How to catch fish on surface lures

By Robert Thornton

Sportfishing communities are chock full of opinions about all sorts of things – some controversial and others less so. One that ruffles relatively few feathers, so to speak, is the widely held opinion that fishing with surface lures is the most exciting way to fish.

Reasoning may vary from person to person, but across the board most avid lure casters will tie on a surface lure before anything else if there’s a chance it might get eaten! I’m certainly not immune to this affliction, with a large portion of my fishing confined to the top layer of the water column these days!

Exciting as they are, surface lures are not effective or even practical in all scenarios. Like most specialist techniques, their viability depends on a range of factors. If you want to learn how to catch fish on surface lures, it’s important to understand the basics of this exhilarating technique. Once you’ve got them down, surface lures can be yet another useful tool in your kit!

Let’s start from the beginning.

It’s all surface level 

A surface lure is any lure designed to perform its desired action on the surface. Some float, while others sink. Poppers, fizzers, paddlers and walking baits are good examples of surface lures that float. Lures such as the Infeet Slippery Dog 65F and Saltiga Rough Ride from Daiwa fit into this category. Things like buzzbaits, sinking stickbaits and certain soft plastic frog imitations, which may sink when at rest, are none-the-less often considered surface lures. Anglers will often ‘burn’ these lures across the surface, such is their intended application. The Bait Junkie Kikker Curly and Saltiga Over There 110S are two examples of sinking lures commonly used for surface work.

The popularity of surface lures in Australia, like many things, owes a lot the US bass fishing scene. ‘Topwater fishing’, as many yanks (and now Aussies) like to call it, is well-regarded as an active and highly visual style of fishing. Being a predominantly cast-and-retrieve technique that results in the angler being able to watch the ‘bite’ as it happens, it builds a sense of anticipation that gives it an addictive quality.

Bait fishing with a float and flyfishing with a dry (floating) fly ignites similar passion. What these techniques have in common is a visual cue to alert the angler to the bite, and partaking anglers will often fish with their eyes glued to the float, fly or surface lure as they wait for any signs of life.  

Topwater bites can be explosive and unpredictable, with certain species hitting surface lures with extra fervour and speed to ensure the prey doesn’t escape. Other times the bite can be gentle and delicate, with the fish visible long before hook-up as it quietly sneaks up on the lure. In either scenario, as well as the many others that fit in between, there’s an adrenalin rush that keep so many people coming back for more!

Life on top

While most fish species naturally do at least some of their feeding on the surface, that doesn’t always mean they can be coaxed into rising at any given time. When fishing with surface lures, it’s important to understand the sorts of environmental factors that cause fish to feed in this way.

And sure, not all species surface feed in the same way. For example, Murray cod generally prefer the cover of darkness or low light conditions, as it allows them to sneak up on larger prey like rats, reptiles, turtles, small to medium size fish swimming near the surface, water birds and so on. In contrast, small stream trout will often rise during the day, using the bright conditions to find hatching insects (that need sunlight) on the surface.

While these two examples seem totally different, they represent instances where surface prey is both available to the predator, and convenient for them to hunt. The key here is understanding the species you’re targeting. Successful topwater fishing requires anglers to understand what the fish are eating and when, why they’re eating it and not something else, and finally what lures they can use to imitate that prey item.

What to look for 

Although surface lure fishing can be specific to the species and even the location, there are general rules you can apply to most species and waterways. Granted, there are exceptions, but sticking to these basic ideas will definitely see you on the right path as you attempt to draw fish to the top!

First and foremost is time of day. The vast majority of fish, whether in saltwater or fresh, will be more willing to feed on the surface in the early morning, late in the afternoon, or at night. The reasons for this vary from fish to fish, but usually it can be summed up by either or a combination of the following.

To begin with, many predators (especially smaller fish like bass, bream and so on) feel safer leaving structure to hunt when the sun is low or completely down. Venturing to the surface in the daytime leaves them exposed to hunters above the water like birds of prey, which will readily snaffle a bream, bass, trout or other snack-sized offering if given half a chance!

Secondly, lower light levels provide feeding fish with cover as they hunt. Interestingly, full moon nights can offer exceptional topwater fishing on species like barramundi, Murray cod and bass – possibly because the moonlight helps them to spot surface prey from below while they can stay hidden themselves. Conversely, anglers chasing big jewfish off break walls or squid in the shallows usually prefer the comparatively dark, new moon nights. Perhaps it has something to do with how well each species is adapted to feeding in complete darkness… The relatively large eyes of jewfish and squid may offer a clue!

There are likely many other reasons predators are more prone to surface feeding during low light periods, but these seem to be the main reasons for most species.

Another attractive feature for topwater luring is shallow water. This isn’t universally applicable to all surface fishing, however for most surface-orientated feeding behaviour the water depth plays a role. The logic is simple: shallow water means the fish don’t have to travel as far to the surface. It may sound overly simplistic, but this comes back to the idea that fish will feed on the top when there is food available there, and especially when hunting that food is convenient. A lot of fish species are quite lazy, and generally won’t expend energy if they don’t have to. Shallow water can often make this decision of whether to eat a much easier one!  

The last thing to look for is a no brainer, and that’s surface food! If you can see things that your target species likes to eat on the surface of the water, chances are that topwater lures will probably work! Surface techniques may not work at all times of the day, but if the food is there, there’s a good chance the predators will ‘rise to the occasion’ at some point. Applying the time of day principals outlined above could be a good move in this scenario. On top of that, you could also look for shallower areas that harbour the same surface-going prey items, as they may be more willing to eat them in these shallower zones.

It also goes without saying that using a lure that replicates the prey is very important is almost all cases. There are times when it’s beneficial to present something that stands out from the pack, but more often than not such lures will be ignored. The old saying ‘match the hatch’ is always a good one to remember!

A top way to fish!

If you’re yet to try fishing with surface lures, be sure to add it to your to-do list! In my opinion, being able to actually see your lure get eaten adds another dimension to lure fishing that is incredibly addictive, and I know I’m not alone in that belief!

Aside from being a super exciting way to fish, it can also be more effective than other techniques when applied in the right circumstances. Like most lure fishos, I treat surface lures as just another tool in my arsenal, which I will reach for when the occasional calls for it. With that said, I will sometimes fish on the surface even though I know there’s only a slim chance of success, and that sub-surface techniques are likely to catch more fish. Anything for a surface bite!

A YouTuber I follow once said, “I will die on topwater hill”, and I know exactly what he means. Once the topwater bug bites you, I’m sure you’ll understand as well!