5 Favorite Topwater Baits

This is a post from my time working as a digital marketer for Sportsman Channel. I enjoyed contributing to the blog at Sportsman Channel by sharing my love for fishing.

This post covers my favorite topwater baits. Fishing’s my favorite thing to do outdoors. I suggest you try these baits as well for topwater success! Note: the buzzbait pictured here, was a top producer for me in catching northern pike and bass! I got it at Bass Pro Shops.

Unfortunately, Bass Pro Shops no longer carries this inline buzzbait model. I discovered this in 2016 and have found it hard to come across inline buzz-bait styles in sporting good stores since. The last fish I caught on the buzzbait shown here was a northern pike. And with that fish story, enjoy hearing about my top 5 topwater baits:

By Josh Schwartz – written for Sportsman Channel – June, 2015

Topwater fishing is an adrenaline rush and you may already be thinking of your favorite topwater lure. It’s that anxious feeling of knowing at any moment you’ll see an explosive strike that makes topwater fishing so darn fun.

Luckily, there’s an abundance of topwater baits to choose from and it’s good to have a variety in your tackle box to use different techniques. Here’s our 5 favorite topwater baits, we’ll start with a classic and end with a classic.

The Arbogast Jitterbug is a classic topwater bait. Steadily reel it in as the suspense builds towards an explosive strike. A great choice for the night bite.

The popper is a versatile topwater lure, walking the dog, chugging, popping and letting it sit, and more, you can try different retrieves until a fish reacts!

A great weedless option, there’s a tremendous selection of effective frog baits to choose from. Pictured here is a soft plastic option. Using soft plastic frogs as this one, allow you to use the size hook you prefer. Using monofilament line will help keep the frog on the surface.

This bait does a great job annoying bass and northern into striking, and when they do it’s one of the most exciting strikes to watch. Another great option if you’re fishing weedy areas. It’s best to start the reeling just before the lure hits the water and continue to reel quickly to keep the blades spinning and water churning.

The Heddon Torpedo is another classic topwater lure.  Short, quick twitches get the prop turning entice fish to strike. Also can be reeled with a slow/steady stop-in-go retrieve.

We all probably have heard this, yet it’s a good reminder: wait until you feel weight, then set the hook. It sounds easier than it is because it’s a natural reaction to set the hook when you see the strike.

Now, we want to know: what’s your favorite topwater baits?

Catching Fish Fever By Spring Cleaning

This is a post from my time working as a digital marketer for Sportsman Channel. I enjoyed contributing to the blog at Sportsman Channel by sharing my love for fishing.

How I was inspired to write this: Early in May of 2015 I was routinely cleaning and organizing my tackle box for the fishing season. If my memory serves correctly, it was the very beginning of May, before the fishing opener. In Wisconsin the fishing opener is the first FULL weekend in May. So this may have right before that opening weekend began.

While going through my fishing gear that spring, it occurred to me that I was forming the tradition of cleaning out my tackle box every year. I felt inspired to correlate the notion of “spring cleaning” to fishing gear and had the idea of writing a blog post on it for work. It goes to show a guy can catch fish fever by glancing at his fishing gear!

By Josh Schwartz – written for Sportsman Channel – May, 2015

Is your spring cleaning done? When I think of spring cleaning, going through my fishing gear is first on the list and is sometimes where spring cleaning ends as my fish fever rises with the warmer weather.

I blame this on living in the midwest. It’s usually been a long winter, so my cabin fever begins in March. In fact, cabin fever’s at its highest for me during March and continues to rise until that first fishing trip without an ice auger.

Though I have other tackle boxes, this one’s my go-to. It’s small enough to be mobile, yet large enough to hold an assortment of fishing tackle.

These early days of spring have me preparing my fishing gear for the summer. It’s time to pack away the auger and tip-ups in favor of plastic frogs and buzzbaits. It’s also time to think of what lakes I want to try before summer’s end.

Each spring I check my supply of hooks, sinkers, jig heads, and the amount of line on my reels. Usually I replace line on all my reels during this spring cleaning phase.

