Best Finesse Topwater Lures

One sector of the bass fishing world that doesn’t get enough attention is finesse topwater fishing. Both finesse fishing and topwater fishing are massive techniques individually, but not a lot of guys take advantage of combining the two.

This is one of the reasons why it actually works so well. Bass haven’t seen these baits much, so they aren’t conditioned to avoid them. And there are a bunch of awesome finesse topwater lures to choose from.

When to Use Finesse Topwater Lures

There are really two situations where finesse topwater baits shine. Of course, you can use them anytime and they will generate a ton of bites, but the two best times to fish downsize your towaters is when fishing pressured lakes or when the baitfish is very small.

1. Pressured Lakes

You’ve probably heard that when there are tons of other anglers fishing a particular lake or pond, it is best to go finesse.

Because of the high fishing pressure, bass get conditioned to the loud and aggressive lures that most guys throw. And sometimes the only way to get bites is to use much smaller, more natural finesse baits.

This same logic applies to the topwater category. The finesse topwater lures are less invasive, less aggressive, and ultimately more realistic.

So the cautious bass that see tons of big, loud topwater lures will likely still eat the more downsized baits.

2. Small Baitfish

Matching the hatch is always important in bass fishing. If the available forage that bass are feeding on is very small in size, you should downsize your lures to match that size.

This happens a lot if small ponds where fish grow much slower. But the baitfish are small while they are young.

During the late summer and early fall months, most of the baitfish is quite small because they were just hatched during the bluegill, bass, or shad spawn a couple of months earlier.

During these times of year, using smaller, finesse topwater baits can generate way more bites and catch you tons of bass.

The Best Finesse Topwater Baits:

1. Mini Plopper

The plopper style of topwater has become extremely popular. Numerous companies now have their own versions of the plopping or chopping style lure.

But a mini, or downsized plopper can be an incredible way to take the widely popular lures style and put into a small, compact body.

The smallest, most finesse model is the River2Sea Whopper Plopper 60. As the name suggests, this bait comes in at 60 mm long, which is very small and compact.

When it comes to topwater fishing, the plopper style bait has quickly jumped to the top of the bass fishing industry, so I couldn’t help but include a finesse version of it on this list.

2. Mini Popper

Yes, this lure style is just one letter different from the first one, but it is actually my personal favorite. Ever since we were little kids, we have been catching fish on a popper.

Popper style lures were certainly the first topwater lures I ever used, and they haven’t stopped working. I didn’t know it as a kid, but I had already been using finesse sizes of a popper and was catching huge numbers of bass and panfish.

That is the only downside to using these small sized poppers. I have found that they catch so many fish that in can be hard to avoid catching some dink bass, bluegill, and even crappie.

But as long as I can get around some bigger bass, I will still catch plenty of big bass on these as well when the conditions call for it.

3. Riser Style Bait

This is a very unique lure category and a very underutilized category. Very few other fisherman use this style of lure, which might be why it works so well.

Currently, there are only two lure companies that make this style of lure. These being Jackall and Strike King. Originally designed in Japan by Jackall, the riser style baits are incredibly effective.

It is a sinking lure that rises to the surface when retrieved. As you retrieve the bait, it skitters and glides across the surface very subtly and naturally.

Over the past year or so, these baits have been one of my absolute favorite topwater lures. And not just finesse topwaters, but all of my topwater fishing.

Both the Jackall and the Strike King baits come in a 70 mm and a 90 mm size. But 70 mm size is the one you want to get.

The 90 mm is really a full sized lure and loses some of the advantages of the smaller, 70 mm size. This riser style bait is quickly becoming a must have lure for topwater enthusiasts.

4. Mini Walking Bait

Walking baits are always a go-to topwater lure. And that is no exception when talking finesse topwaters. These downsized walking baits obviously have a much smaller profile, but they are also much quieter and have a tighter side to side walking action.

These give the bait a much less invasive presentation and give bass fewer reasons to avoid eating it. I feel like these baits work the best during the fall months when bass are very aggressive and the shad are generally quite small in size.

Bass during the fall can get hyper focused on those smaller shad and won’t eat anything else unless it is the right size.

One think I have found about finesse walking baits is that they work better on BFS setups than on a traditional spinning rod and reel.

You can still use a spinning setup, but I have found that because of the walk the dog retrieve, you have to reel up a lot of slack line. And spinning reels are prone to tangles when forced to reel in lots of slack line.

Gear for Finesse Topwater Fishing

There are two rod and reel setups that you can use when finesse topwater fishing. First is just a traditional spinning rod and reel. Whatever your favorite finesse spinning setup is will work great, there’s no need to get anything special.

The second setup is a BFS setup. If you don’t know what that is, we have a quick BFS article that breaks it down.

But in recent years, a lot of guys have started to use BFS over spinning setups for lots of their finesse fishing.

Especially when using hard plastic finesse lures, like all of the lures we discussed are. Like I mentioned, when fishing the walking style finesse baits, a BFS setup will definitely be the better option.

But for all of the other lures, it really just comes down to personal preference or budget. When it comes to the line, I actually think monofilament line works the best.

You don’t hear much about monofilament these days, but this is one of those niche situations where I prefer it.

First, monofilament floats which is very important when fishing topwater lures because fluorocarbon will pull the nose of your baits down and ruin the action. Especially with these smaller baits, fluoro will nearly drag them under entirely.

Second, monofilament has a lot of stretch. Normally that isn’t a great thing, but when using very small treble hooks, that stretch helps a lot to give some cushion as you fight the fish and prevents them from throwing the hooks.

Reeling this In

Finesse topwater fishing may not be as mainstream as other techniques, but that’s exactly what makes it so effective.

By downsizing your topwater presentations, you can trigger bites from pressured or picky bass that have seen it all.

Whether you’re matching the hatch with small baitfish or targeting spooky fish in heavily fished waters, finesse topwaters offer a subtle and realistic approach that flat-out catches fish.

With a solid selection of baits like mini ploppers, poppers, risers, and walking baits. Paired with the right gear, you’ll be ready to tap into one of bass fishing’s most overlooked and rewarding techniques.