It’s time to WAKE up! That’s right, it’s time to wake up to wake baits, the easiest topwater lures to use. Unlike walk-the-dog lures or poppers, wake baits don’t require any fancy rod and reel action. Just cast out the lure, reel it in and catch fish.
Wake Baits Go Saltwater Fishing
Easy Does It
Wake baits are a topwater crankbait. The lure body floats and the small plastic lip causes it to swim a zigzag pattern across the surface. Some wake baits include an interior rattle to add noise and vibration. The combination of action and commotion along with a life-like baitfish appearance draw in strikes from predators like redfish, speckled trout, striped bass and more.
Where to Fish
Topwater lures swim on the surface, so they don’t get snagged in heavy structure on the bottom. I can fish a wake bait in areas where a jig or swimbait would not survive. From sand pockets on flats to grasslines back in the marsh, wake baits have a place in my line-up. I often use wake baits around shallow oyster beds, pilings and bulkheads. Fish the lure parallel to spartina grasslines, over flats with scattered shell, or rip and stop the lure in potholes on the grass flats. For a bone-jarring strike, roll a wake bait over turtle grass.
When to Use Wake Baits
Spring through fall are typically the best times for wake baits. When the water temperature is above 60 degrees, the fish are most active in the shallows. Wake baits are great search baits. Since I don’t have to “work” a wake bait, I can cast and retrieve faster than a surface walker or popper. The wake bait’s noise and commotion draw fish to the lure.
Best Wake Baits
The Strike Pro Hunchback is one of my favorite wake baits because it is available in three sizes to match the bait and the size of the target fish. My favorite colors are goldie and bone/chartreuse. Florida brand Skinny Water Lures and Texas company Flatwater Baits offer profiles similar to the largest Hunchback with the option for custom colors. I also use 6th Sense Speed Wake, Movement 80WK, Strike King KVD 2.5 Wake and Berkley Wake Bull.
Wake Bait Gear
Wake baits require a rod with a soft tip and plenty of backbone. The parabolic action keeps treble hooks pinned in a redfish’s mouth. The backbone convinces the fish to come to the boat. My favorite setup is a seven-foot medium-power, extra-fast-action Waterloo HP Slam Mag paired with a Shimano Tranx 150HG with a 7.2:1 gear ratio. I spool the reel with PowerPro Super Slick V2 20-pound braided line. I use an Alberto knot to add 20 inches of 20-pound Osprey leader material to the braid. To quickly switch lures, I replace the split ring on the lure with a speed clip from Topwater Co.
For anglers who are already fishing topwater lures, wake baits are just as deadly and easier to use. If you’re not using wake baits for saltwater species, it’s time to wake up.
Cast it out and reel it in. | Feature photo: Dustin Nichols