Going through my tackle box is like therapy as I see topwater plugs like the Jitter Bug, Rapalas and crankbaits.

There’s just something soothing about going through my tackle box, it’s like therapy because it reminds me how much I enjoy fishing. And here’s why:

I imagine feeling a strike, hearing the drag, and reeling in the first catch of the day. This feeling comes from within and lingers all-year-long. You ever get this too? Just the urge to take-off and start fishing?

“Going through my fishing tackle box opens up spring fever. Add on the warm weather and every day I have the itch to cast a few.”

I start thinking about where I’ll be fishing this summer and all the memories that lay ahead from another spring and summer of fishing.

It’s the freedom of taking that first cast of a fishing trip at a lake of my choice. Just being able to choose where to fish is a great freedom we all enjoy.

Looking at lures in my tackle box, I remember the fish I’ve caught with them, where I was, and, friends and family I’ve fished with. It’s a rich sense of enjoying the simple things in life and the natural scenery.

Yea, going through my tackle box is my favorite part about spring, along with the weather getting warmer. All this feeds my addiction to fishing, and, maybe, yours too!

Why do you like fishing? Any memories come to mind as you go through your tackle box? What fishing gear do you go through as you’re spring cleaning?

Tying on Favorite Bass Lures

This is the first blog post I wrote for Sportsman Channel. As a digital marketer and fisherman, I enjoyed contributing to the blog at Sportsman Channel and sharing my love for fishing.

All fisherman have a favorite bait of theirs, and I wanted to share mine with the Sportsman Channel audience. I mention Mister Twister as one of my favorite baits, and little did I know that 3 years after writing this post, I would be their communications director! If you’re new to fishing, I believe these have great potential to become your favorite baits as well!

By Josh Schwartz – written for Sportsman Channel – April, 2013

Today’s post comes to us from Josh Schwartz, a member of Sportsman Channel’s digital team.  Josh is an avid sportsman who spends a great deal of his free time fishing.  Below is a list of his go to lures and this post reflects those that have proven effective for him when targeting bass in Southeastern WI.

Do you have lures that provide you with confidence superior to others in your tackle box?

Over the years, I’ve discovered certain lures to produce more bass for me than others and this post will show what those lures are and why they’re the most tied on.

Favorite Lures & Categories

My favorite lure categories are soft plastics and top waters.

My favorite lures to attack bass with are as follows: Jitterbug, buzz bait, jig, frog, and Rapala’s husky jerk.

I have had most success with jigs in the spring, buzz baits and jitterbugs mid to late summer into early fall.

Stay Versatile With Soft Plastics
In the soft plastic category my favorite options are twister tails, frogs, and minnow baits. <a href=”https://www.mistertwister.com/” target=”_blank”>Mister Twister plastics</a> and Kalin grubs are my favorite.

You can fish them weighted or weightless, on jig heads or hooks. Soft plastics work year round, work well in rivers and lakes, both for white bass, smallmoths, and largemouths. Plus, if you lose a jig it’s more affordable to replace than other lures and can easily switch colors without retying.

I’ve found success with jigs both on inland lakes and sections of the Fox River in Southeastern Wisconsin.

Watch The Strike

For top water bass lures, buzz baits and jitterbugs are my go-to. Why? Well, I’ve found you can vary your speed to the bass’s mood.

Buzz baits are usually zipped along the top to churn as much water and make as much noise as possible. Jitterbugs are fished slower and work best over calm water or with a slight chop.

Remember to vary your speed; experiment with a slower buzz bait retrieve. Bass will tell you when to slow down and when to speed up.

Top waters provide heart-pounding action you see. Strikes come unexpectedly so don’t set the hook as soon as you see the strike. Although a natural instinct, doing so will rip the bait from the fish leaving you with an empty hook set. Set the hook only upon feeling weight (I’m still working on this).

Diving For Bass

I caught this bass in early spring at Whitewater Lake, WI on a Rapala husky jerk.

For hard baits I like Bomber’s and Rapala’s. Bombers have a great wobble as they float to the surface. Rapala’s offer a variety of depths, options, and colors.

