Often you’ll find fish tracking your topwater for considerable distances before striking. Some will wake like a rising submarine or even boil under the bait in a test run.
That’s no time to stop the retrieve. Whatever you’re doing obviously has them interested, so keep it moving.
If the fish trails right on the bait’s tail, you might speed up the retrieve a little to simulate a frightened baitfish increasing its pace. Conversely, if you get multiple boils or even a swing and a miss, easing off the throttle might help.
Stalling your topwater after a full-on kill strike might just close the deal: Let the bait sit motionless as the froth dissipates and the impact ripples settle. There’s a really good chance that the assailant and his cohorts will be eyeballing what they believe to be a now-wounded baitfish.
Give it a few seconds, and when you resume the retrieve you’ll want to be holding on tightly — the follow-up attack is usually a real paint-chipper.
