Seasonal bites" are all the rage in bass fishing, and I get it, I really do. I've accepted the idea that in specific seasonal periods there is such a thing as a "flippin' bite," a "finesse bite," and a "dock bite," and that during their designated times, the corresponding techniques work better than anything. These things are undeniable, they really are.

Another "bite" that has become mentally and mutually established is the "topwater bite." The framework for this time-allotted technique is two-fold. The topwater bite is generally considered a low-light technique meaning its best in the morning and evening while it also has a seasonal aspect.

The seasonal time for the topwater bite is late summer, something in the mid-August to late-September range. The calendar period is flexible depending on weather, water temperature, water clarity, and weed growth, but overall, September is a good time to practice the "topwater bite."

The beauty of using topwaters is that you can use so many different baits to catch largemouths, some of which are very well known while others are on the topwater road less traveled. When the topwater bite is on, perhaps the most popular offering is a buzzbait. Before boat traffic gets roaring in the morning, I love to pull up to a weedy flat and pepper it with a buzzbait. There are a couple of informational keys to using a buzzbait. If you see bass occasionally busting the surface, you need to work a buzzbait. Also if the surface has a windy rumple as opposed to a serious chop, this is a good time to throw a buzzer. But even if the surface is oily smooth, when you're first on the morning scene, a buzzbait can produce. Three years ago, Jess Carabello, the then reigning FLW Co-Angler of the Year, introduced me to a custom-made buzzbait. Subsequently, this bait has been proven very effective for me. The buzzer is a hand-tied concoction made by Steve McGahan of Stalker Bait Co. What makes this buzzbait different is a hank of white bucktail tied inside the living rubber skirt.

"Sputtering over the water, the bucktail really looks like the tail of a fish," Caraballo said. "I use a combo color with a light green pumpkin skirt mixed with a clear gold-fleck skirt and, of course, the white bucktail. The buzzbait head is standard, but the blades are big. It has a loud whine unlike a lot of other buzzbaits. Anybody who hears it knows it's different.

"I like to move it really fast which also separates it from other buzzbaits anglers are using. Also I sputter the retrieve a lot which makes the bucktail flair. The bait looks large on the water so it represents a real mouthful. No doubt it's a big fish bait. If I already have a decent limit, I'll take it out and start searching for bigger fish."

Caraballo uses the Stalker buzzbait in a lot of places, but his best results come from plying it in the shallows from a foot to six feet of water. However, his special secret is he also buzzes standing timber in as much as 40 feet of water. "It's amazing how big bass will come up for this bait over deep water," Caraballo noted.

Personally, I've been partial to the Leverage brand and a new style of buzzbait. Leverage made a flexible connection from the bait to the hook and this wire helps prevent the fish from throwing the buzzbait. Booyah purchased the Leverage brand and now they're putting the connection on certain topwaters. I suspect they'll leverage the Leverage onto their better buzzbaits. And speaking of Booyah, one of the more amazing and least used buzzbaits is the super-long arm 15-inch Booyah Dancin Buzz. Bill Dance himself introduced me to this bait a few years ago while we were fishing in Tennessee. At first, I thought it was a gimmick, and I grilled Bill pretty hard. He asked me if bass hadn't often come up well behind my working buzzer so that I missed the fish. I agreed. The 18-inch long arm (that's what they were at the time) had the buzzbait blade way forward of the head and hook and beneath the surface. We used the long-arm buzzbait and it did exactly what Dance said it would. We caught a lot of fish with it, good fish. I've tried it elsewhere, and it really does work. It's no gimmick.

However, the problem with the longarm buzzbait is that it doesn't fit into any tackle compartment so you have to stick it in a special place and remember to bring and use it. When I do, it's amazingly effective for the topwater bite. When largemouths school for the topwater bite, I also like to use a few plugs. One I have confidence in is the Heddon Spit'n Image.When you yank and pull the Spit'n Image, it moves from side-to-side with a highly erratic action. If bass are intermittently coming to the surface to attack bait, this bait is an outstanding offering. I generally prefer the shorter Spit'n Image Jr., which is only a quarter-inch less than the regular three-and-a-quarter Spit'n Image, but Pennsylvania bass seem to like the way it rides the surface.

Also I'm a huge fan of propeller baits for the season's topwater bite. When it comes to smallmouths, I like the Heddon Torpedo. This bait is equipped with a rear prop only and can be worked with a straight gurgling retrieve or yanked and pulled for a stop-and-go action. Both are highly effective. One of the most popular topwaters also has a version that is one of the least popular propeller topwater baits. I'm talking about the Zara Spook, which is well known and highly successful, and the Wounded Zara Spook with propeller spinners fore and aft. These are actually pretty hard to find in the regular retail market.

The Zara Spook has the famous walkthe- dog, side-to-side retrieve while the Wounded Zara Spook gives you some of this (not as bluntly) but with the gurgling of double propellers. If you can't find this bait, you can certainly locate the Cotton Cordell Boy Howdy or the Smithwick Devil's Horse. Both of these are slender, double-prop baits that are great around schooling bass. The Devil's Horse is made of wood and is my favorite. I work it with both a straight retrieve and an erratic stop-andgo retrieve. I've actually seen this bait resume feeding activity on baitfish, after a lull, by surface-orientated largemouths. Also this bait comes equipped with size 4 hooks, which are better than the Boy Howdy's standard 6 and should be replaced with bigger ones. For less commotion in flatter water I've seen a Boy Howdy out produce the Devil's Horse, so it pays to keep both around. There are lots of topwater baits that are angler standards that I haven't mentioned. For instance, I haven't touched poppers, chuggers, winged splashers, and even the weed sliders. While some of my picks are well known, others take the topwater road less traveled. During September's topwater bite, both can be a good thing.

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