Favorite Top Water Lures

[rps]

i had Tim Hughes paint 20, I replaced the standard hooks with Daicchi Death Traps, and I hand tied my own feather and tinsel tail. If I can get it to load, the attached pic shows one after modification.

[Al Agnew]

I can't get the smaller Sammy to walk right.

Yep, they don't walk well out of the box, unfortunately. In fact, they pretty much suck. There are lures that are about the same size that work better out of the box. But since you've already spent the money to buy some, apparently, you CAN operate on them and get them working beautifully, especially if you have one in a translucent color where you can see what's inside it, or else look at pictures of the translucent ones:

There are two big metal balls about halfway between the two treble hooks. Pick out a drill bit that's just barely bigger than the balls. Drill a hole up into the belly so that you can get the two balls out. Take them out. Then mix up a glop of two part epoxy (5 minute works if you're sure of what you're doing, otherwise use some of the slower curing epoxy, for reasons you'll see below), about enough epoxy to halfway fill in the cavity you got the balls out of. Work the epoxy into the cavity quickly, while it's still runny, then take a piece of scotch tape and cover the hole, and sit the lure as perfectly upright as you can, so that the hopefully still runny epoxy will settle against the tape, sealing the hole but not entirely filling it up. Once the epoxy is cured enough to not sag anymore, but before it's completely cured, take off the tape, wet your finger, and rub the epoxy plug vigorously, which will smooth it out very well if it needs smoothing.

The lure out of the box sits vertically in the water at rest, which is probably the biggest reason it won't walk well. Taking out those weights will make it sit a little less vertically, and it will also make it sit a little higher in the water. And it will walk the dog about 500% easier and better.

[ozarkgunner]

Thanks. The 100 walks fine but the 85 doesn't walk worth a darn. I like the vertical posture for better hook ups.

[cullinby9]

I throw a black zoom horny toad on the creeks in sw mo. I like it being weedless I can throw it anywhere without hanging up. They're a little more suttle than the buzzbait and relatively cheap I just rig one casting rod with 12# florou and a 5/0 ewg hook then I can alternate between a senko and the toad. They seem to work well in any warm water stream from april to november. My favorite stream around is Beaver Creek lots of fish with little to no fishing pressure.

[Guest]

Horny toad in watermelon red pearl on 50# braid. Overkill is good!

[ksmybass]

I can't get the smaller Sammy to walk right.

spin rod and 6-8lb line will make it happen!!

[ksmybass]

Guys, trust me on this. Both popper people and WTD people will love the Top Dollar on rivers. Just the right size, splashes and walks. Check my posts for the last two years for pictures of Top Dollar fish. On the unmodified Bill Norman's just sharpen the hooks.

Good bait, I even have had bluecats smoke this bait in the fall!! almost scared me!!

[Terrierman]

Tiny Torpedo is an old river fave of mine. So is a Pop - R. So is a Hula Popper. I like small Strike King spinner baits. I like small buzz baits. On the spinner and buzz baits, any color skirt is fine as long as it's blue and chartreuse. Or maybe white once in a while.