When did you get hooked?

I'll never forget my first insane topwater blowup; it was on an old popper that my grandfather had left me. The bite turned off, it was almost dark and I figured, what the heck...bloop, bloop, bloop, BAM!!

Last night it happened for my 4-year-old! Officially Hooked on Topwater!!!

Video: http://youtu.be/5Ry_fpJc2mE watch it get airborn at 0:40

Yep, old devils horse in my uncles pond, I couldn't have been more than 7-8 dad did the casting and let me catch the fish. Still have the lure.

Yep, a Pop-R on Lake Fork when I was 15. I didn't catch the fish. Had several more blow ups before I finally got a hook in a fish and got it to the boat.

Yes I do like it was yesterday even though it was 40 years ago. Walked the banks of the dredged out area behind flat creek marina on Palestine where my grandparents lived. Found a hula popper washed up on shore. Hooks almost rusted out. Tied it on and caught my first topwater fish.
This was the same summer catching my first bass, on a beetle spin no less.
That backwater has lots of memories for sure

Yep. On a tiny torpedo in the early '80's. Me and a buddy loaded up his dads john boat and went out to some old gravel pits that had a bunch of fallen trees in the back. I remember throwing it as far as I could, right when it hit the water right by a log, Bam! Probably a 3lber or less but it was awesome!

In 1950, I was 10 years old. My dad had had me practice-casting for a couple of weeks with my new baitcasting rod and reel, and then bought me a perch-colored Jitterbug. One Saturday morning, just after first light at the local golf course, he had me cast it toward some reeds on a water hole. After retrieving it for about 8-10 feet, a bass blew up on it, and I hooked it. After a nice fight with three jumps, I landed my first artificial lure bass. Probably weighed 2-2/5 pounds. No big deal, but I can remember is like it was yesterday. I've been a devout bass fisherman ever since.

My first fish on top was using a storm popper off the bank at lake house. Great memory

Mine was in my uncle's farm pond in Arkansas.... was casting a Lucky 13 to the middle and just winding it back in... the fish hit right at my feet and took the lure... it washed up two days later... I was 8 or 9 years old. I was hooked.

But, the fun one was my son's first fish on a surface lure... (he was about 25 or so at the time). He had always been a plastic worm guy.. never fished with anything else. But, we were on Aquilla with the lake up about 2 feet... water was in some saw grass with a drop off.. My wife and I had been catching fish on Pop-Rs all week long... so we took him.... put him in the front of the boat on the trolling motor and gave him a Pop-R and put him on the spot.... He threw it out, and then turned to us and said "Now What?" I told him to just "diddle" it... He shook the lure and a four pounder pounced on it... When he finally got the fish in the boat, he put down the rod and had left the fish lying on the floor and let out a big sigh.. .then fish jumped off the boat and nearly took his rod with it.. and the fight was on again... funny.... Our favorite line now when he fishes with us "Now What?'

Tiny Torpedo when I was about 8-9 from a little farm pond in Oklahoma.

Nice job there Dad. Keep him fishing.

I was 9 yrs. old fishing in my Grand Fathers big pond. Papa allow only one person from town to come out and fish because even way back in the 50's this gentleman would release everything he caught.

I happened to be there that evening and watch him catch several nice bass on a huge bass popper that he made. It was black and yellow with a little orange. He had tied the popper with feathers and skunk hair. When we finished fishing that evening he told me I could pick any bait in his box to keep. Of course I picked that big bug.

I couldn't wait to get back to the pond and give it a try at daylight. I had been cleaning ponds out with the old Creme plastic worm with the spinner on the front for years; but the next morning I was going to give that ugly bug a work out; for I already new that our bass bit much better just at day light and not in the evening.

I had broken my reel on the way home the night before when I pitched it over the fence. My backup was a 15 foot cane pole and 20 ft. of white braided line. I used that thing just like a fly rod. Out in the water in front of the dam was 4 huge post holding up the overflow pipes. That was the only real piece of structure in the pond and I had caught several big ones off of them. I worked one side and then the other and nothing. Went down the dam and nothing.

I started back around the dam to the other shore and though I would plunk that thing one more time by the post. A huge explosion took place and that 9.5 lb. bass gave me and that big cane pole all we could handle. I remember running to the house with the fish to show Papa then jumped on my bicycle and put the bass in the big basket on it to ride down the road to show mother and dad. It flopped out of the basket twice on the way over there.

Looking back on the stress put on that fish, I can't believe it made the trip back to the pond alive. We put it in a tub with good cold well water for about an hour before taking it back to the pond to release it. Somewhere in all the picture albums there is a news paper clipping and picture with me holding the fish. Mother had it put in the local paper. Kids were always getting in the news for something.

When you watch that video in slow-mo you can see all of the little minnows scattering just before the bass explodes on the lizard. Pretty cool

Great eyes! I didn't see that in the video, but I did notice a ton of bass fry at that pond.

John

I remember I didn't have to fish a top water to be HOOKED! We were fishing a special little lake that I had never been on and my buddy was telling me the fish stories of how big the fish are in that lake and what not. 1st time out and he was throwing a heddon prop bait. I was watching him fish that and thought how silly that seemed and then one of the most violent blowups I've ever seen occurs. The fish was huge just like he said they were. We then moved down the bank 50 feet or so and then bam!!!! He catches another monster. He threw me a spook and tought me how to twitch it and I've been a top water addict ever since.

Thanks Russell!

Not my first but one that stands out, was when I was about 10 and fishing a Jitterbug just as it started raining. 6-7 pounder exploded on it and I can remember catching that fish like it was yesterday!

I still giggle when i get a good topwater slam!

In laws ranch when I was 15. Little flat bottom boat, white buzz bait right next to the boat. 3 lb bass but I would have sworn it was Jaws!