If you know the weed line depth or fishing by structure these baits will work great. You can consistently stay above, or alongside, the weed line or structure with the correct hard bait.

How ‘Bout Yourself?

What are your favorite bass lures? What species of bass is your favorite to catch?
Let us know what state you fish, and your favorite bass lures in the comments!

New Fishing Spot! Now What?

By Josh Schwartz – written for Sportsman Channel – July, 2014

Today’s post comes to us from Josh Schwartz, a member of Sportsman Channel’s digital team. Josh is an avid sportsman who spends a great deal of his free time fishing. Below is advice about new fishing spots.

Fishing A New Spot
As American sportsmen, we are blessed with the freedom to explore. One of my favorite things about fishing is the adventurous feeling of trying a new fishing spot. Fishing new spots can be challenging and you may feel lost at what lure or live bait rig to try. Here’s some advice to give you confidence when fishing a new area.

Enjoyed my time fishing at Trout Lake in northern Wisconsin. One of those days where it just felt good taking casts in a new area as I didn’t catch any fish. You may not always catch fish when trying out a new spot, just remember it’s called fishing not catching.

Shore Fishing
Shore fishing a new spot may be easier than trying to fish a new spot by boat.

I’ve found it easier to have a conversation with a person from shore than from boat. Talking with folks fishing near you is a great way to learn about your new fishing spot.
While shore fishing, you will be fishing a smaller area, making the new fishing spot less overwhelming. It’s easy to pick out a place and walk to it.

Ask Questions (listen)
When you get to your new fishing spot, talk to people fishing around you. This is the best way to get the most relevant ideas for your current location. Ask about bait, time of day and what types of fish are being caught. Get as much information as possible.

Asking questions can lead to a new technique that may also work at your regular fishing holes.

Look for a bait shop nearby to gather information. If your new spot is at a state campground, some have a DNR Warden on site you can talk to for fishing information. Getting advice from people around you is effective since you come across local knowledge you can use immediately.

I was fishing Lake Winnebago for the first time from shore. After I caught my first bass in calm water, looked for other calm areas and had more hookups.

Observe
There may not always be people around to talk with, so observing is critical. The following observations are simple, yet are easy to miss.

Watch how people are fishing. Pay attention to their retrieve and look to see what lure they are using. Often times observing can spark curiosity that will initiate conversation.

Look for man-made structures you know to hold fish, piers, docks and boat landings.

Look at the water clarity(more on water clarity later), the types of vegetation and whether the bottom is gravel, sand or muck. Seeing light to dark colored water usually means you’ve located a transition from shallow to deep water.

Look for points, current and cover, such as overhanging trees. Also look at what parts of the shoreline are sunny or shady. If it’s windy try fishing into the wind; if that doesn’t produce, look for a bay or where the water is calmer.

While shore fishing Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin for the first time recently, it was windy. I started by casting into the wind with a lure I had confidence in. When nothing was happening I chose to fish out of the wind and caught my first bass. Based on this, I fished similar areas with calmer water and less wind and continued catching bass.

One of many largemouth caught on a Kalin’s grub while fishing Lake Winnebago for the first time.

Remember Your “Confidence Baits”
If your new fishing spot has clear water, tie on a lure you’ve had success with in clear water before. Likewise, lures that have worked in similar water conditions before, can be successful in new your fishing spot when trying to figure out what to use.

Remembering what lures you’ve got fish on in the past will give you confidence and direction as what to tie on at a new fishing spot. If your confidence baits don’t work out, remember you can experiment with other baits.

My confidence bait is a jig-head and a Kalin’s grub. It’s been successful catching both largemouth and smallmouth bass, as well as pike, in rivers and a variety of lakes with different water clarity.

Do Research
Lake-link and the variety of fishing apps available are the norm, though, remember they’re not the only fishing resources. Check the DNR website for your state to also catch information beforehand.

For me, I check out Wisconsin’s DNR site by visiting the Find a lake page. From here I can search the lake I’m planning to fish and can find a “DNR Contacts” link for that lake. After clicking this link, a list of contacts appears. In the list, a name and number to call for “Fishing. Fish Management, Public Access,” is what I use to gain information about the lake and can talk to an actual person to get immediate feedback.

