the water, grabbed my bait and re-entered with a huge splash. There I stood like a dumb ***** with a broken line and my jaw hanging open thinking, what the hell was that. That was something like 37 years ago and I'll never forget it.

[smallies and bucks]

I've never caught a muskie i went with Smallmouth bass as there is nothing better to witness than a huge smallie explode on a top water lure and do a tail walk across the water and then top it off with some spectacular jumps out of the water.

[TeamPolarisracing]

largemouth at night using a jitterbug os hulla poper

[FlyDaddy]

This may sound weird, but I really think pound for pound that the Bluegill hits the hardest when hungry.

FD

[Jackster1]

The crash of a large, largemouth smacking a Scum Frog (or something like that) on a still summer night on a small lake works for me.
The best is when you are resting a popper for so long you almost forget you're fishing, then you strip once and then all h*** breaks loose.
Another favorite is the tug a Huron smallie makes just after sipping a white fly. Kinda like a trout on crack.

[Shoes]

I voted Largemouth. Used to do a lot of night fishing with jitterbugs and poppers. Its almost spooky when the calm night surface explodes six feet from the boat.:eek: :eek:

[SALMONATOR]

I've got to go with flydaddy on this one. He took my answer. Though they are small, 'gills hit pretty hard for there size. I mean could you imagine hooking a ten or twenty pound bluegill ( If they got that big)?
I'm not much of a warm water fisherman and havn't hooked a pike or musky, and most of my bass are on the smaller side, but I saw a guy hook a 15-20lb atlantic salmon on a surface fly up on the St. Marry's, and it was awsome. Came about three feet out of the water and landed on it's back. SPLASH!! Then did what it wanted for a few minutes and left. Those fish are amazing.

[ausable_steelhead]

Man, I can't believe pike have the least amount of votes, they've got a killer topwater hit, there's nothinin' subtle about it. Both smallies(which I love!) and largemouths hit light on top alot of the time, and I've seen many muskie hits on top, alot are just slurp-ins, the fish comes up, sucks the bait in or grabs it, then swims off, so the hit isn't very great, but I have seen them blast the **** out of a topwater, but nothin' better than a pike's hit, I personally think pike are just alot more explosive.

[Gus]

Never fished Musky. I have fished all the rest with surface baits and the northern ROCKS!:eek:

Gus

[discdrag]

NORTHERN!!!!!!!!! I've only had one northern hit topwater, but ill never forget it. I was bass fishing on the edge of some lilly pads, using a white tube jig. I cast it as far back in there as i could, then skip it back over the top of the 'pads, on my fifth cast, i had just jerked the tube off the edge of the lilly pads, when BAM, and explosion of water, and my line was cut. All i could do was stand there dumbfounded at how fast and vicious the strike was.

[hangoo]

ya...what about the rock bass? are me and trout the only ones that top water fish for rock bass!?

they are kind of entertaining when fishing is slow

[kumma]

well for me the most memoriable was a nice rainbow in a small quarry pond way up in the UP. I could see the fish coming up to grab the lure as the spinner was coming down to the water, the fish actually grabbed the lure out of the water. it acted like a fish twice its size, crashing and splashin man that was awesome. i've been back the last 2 years but only caught some perch and sunfish since then.

Craig

[SALMONATOR]

Them 'Bows really know how to dance don't they? They're out of the water half of the fight. I've had a ton of brookies hit the same way. Right before the fly lands on the surface. Awesome!!

[Icet]

Musky and a close second is the SM bass. Musky scared me bad once. Wonder I still fish them. I'll spare you the details but I bled for hours. :D

[Canadian Hunter]

Fishing for smallies on st.clair,, hooking into a 3#'er,, having it dance across the surface and watch it get slammed by a Musky!

There is nothing that compares!

[Huntin Horseman]

Rainbows for sure!! I got my first one and it hit my worm under my bobber and came 1 foot outta the water,Shane

[ESOX]

Originally posted by Canadian Hunter
Fishing for smallies on st.clair,, hooking into a 3#'er,, having it dance across the surface and watch it get slammed by a Musky!

There is nothing that compares!

Yep, when a Muskie grabs something, he aint nibbling, he is trying to KILL it with the hit.:eek: :D

[SALMONATOR]

I know them 'skies must make a pretty big splash when they hit a surface bait, ESOX. I can't wait to have on on the end of my line. Thinking in terms of pound-for-pound though,...There are alot of smaller fish that can make one hell of a display of taking a snack-break on top. I've seen several trout who've come two or three (or more) body-lengths out of the river taking a surface fly. Thats a cool sight. Can muskie do that? If so I'll probably give up trout fishing in the summer. 'Gills don't quite go that far but they can make helluva lot of noise (for their size) on the innitial blast. I've often been fooled into thinking I had a decent bass on in the first few seconds before realizing it is a 10" 'gill at the end of my line.
I'd like to see how those 5lb. "Georga Giant" 'gills hit. That might make the list here. Or a 20lb. stream rainbow, pounding a dry-fly, but I guess Id have to go to Alaska for that. Big fish can all make a big splash, but there are some pretty damn good surface hitters on the smaller side too.

[jaid]

I've seen several trout who've come two or three (or more) body-lengths out of the river taking a surface fly. Thats a cool sight. Can muskie do that?

Ive never seen one come three lengths out of the water, but ive seen a couple come close to two lengths out. Ive also never fished for musky in the spring or summer, so, perhaps this year we will get a jumper that can make it 3 lengths out of the water.

We had a 42" hit a jitterbug in october, and put on one heck of an acrobatics display. Im not sure it got two lengths out, but all of the fish was easily out of the water and he came out of the water almost perfectly vertical. Its pretty exciting to be able to look the fish in the eye while its in mid air at shoulder height!

[ESOX]

I've had them go 2-3 body lengths horizontally. Never seen one go more than about 1 1/2 body lengths vertically. Of course 1 1/2 body lengths means it's head is about 6' out of the water........

[SALMONATOR]

I'm liking the thaught of fishing for these big ugly pigs more and more with every post I read on them. I had no Idea they were so acrobatic. Do they dance much durring the fight, or is it mostly in the hit?

Al

[jaid]

In my experiences with them, they will dance, but not nearly as much as most other species. Usually when they come to the surface, they either jump, run, or roll. Pike on the other hand, seem to love to dance!

That said though, I had one last year that danced like no other fish Ive ever seen. I was bringing in a bucktail near the surface, and I saw the wake coming at my lure, and for whatever reason, I went into a trance or something. I saw him cruise into the lure from 20' away, bite it, and it never occurred to me to set the hook. Im not sure if he casted some voodoo musky spell on me or what, but by the time I reacted, I knew he wasnt hooked very well. About five seconds into the fight, he put his head out of the water, and without moving forward or backward, shook his head side to side 6 or 7 times, then spit out the bucktail. Once the bucktail was out, he sunk back down into the water. Id never seen anything sit nearly stationary with only their head out of the water and shake a lure.

[SafetyMan]

I LOVE the Pike dance....

Tried to do it myself once at a wedding

that's the last thing I remember...............