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Can you catch smallmouths on topwater in a larger river system when water temp is 54 degrees?
Absolutely, you can catch smallmouth bass with topwater lures in a large river system even when the water temperature is around 54 degrees Fahrenheit. Although topwater fishing is generally more productive in warmer water, smallmouth bass can still be quite active and responsive to surface lures in water temperatures in the mid-50s.
When fishing in these conditions, it's beneficial to focus on areas where the water might be slightly warmer, such as near warm water discharges or in shallow, sunlit areas during the warmer parts of the day. Also, consider using topwater lures that create a bit more disturbance, like a buzzbait or a walking bait, which can be effective in attracting attention in cooler water.
It's important to adjust your retrieve speed as well. In cooler temperatures, bass are typically less aggressive, so a slower, more deliberate retrieve might be necessary to entice a strike. Experiment with pauses and varied speeds to see what triggers a response from the fish.
In summary, while topwater fishing in 54-degree water can be challenging, it's certainly possible to have successful outings with the right approach and lure selection. Keep an eye on the conditions and adjust your tactics accordingly to increase your chances of landing those aggressive smallmouth bass.
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Topwater Fishing Giant Fall Smallmouth by NDYakAngler → hey how's it going everyone it's kind of a cold misty fall morning out here on the river I believe the temperature is right around 35 degrees right now I was on another stretch of this river a couple of days ago about 10 miles downstream from here - and the water temperature was anywhere from 48 to 50 degrees so I really kind of thought the top water by it was done for the year but you know I just got a little one on my kite xswim bait here dunked my hand in the water to let it go and it's actually a lot warmer than I expected the reason for that is because I'm right downstream from what I refer to as a small mole factory up here where they discharge warm water into the river so just by feel I'd say it's probably mid to high 50s that got me to wondering we could still get something on top water and took my tackle box luckily I had one spook left in there so we're gonna give that a try this morning if we can get one last top water bite for the year the boat is late in the years I've ever got him on top water but the past couple of weeks up here in Minnesota it's been unseasonable cold instantly oh yeah I'm just still hitting top water Oh didn't take too long now did it that answers that question
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The Biggest Myth Surrounding Topwater Fishing In Colder Water… by Intuitive Angling With Randy Blaukat → is 47 if there's a fish chasing a Shad out up on the surface he might hit a top water lure I've heard of guys catching them on a Pop Bar in the middle of the winter at tab Rock I've never done it but for me um once that water temperature starts getting below 52° uh my top water goes I put my top water box up and uh you know do something else but anyway if you're want to catch cold water top water fish get you a big Buzz bait a walking bait fishing both really slow and uh you can catch some quality fish doing that cuz one of the good things about cold water top water fishing the average size of the bass that you catch is a lot bigger than any other time of the year I I bet the average size Buzz bait fish I catch when the water temperatures in the low to mid-50s is at least 3 3 and 12 lbs maybe even closer to four it's a good way to catch quality fish so hope it helps you guys out we'll talk later
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Bass Color, Cold Water Bass, Trophy Smallmouth, and More | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → So that's what the rhythm is, is your cadence,
if you will, while using the topwater. Aha. Keri: You're right. He does not... Oh, he's got a little fight left in him, huh? All right, you. Can you do an easy release with a jig and
shake it off? Oh no, I got it. Glenn: You got to put that in a weird spot. Keri: He did that to himself. Yeah, it's really weird. You weren't going anywhere. Somehow you've impaled yourself. You slapped at it and it got you. Glenn: Yeah, they're sharp hooks. Keri: They're gone. Smallmouth don't mess around. Glenn: Okay, here's a great question about
fishing during the winter months. "Hey, Glenn, you got any tips for fishing
when the water temperatures are really cold, say in the upper 30s all the way up to the
upper 40s?" Yeah, winter fishing can be tough, relatively
speaking. See, in colder temperatures, the fish's metabolism
is governed by water temperatures. So the colder the temperature it is, the less
often they feed. Bass in cold water will feed maybe once every
seven days, whereas fish in the peak of the summertime are eating several times a day. So during the wintertime, there's going to
be just by virtue of that less bass that are willing to bite lures. So your bite is going to be less frequent. And you're not going to catch as many bass
as you would in the summertime. A lot of people lead us to believe that the
bass are really lethargic and slow-moving.
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7 LURES for 40 Degree WATER (They STILL Bite) by BassFishingHQ → temperatures and the truth is is that bass can definitely still be caught in that cold of water so one big side note if you're fishing and the water temperatures are in the 40s typically what i see is the fishing is going to be better in clearer water now it doesn't have to be crystal clear water it just has to be a little bit clearer now with that being said you know when that water temperature starts creeping up 46 47 48 49 when it gets into the upper 40s i've caught a lot of bass in 46 47 degree water temperatures in pretty muddy water but if it's really kind of in that lower 40 degree range you want to be fishing as clear as water as you can find all right so i'm actually going to start with a few lures that tend to work kind of in the upper 40s and i'm going to work my way towards the lower 40. so one of the first lures and it's one that you're very familiar with that works great in that upper 40 degree water range is a spinner bait the thing that's so awesome about a spinnerbait is it really works in a wide range of conditions it really works in a wide range of water temperatures what i see a lot of times is you're you're not typically going to catch a lot of fish on a spinnerbait in the 40 degree range
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Topwater/ Surface Baits with Shaw Grigsby by The Bass University → a living throwing a frog and and we all have such a good time throwing topwater baits generally speaking is for warmer water right and a lot of people like saying 60 degrees that's kind of a normal deal time of year of course spring summer fall Florida winter cuz it's like spring you know we don't have yeah I'm bragging so anyway but when it's really cold obviously it's not the best fall now this is what's really cool top water and I can ask this question I've actually asked it for years at seminars what's the coldest water you've caught him on top all right the coldest I've heard is 47 anybody got something colder than that so they'll they'll hit it in the 40s okay like the mid-40s so hit it they'll eat top water we had a tournament at Grand Lake don't be listening to this Grand Lake Oklahoma and it was in November freezing cold I finished second right the guy that beat me when I say in freezing cold we're talking like you know 10 degrees 6 degrees 10 degrees 12 degrees highs and he caught him on a buzzbait fall fishing buzzbait got to understand when you have an extreme cold front come in the fall what does it do to the shad it's killing them so they're they're gorging themselves you get that first snowfall you get that time to do that is lights out incredible
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Catch Late Fall Smallmouth Bass on Rivers by Wired2Fish → areas various go got a little jump it'll nice smallmouth bass beautiful bass and cool boy look at that this time of year late fall when the water temps it to around 50 degrees it can be prime time for smallmouth bass as they winter up and consolidate real heavily in their winter holes and that's the kind of fish you can expect and it's a pretty cool pattern crawfish imitating baits like roller head jigs this is a swing head jig crank baits are dynamite anything that looks like a crayfish and fished on bottom can absolutely be deadly let's get that girl back like death right a little gravel outcrop another nice dish yeah and they're still digging water temps are 50 degrees right now these fish still got a lot of life in them I'm fishing a mid-sized river in the Upper Midwest Minnesota and River smallmouth location kind of depends based on when you're fishing in the fall these fish are gonna end up being in deep water areas to winter they like the protection from the ice cover they want to be in summer out of the current and they want to be somewhere where there's a big food source and big cover elements like boulders or a tree but the deepest water oftentimes that means if it's an upriver environment they're gonna dump down into a reservoir back by the dam some deep water areas but throughout the fall
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