Another option is to find the DNR service center near you, stop by in person and ask for info on the lake you wish to try out, also ask if any more resources are available to you online about where you want to fish. They may have resources that will supplement what you have found online about the fishing spot you want to try for the first time.

Focus On The Adventure
There are times I’ve fished a new area with no success and then there’s times I’ve fished a new spot with much success. Either way, try not to focus on what you catch but rather on being in the great outdoors and the freedom we’re blessed with to fish a new area.

Photo taken from Lake Winnebago, WI at High Cliff State Park.

These tips may seem basic, but simple things can be easy to forget. It’s always worth going back to the basics and keeping it simple when first trying out a new fishing spot.

How do you fish a new spot? What do you use to learn about a new fishing area? Share in the comments!

23 Signs You’re Addicted To Fishing

This is a post from my time working as a digital marketer for Sportsman Channel. I enjoyed contributing to the blog at Sportsman Channel by sharing my love for fishing. After all, I’m addicted to fishing!

By far, this is my favorite post that I wrote for Sportsman Channel. One morning, while on a run, a lightbulb turned on to write “10 signs you’re addicted to fishing.” Upon arriving at the office after my morning workout, I jotted down my ideas, then asked colleagues around the office for theirs. I soon realized I had 23, which you can read about below. Enjoy!

By Josh Schwartz – written for Sportsman Channel – May 2015
We catch a buzz from fishing, and we embrace your fishing addiction. We’re addicted to fishing too! The only rehab for fishing is more fishing. So, here’s 23 signs you’re addicted to fishing:

1. You bring your kayak to work and it stays in your truck, so you’re always prepared.

2. Your fishing gear stays in your vehicle.

3. One more cast means one more cast in every direction, so, 10 or more casts.

last cast while fishing

To us addicted to fishing folks, “one last cast” means “one last cast in every direction.”

4. You squeeze in fishing before work and/or on lunch break.

5. You believe the only rehab for fishing is … more fishing!

6. You’ve brought your boat to work, to fish after work.

A car pulling a canoe trailer

If you’ve added a trailer hitch to every vehicle you’ve owned, you’re addicted to fishing.

7. While grocery shopping at Wal-Mart you walk out with fishing gear instead.

8. You find yourself looking for the sporting goods section at stores.

9. When you see a pond you think, “there’s gotta be bass in there.”

10. The word “bass” isn’t the subs in a car, it’s the fish.

11. You favor gas stations that sell bait and know which gas stations sell bait in a 5-mile radius of your house.

12. You’ve got 99 problems but fishing gear’s not any of them.

13. You cringe when you hear, “birds nest.”

14. Opening day means fishing, not baseball.

15. You mow your lawn at night so you have more daylight for fishing.

16. You name your first two kids Gill and Fin.

17. You have more fishing poles than socks.

18. You’re asked, “Why do you have so many fishing poles?”

19. Every lens you own is polarized.

20. You know ‘walking the dog’ doesn’t require a leash, nor a dog!

21. You have more pictures of your trophy catches on your desk than of family.

22. The local tackle shop knows you by name.

23. All your selfies have fish in them.

josh addicted to fishing for smallmouth bass

This guy is addicted to fishing for smallmouth bass.

Enjoying Summer 2013

Well summer 2013 has come to an end. My blogging also came to an end this summer so am showing you folks what I’ve been up to.

Summer was filled with shore fishing new areas, learning to longboard goofy foot and finding a new campsite.

Summer 2013 by hookjsboard

Enjoyed the weather by fishing and longboarding .

H o o k e d
To most, it’s no surprise I incorporate fishing into my lifestyle, after all, I’m a sportsman! So of course, I had to fish on the way to visiting my girlfriend in Appleton.

There’s a bridge that crosses over Lake Butte Des Morts; while driving up to Appleton on highway 41. I’ve always wondered what it’s like to fish. “There’s gotta be fish in there,” thinking to myself while looking at the lake each time I drive over the bridge.


