4 Gear Tips for Better Topwater Bass Fishing

Topwater lures are productive nearly year-round, but they can be challenging to fish. Brandon Cobb shares his top 4 tackle tips that improve performance ranging from castability, reducing fowling when casting and working baits, to improving hooking percentages. *Product links at the bottom.

Use a braided fishing line. Cobb prefers using a braided fishing line in the 30- to 40-pound test range. Braid provides several benefits: 1) you can cast topwater baits further than monofilament, 2) have better control over working the bait, and 3) improve hooking percentages thanks to low stretch material properties. That said, straight braid can also lead to greater fowling, so Cobb offers this…
Thread 1 or 2 bobber stops on your braid and snug them down to the eye of the bait. Cobb doesn’t use loop knots as he feels conventional knots rarely impede lure action. Snugged down bobber stops add just enough rigidity to the line to reduce the braid from wrapping around the front treble hook when casting or working topwater lures.
Use 30- to 40-pound braid. Excluding frogs, these pound tests provide the ideal blend of manageability and strength. Go too light, and you’ll be breaking off and picking out backlashes for days; go too heavy, and you risk killing the bait’s action.
Use a rod with a slower taper coupled with a high-speed reel. A slightly slower action rod goes a long way in reducing tearing hooks out and pulling the bait away from fish. A high-speed reel makes for effortless line pickup with a presentation that’s plagued with slack. A fast reel with braid coupled with a slower action topwater rod supports effortless hook sets and a high hookup ratio.