When prefishing, how may top waters will you have tied on. Yellow magic, spook.....? or do you just change you top waters a lot. I figured with the top water bite, sometimes the window is so short.

If your prefishing and see bass busting..that alone tells you they are there, why put a hook in them before the tourney? If your looking to see which top water they will eat, take the hooks off first.

Prepared, too.

Don't we all need to be repaired to some degree?

Like the boy scouts. Always be repaired.

Top water fishing is like all other in that there may or may not be big fish using that area. You need to find out. Removing the hooks is not an answer for my custom spooks; as the hook placement on them is a huge factor in making the spook execute the dying quiver which is what the big fish are looking for.

I fish that section of shoreline until I catch a big fish, then I am gone to spot number two. I strive to have 3 of the best spots on the lake that I can find holding big Bass each morning at day break.

I have said this before; but will mention it again for the spooks sake, which I feel is the best big fish bait there is at first light if it is set up right. I have found big bass pre-fishing many times, but on tournament morning they would not blow up on top water at all. That did not mean they were not there.

I would walk the bait into a bush in 3 ft. of water and let it sit touching a limb and have my partner pitch in a Pinch Weighted Fluke. The spook excited the bass holding tight to cover and the Fluke did the catching many times. I always back up the spook with the fluke when there is a blow-up and no hook-up.

I have two tied on. YM and a frog and I throw them all day long.

I rarely throw a topwater in tournaments, bites are too hard to come by and I believe the fish that will hit a topwater will also hit a weightless plastic more readily if worked properly. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy seeing the blowups as much as the next guy but have more faith in sticking a fish underwater.

Kinda have to agree. About only top water I'll throw during tourney will be a buzz bait and I kinda consider weightless fluke top water bait also. I love top water bite tho. Don't have the right shoreline by me to fish frog either.

I only have 2 tied on at once. A frog and then whatever else on my top water pole. The frog I will sometimes change to a buzz bait. Hardly ever throw a popper, usually a gun fish or big spook. Normally in a tourney if I throw any top water it's a frog or buzzbait

You must do what you have confidence in...
The Spook has won so many tournaments for me over the years and taken Big Bass on numerous occasions. It is going to get that first hour once the cold weather is over with on every fishing trip. It has earned that privilege.

There is a reason that the old fellows said "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make em drink".