Evening Top Water bite

[Targa98]

I am curious to any info anyone would like to share on if there is an evening Top Water bite around shell knob or cape fair areas.  I came down a couple weeks ago in the morning and had a great time throwing a spook around shell knob but have recently purchased my first 2 WP and want to see what the craze is about.  I know its slowing down so I may have to keep them tucked away for a year but it was worth the ask. Thanks Guys and Gals

[magicwormman]

The topwater bite has been dead on the James for me this last week.

[Champ188]

Don't know about evening but for me, the TW bite has always been best in the mornings before the lake lice and wake makers send the fish diving for cover.

[dan hufferd]

11 minutes ago, Champ188 said:

Don't know about evening but for me, the TW bite has always been best in the mornings before the lake lice and wake makers send the fish diving for cover.

wake maker and lake lice = ski boats and jet skis?? Translate 

[Champ188]

2 minutes ago, dan hufferd said:

wake maker and lake lice = ski boats and jet skis?? Translate 

Nailed it.

[Biglerma]

6 hours ago, Champ188 said:

Don't know about evening but for me, the TW bite has always been best in the mornings before the lake lice and wake makers send the fish diving for cover.

When I was down over memorial day top water bite was great in the morning and only lasted for 30-45 minutes in the evening.  I say go early if you want top water.

[Bill Babler]

If you are in the Knob area, the evening bite is subsurface.  Shell Knob is the total Wake Boat capital of Missouri.  Narrow White River channel and lots of Summer folks down now.  Top water is good, but you just have to get on the water when the fish are biting it.  Seek shade and be on the water casting at 5 AM.  For each minute you are later than that you have lost time.

I fished Kimberling today with Beck.  He said he had some chasing up to about 7 this morning.  I did not see any at all as we were late on the water about that time.  He had over 20 with some excellent fish on the Dixie Jet.  Those are most often suspended top water want-to-be's.

We had just a tremendous drop shot bite today at 26'.  Most all our fish were heavy K's that were post spawn and suspended at that 22' to 28' number over depth. Between 30 and 40 fish with a lot of 17 plus inch K's.

I was out in the Shell Knob area till just about dark last night and did not see a single rise.  I did see 30 ski and wake boats in any direction that I looked.

Get out early and get em.

[JacobW]

I've been swimming kietechs and doing a lot of drop shotting myself. Lots of fish already out there deep in the big m area. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm seeing a "line" starting to form right at 20 feet.

[Ken Drish]

There is not a day that goes by, except in the deep of  winter (December - February) when I do not throw a topwater. I've had some of my best luck in the evenings... mostly with a Yellow Magic (pop-r style bait).  The key is to look for shaded cover/sharelines... usually starting round 6 PM. I've also got them on the WP, Spook and buzz baits, but for some reason I've had the most success with the Yellow Magic in the evenings.

Agree totally that the topwater bite is better in the morning, but that too, for me, is driven by shade... I've caught them on top, on shaded shorelines, up to 11am some days.

 

[rps]

Several years ago I posted about an evening top water bite in June. I had been throwing a jig to the bank to walk it down to 30 feet. I was on the shady side of 45 degree banks near the channel around 6:00 PM. Several times I was hit on the first drop. On a stupid hunch, I tied on a spook and began fishing it tight to the shady bank. I caught a limit of keepers on top water before dark. The pattern held for about ten days.