View Larger Map

This summer I made a decision to finally fish Lake Butte Des Morts. Going in with the mindset I might not catch anything didn’t stop me.

I decided to turn this into a camping trip after finding Hickory Oaks Campground near Oshkosh.

camping

My campsite at Hickory Oaks Campground, close to highway 41 and Lake Butte Des Morts.

Fishing Lake Butte Des Morts, I was expecting bass since there are overhanging trees, weed patches and lily pads to cast towards. Ended up with a northern pike:

Mepps Spinner

The pike fought so hard and nailed the Mepps so viciously it bit off one of the hooks! Fish story! That kinda happened.

– Although the pike attacked the spinner, one hook was previously cut off to free it from a backpack. –

B o a r d i n g
Besides fishing, long boarding has become another way to enjoy free time this summer. At the beginning of summer I set a goal to learn goofy foot. In longboarding,(and other board sports), you have two stances: regular and goofy. Goofy is with your right foot forward on the board. Regular is with your left foot forward on the board.


Your shoes are the brake pads when longboarding. You drag your heel on the ground to stop. Seeing as I hate shoe shopping, I decided to learn goofy foot so I can wear my shoes evenly, making them last longer. (Plus, the less I have to buy shoes the more $ I can put towards fishing. fishing > long boarding).

Normal foot

Regular is my natural stance for long boarding and snowboarding. Regular is with your left foot forward.

Learning goofy has been a success though more practice wouldn’t hurt! More fishing wouldn’t hurt either…

After writing this post am realizing that summer has, once again, went too fast.

Any of you got fishing stories from summer 2013? Any longboarders out there with goofy foot tips? You try anything new for summer 2013?

After The Catch

After the catch, from the lake to the plate.

Do you fish? Do feel the fishing and cooking connection? Patience and persistence are mentioned the most when it comes to fishing. Something that happens after the catch should be caught as well, cooking.

after the catch

Bluegills grilling with green peppers and onions.

There are few more rewarding things than eating the fish you catch. While eating my catch, I remember a few things: being on the lake baiting my hook -or- casting a lure, and feeling anxious for when your bobber will go under -or- strike will occur.

Now, you’re eating the fish that took your bobber under. It’s why preparing your catch brings the fishing trip full circle.

Cleaning fish has always been part of my fishing experiences, thanks to my Dad who taught me ways to clean and prepare our catch. After cleaning the next step is cooking, therefore, the work begins when we decide to keep the fish for dinner, and was finished when we did the dishes after enjoying our catch.

Life Lessons
Cleaning fish teaches responsibility because if you wait too long to clean fish, they’ll spoil. This responsibility leads to being a steward of the land and to make sure you wisely use what you take from the water.

Thus, this connects fishing to cooking. I need to learn how to cook so I can eat my catch. Fishing prepared me for when I’d be living on my own.

When I fish I see an opportunity to catch a meal, and because I am on my own I need to be able to cook on my own. This is why I come to the conclusion that fishing is my bridge to cooking.


By Josh Schwartz 2013. This is the second part of how fishing’s a bridge to cooking. Fishing is Josh’s favorite activity in the outdoors. Catch and release and a responsible harvest are practiced.

Fishing’s A Bridge To Cooking

Fishing’s A Bridge To Cooking

The reason why fishing’s a bridge to cooking is because I’ve picked up on certain aspects of cooking from eating the fish I catch. The lessons below are what I have learned from making fish and can be applied to other game dishes. Read on!

Fishing's A Bridge To Cooking

Crappie are some of the best eating fish. Sometimes I just just use olive oil and a little lemon pepper.

How Not to Overcook
You can tell when fish is done when the flesh is flakey and white. Use this as a measuring stick whether you’re grilling, baking or pan-frying. It’s good to know when fish/meat is done so you know the warning signs of when it’s starting to overcook.

Simply, keep an eye on your food and check it often. You’ll have better success grilling if you don’t “grill it and forget it.”

For deep-frying, when the breading is a light brown it’s done. If it’s a dark brown it’s going to be over cooked. Watch the fish as it’s in the fryer so you can see the different color phases.

