She Told Me to Walk This Way

I may not be an Amazon expert, but I’m a topwater freak, willing to throw it for hours on end when I think it’ll work, because as my wife says, “It’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on.” Accordingly, on my trips to the Amazon I’ve worked hard to maximize the topwater bite, just as I do in Mexico – or, frankly, just about any place I think it’ll work.

Despite the fact that my personal best 21 pound peacock came swimming a jig, my most memorable strikes (including my second best, a 20) came on the big prop baits that made the Rio Negro fisheries famous. If you’re going, I highly recommend that you buy some of them from Kermett Adams, whose craftsmanship is impeccable. His lures pull easier and hold up better than the original ‘choppers, too.

Those aren’t the only topwaters that will work, though. Especially when I’ve been chasing Amazonian species other than peacocks, I’ve found that a walk-the-dog topwater can be equally effective and sometimes better. 

At home, my two favorite walking topwaters are the Teckel Lures Kicknocker and the Megabass Giant Dog-X. They make different sounds, but both walk easily and come in patterns that fit most bass fisheries. Unfortunately, when it comes to fishing in Brazil I’ve found that you need to upgrade the split rings and treble hooks (4X are preferable) and these smaller baits don’t do so well in that case. You want something ultra-sturdy, ideally with wire-thru construction. 

On our first trip down in 2011, Steve Yatomi gave us a Japanese lure called a Maria Miss Carna 140, a 5 ½-inch topwater in a chrome clown pattern. During a week when the prop bait bite was inconsistent, it was by far our best topwater. I’m not sure if it is still made, but you can find them on Ebay (generally used) for about $20. 

On that first trip, our best color in jigs and prop baits was red, with or without a chartreuse/yellow belly. Prior to our return trip in 2012, I acquired a handful of Saltwater Super Spooks and had my friend Phil Hunt of PH Custom Lures paint them in that pattern. They come in several other standard Amazon patterns, including Red Head, Bone and Clown, and at less than eight bucks (custom paint jobs notwithstanding) they are a bargain. 

Another lure that I bought on a tip from the forum of the Peacock Bass Association website was the Japanese Imakatsu Trairao, a nearly cigar-shaped lure that is pinched at the neck and has a bulbous head. It has a distinctive, hard-knocking sound, and while I never dialed it in during my trips to South America it’s one of the few on this list that has performed admirably on US bass fisheries. It should be deadly for smallmouths. 

Nelson Nakamura, who from what I can tell is kind of the KVD of Brazil, has his own lineup of “Lucky Iscas” lures, which features the Zig Zara, a lure similar to the Trairao. It’s available in several sizes and 14 colors. Several members of our 2019 group bought them in Manaus for our wolf fishing trip, and it proved to be by far our best topwater on the Rio Juruena. 

Nakamura also makes several other topwaters, including the Sara Sara, which has a “jumping” action.  

It is of course remiscent of Rebel’s Jumpin’ Minnow, but it comes in more and (in my opinion) better colors. Still, the Rebel is a staple in Brazil. As the name indicates, it has less of a wide side-to-side action and more of an up-and-down hop to it. Billy Chapman told me that sometimes this action better imitates the local baitfish than a wide glide. At $6 a pop, you can afford to invest in several before your next trip. 

If you’re looking for larger walk-the-dog topwaters, there are an increasing number of options there, too. On my first trip I dragged down a pair of Lunker Punkers but I found them to be too onerous to work and have not taken them back. Since then, several manufacturers have come out with big baits that might be better for this purpose.  

Strike King introduced the KVD Mega Dawg, which is 6 inches long, weighs 2 ounces, and comes in 12 different colors.

Imakatsu builds the Slam Dog Monster, which comes in six great paint jobs including “Natural sand-eating sweetfish.” 

And Evergreen reintroduced the Amazon, a 6.4” topwater that Tackle Tour reviewed in 2016, but which has been hard to find in recent years. For a long time I coveted the peacock bass patterned version, but after I saw the Black Python model now available for $29.99 from The Hook Up Tackle, I got a major chubby for that one. 

Some – or perhaps all – of these lures will do double duty at home, on bass, redfish and some other saltwater species, so don’t hesitate to play around. If you are headed to Brazil, however, make sure that the hardware is top-notch. Otherwise you will likely walk away with a case of heartbreak.