10 top topwaters by Jamie Robley

Of all the species of fish I've chased over the years, I rate bass as one of the easier ones to fool with lures, probably because they eat a diverse range of creatures. Crickets, spiders, moths, prawns, shrimp, worms, herring and small mullet are just a small portion of what bass devour.

At times bass may focus on a particular form of food and that tends to happen when there is an insect hatch or some other sort of extra abundance of one thing or another. When this happens, bass may ignore almost everything we throw at them unless we happen to have a lure or fly that very closely resembles what they're feeding on.

This can be incredibly frustrating, but it's all part of the world of bass fishing.

Such phenomena aside, most of the time bass aren't overly fussy. But it's always a good idea to use lures that in some way resemble what bass generally eat in a particular waterway.

In some rivers their main diet may be herring, with the occasional side serving of mullet and a sprinkling of cicadas. At another place the local bass may be mainly insect feeders and so will be on the lookout for things falling from above.

Because of this, some lures that work brilliantly on river X or impoundment Y may not work as well as others on river A or impoundment B.

The bass fanatic is normally a bit of a lure collector as well and some of these people haul along a truckload of lures when they go bass fishing. So if an angler is observant, they can select a suitable lure to suit what's going on around them.

Most of us don't carry a huge number of lures when we fish and I'm an extreme minimalist, often bringing along only half a dozen lures at the most or double that if I'm doing an overnight trip.

So when cutting back on lures like that it's obviously beneficial to bring the right ones. How can we be sure of the right lures, then?

By having some really good lures with you, you're putting yourself in with a reasonable chance. Like a lot of bass anglers, I use a variety of types from soft plastics to spinnerbaits and hardbodies.

Some people strictly use surface lures. I'm definitely not like that because bass won't always hit surface lures and I reckon catching fish is the main aim, regardless of how much fun it is to see your lure get demolished on the surface.

For those new to bass fishing or who may be looking for some new ideas this season, I've prepared a list of 10 topwaters that have served me well over the past few years.

Some have been around for ages, while others are much newer.

I'm certainly not placing any one of these at the top of the list - as each of them has their day - but all have been proven and I can highly recommend them.

JACKSON B-PIVOT

Not long before these lures hit our shores, the smaller Jackson T-Pivot had proven itself for bass, bream and a number of other species. The larger B-Pivot makes a lot more sense.

It casts farther, makes more noise on the surface, is a larger target for bass to zoom in on, has larger and stronger hooks which are ideal for big bass and it's not so likely to be completely engulfed and wedged deep inside the mouth of a fish.

Tiny lures may work but if you use them all the time, you'll soon encounter the problem of trying to get a lure out that's stuck down a fish's throat.

The B-Pivot can be made to walk the dog but with a bit of practice you can get it to dance around a lot without moving forward as much as other lures.

This simply means it stays in the strike zone for longer and so may encourage a bass to hit. With a few sharp jerks on the rod with the tip pointed down, you can also get the B-Pivot to push a bit of water like a popper.

MARIA PENCIL

These are quality Japanese lures without a hefty price tag. At 55mm they are a good size for bass and cast like bullets.

While not being an outrageously flash-looking lure, the most important thing is that they work exceptionally well.

On a number of occasions the Maria Pencil has saved my trip while other lures haven't gained much attention.

Again, it's not too hard to get them walking across the top and they're very durable lures that can