Make a topwater Splash with post-spawn bass

After bass have seen a steady flow of soft plastics danced, hopped, crawled, swam, pitched, flipped and punched in front of them for two months, do you think they want to see a soft plastic in May?

According to Greg Hackney of Gonzales, the answer is a resounding “No!” He’ll offer something else that gets the bass stirred up between spring and summer. The key word is “up” because his favorite artificial lure this time of year is the Strike King KVD Splash, a topwater bait with a balance of spitting, chugging and walking that versatility is hard to beat.

“The cool thing about it, it catches giants, if you go to a place with giants. It’s real good after the spawn. It’s that time of year when they’re looking up. It’s a topwater month. I can catch them all day, early, late, in the shade,” Hackney said.

The KVD Splash is effective for a couple of reasons, he said:

• Shad are spawning.
• May is an active month of the year for bass because they are feeding up after the spawn. They are getting more aggressive with each warm day.

What’s more, he said, “It’s a cool bite. You get to see it.”

Plenty of options

Hackney said the topwater will be effective anywhere he fishes now, particularly across Louisiana. In May, he prefers the full-sized model, the ½-ounce, 27/8-inch KVD Splash, which is armed with two treble hooks — a feather enhancing the back set — 3D eyes and a details paint job. Because the bait doesn’t have an O-ring, Hackney uses a loop knot in order to walk the dog when necessary.

“You can walk it around. Fish it fast. Fish it slow. You just have to figure the cadence,” he said.

The key is using 25-pound test Gamma monofilament.

“It’s really soft. Their 25 is bigger than other’s 20, but it floats,” he said.

Hackney, host of Sportsman TV, said a handful of colors can do the job: bone, chrome or some flavor of chartreuse, adding that the color scheme hinges on the watercolor.

He fishes the bait on a 6-foot-8, Hack Attack Topwater/Jerkbait Rod and a Lew’s Custom Pro reel with an 8.3:1 gear ratio.

“This is the deal. With that bait most of the time you’re fishing it 5 feet and then you’re reeling it in. You’re target fishing … short, pinpoint casts.

“I like a fast reel on anything you’re not pulling the bait with; it helps to have that fast reel.”