Surface mouse imitation is a great topwater fly for grayling in remote Alaskan streams

There’s no greater drug than fishing a topwater – for any species. Cast it out, then pop, drag or twerk it, and prepare for your target fish to annihilate your offering. When I thought back about my favorite fishing experiences across the globe, the one thing that many of them had in common was that awesome topwater attack.

When fishing for bass, particularly in Mexico my go-to bait is the Lobina Lures Rio Rico. Pop, pop pop…pop…pop…pop-pop-pop, SLAM! With six hooks you’d expect them to get hooked up every time, unless of course the fish jumps over the lure or you get too excited and pull it out of their mouth before that big bass chomps down.

Trout people and bass people sometimes look down on each other, but during our 2020 trip to Alaska I may have been using a fly rod, but it reminded me of those Rico experiences, or perhaps a Zara Spook. I was determined to catch fish on one particular fly, it was so cute, it looked just like a mouse. I zig-zagged the lure back and forth on top of the water, which had a bit of a learning curve to get it just right. That’s why I was so thrilled when I finally mastered the movement and saw the grayling come across the water to grab the mouse and take off. It was so much fun that I used the mouse the rest of the day and loaded the boat with it—well, except for the fact that we were in waders instead of a boat, but you know what I mean.

That same learning curve applied on our trip to the Amazon. While we caught lots of fish swimming big hair jigs, the best overall experience was with the insanely-loud and hard-to-work “Woodchoppers.” Lobbing the big prop baits to a particular location is tough, and that difficulty is compounded because ripping them through the water is so draining. The effort is worth it, though, because the explosions are so incredible. Sometimes the peacock jumps up and over the lure. If you stop it, he’ll leave, but if you keep ripping it back believe it or not they will often eat again. Get a good hook set and then the fish will take off towards the trees, stripping drag all the way. The fight is on! If you’re a bass angler and you think a largemouth or smallmouth hits a buzzbait hard, then you need to join us on our next trip to the Amazon, because the peacocks will put them to shame.

Peacock bass love big prop baits like luhr-jensen woodchoppers

I thought peacocks were the ultimate….until I saw a tuna boil. Our main objective in Panama was to catch yellowfin tuna. When we weren't inshore fishing for Cubera snapper, roosterfish or maybe a blue trevally we were on the hunt for tuna boils. The dolphins are jumping, the bonito are flying and the tuna are under the bait trying to get a protein-packed meal. Captain Shane Jarvis positioned the boat in front of them, we threw out Yo-Zuri poppers out and immediately started ripping and popping them through the boil. The intensity of the tuna bites almost took the rod out of our hands. Then the tuna takes off for the bottom of the ocean and you fight to bring it to the surface again begins. For fish that ate on top, they seemed to quickly make a beeline for the bottom.

While tuna reset the bar for topwater excitement, on our June trip to Anglers Inn El Salto, the Berkley Choppo reminded me of why I like bass fishing so much, particularly in Mexico. Unlike the Rico, which requires a lot of manipulation by the angler, with the Choppo you just cast it out, keep your rod tip up and reel it steadily back to the boat. The bait has an oversized propeller that makes noise and does all the rest of the work for you.

A bone-colored Berkley Choppo is an excellent topwater lure for bass fishing in Mexico

Although one of my favorite things to do is take pictures, it’s rare that I put down my rod to just shoot the action. I feel like I may miss my opportunity to catch my trophy 10-pounder. On this trip, though, Pete had the Choppo bite wired and the light was just right, so I couldn't resist picking up the camera.

There are so many different ways to catch fish and as our tackle selection proves there are thousands of different baits to help you do so. I am sure there are times when you’ll attract or hook more when you can’t see the strikes, but the sudden and violent excitement of the explosion from the fish is why I like it on top.