Cleaning Fish
Learning to fillet fish comes in handy when cleaning other game since the concept of following along the bone to remove as much meat as possible still applies.

You can scale and gut your catch. Simply scale the fish. Cut off head. Gut it. When cooking, you can stuff the fish with vegetables and seasoning of your choice.

Variety Of Techniques
I’ve used a stove, deep fryer, grill, and oven to make fish. It taught me what to use to make fish, and how to use appliances. I’ve use the these skills to make other food.

Grilling fish introduced me to using tinfoil and oil for cooking.

Learn As You Cook

  • Cutting up vegetables is something I learned when preparing fish.
    Cook your fish with green peppers and onions for great flavor. The flavor is not too strong since you can still taste the fish itself.
  • Side dishes complete meals, and rice goes great with fish.
  • Lemon Pepper seasoning is great with fish. Less seasoning is better while cooking. This allows people to season as they desire while eating fish. You can’t remove excess seasoning from cooked food.
Fishing's a bridge to cooking

Fish seasoned lightly with lemon pepper, in a tin foil boat ready for the grill.

Ask questions and experiment with different spices, methods, and species of fish; it’s the only way to expand your cooking ability, and understand the flavor of each fish. Some stomach meat on fish is good, others not so much.

A great resource for fish cooking ideas is Sporting Chef Scott Layeth; check out his list of fish recipes.

Try the spices and ingredients you have in your pantry and garden to use them in new ways. This is why fishing is a bridge to cooking. Once you cross the bridge to cooking you’ll start knowing what methods you prefer and can share with other fisherman.

Tight lines and good eatin’!

By Josh Schwartz 2013. This is the first of a two part series on how fishing’s a bridge for cooking. Read the second post on Connecting Fishing To Cooking. Fishing is Josh’s favorite activity in the outdoors. Catch and release and a responsible harvest are practiced.

Favorite Bass Lures

bass lures

Favorite bass lures.

Do you have any favorite lures? Recently, I put a list together of favorite bass lures for Sportsman Channel’s blog.

These lures are the ones I tie on frequently and have had the most strikes on.

From these lures the buzzbait and jig & twister tail have also proven effective for northern pike. I have landed many northern pike on the jig & twister combo. The cool thing about the twister tail is that it appeals to rock bass, perch, bluegill, crappie and walleye.

With the Wisconsin fishing opener around the corner, I plan to tie on the lures as well.

What are your favorite bass lures? Good luck to all this fishing season!

Opening Day Fishing 2012 (2 of 4)

This is the second post in a 4 part series on my 2012 opening day of fishing in Wisconsin.

In Southeast WI, it was raining on opening day. Seeing as there was no lightning, I threw on a rain suit, hooked up the boat, and headed out.

While anxiously launching the canoe into the water I was imagining a bass hitting my topwater bait. My rods were rigged with lures appropriate for the spots I wanted to try first.

After starting the motor and heading to the first spot I had planned to go to, I noticed the wind picked up since I left from home. Because of the increased wind, the water was too rough to use a buzzbait. (Buzzbaits and other topwaters work best when the water’s calm or when there’s a slight chop.) I ruled out my original plan and began to feel unsure of where to go.

At this point in fishing, you have to adapt to the weather conditions. As a fisherman and hunter you’re at the mercy of what nature throws at you; your success depends on how you overcome adversity.

Because I was already heading towards the far end of the lake, and since the wind was blowing in a direction that I could drift back towards where I launched from, I kept going. Besides, since there was a no wake until 9am and I was already half way towards the far end of the lake, I just wanted to get there.

First fish of opening day hit hard! Snapped this pic and released

Finally, I got to the far end of the lake. I started the drift and realized there more weeds than normal, and the wind was drifting me faster than expected.

During the initial drift I wound up in an unfamiliar location of the lake, but it  did look promising so I went with it. It was by a patch of reeds. Nobody else was fishing here.

Reaching for my spin cast rod rigged with a Kalin Grub and pink jig head I took a cast. Moments later I felt my first strike!

(Stay tuned for part 3 next week!)