If you’ve got a few topwater lures sitting in front of you but no real reason for choosing one over the others, you’re basically guessing.
And with topwater fishing inshore, that can make a big difference. One lure can make perfect sense in one scenario and be completely wrong in the next.
After more than 30 years guiding on charters, I’ve learned that choosing the best inshore topwater lures is less about finding one magic lure and more about knowing what to look for before you tie one on.
There are a few things I pay attention to every time, and once you know them, choosing between stickbaits, poppers, prawn-style lures and frogs gets a whole lot easier.
In this guide, I’ll break down those four saltwater topwater lure styles for inshore fishing, where each one fits and what I look at before deciding which one to throw.
When to use topwater lures inshore
Before I choose a lure, I look at the surface conditions.
For topwater lure fishing, calmer water is where these lures do their best work. A topwater fishing lure needs to move cleanly across the surface and that gets much harder once the water starts getting rough.
The fish also need to be able to see it, hear it and track it properly.
So if you’re wondering when to use topwater lures in saltwater, start by looking for calmer windows. Protected banks, quiet corners and low-wind periods usually give the lure a much better chance to do what it was designed to do.
Match the lure to the territory and bait
One mistake I see with topwater lure fishing is choosing the lure purely around the species you’re chasing.
The trouble is, a lot of inshore species will eat several different types of topwater lures. Barra, jacks, threadfin, flathead and plenty of others can all have a crack at the same surface lure when the situation suits.
So I don’t start with the species. I start with the territory, for example:
- Shallow snags
- Dirty backwaters
- Gutters and drains
- Clear sandbar edges
- Mangrove roots and heavy cover
That immediately starts narrowing down which fishing lure style makes sense.
Then I look at the bait and what it’s doing:
- Popeye mullet (moving or blooping along the surface)
- Prawns (flicking or skipping across the surface)
- Small baitfish (holding or moving near the surface)
- Bait pushed into the shallows (bunched up in a small area)
Once you know the type of territory you’re fishing and the bait that’s using it, choosing the best inshore topwater lure (stickbait, popper, prawn-style lure or frog) for the situation becomes a lot easier.
1. Floating Stickbaits
Floating stickbaits are a great option when I’m trying to imitate baitfish that naturally spend time right up on the surface.
I won’t get into the retrieve here because it’s much easier to see than explain, but I demonstrate exactly how I work one in the video further down.
What it imitates
Surface-feeding baitfish, particularly Popeye mullet.
What it encourages fish to do
It gives predators a baitfish moving naturally across the surface to follow, stalk and eventually have a crack at.
Barra are one species I particularly like targeting this way. They love Popeye mullet, know where they tend to hang out and will often sit nearby waiting for an opportunity. But plenty of other inshore species will take a floating stickbait as well.
Where I’d use it
I’m looking for the same sort of territory where I’d expect to find Popeye mullet and other surface baitfish, such as:
- Gutters
- Drains
- Mudflats
- Shallow edges where bait is working on the surface
For me, that’s the main reason to reach for a floating stickbait. If the bait already moving across the surface looks like something this lure can convincingly imitate, it’s a pretty logical choice.
2. Small Poppers
Small poppers are a good option when I want to create a bit more disturbance on the surface and give fish something obvious to notice.
It’s a more attention-grabbing presentation, which can be handy when fish are sitting nearby waiting for bait to move through.
And for inshore fishing, I’m talking about small poppers. Not the big offshore ones we throw at GTs. The size still needs to make sense for the smaller baitfish you’re trying to imitate around the shoreline.
What it imitates
Small baitfish or prawns making a commotion on the surface.
What it encourages fish to do
The extra disturbance helps fish notice the lure and come over to investigate.
Sometimes they’ll hit it while it’s moving. Other times, they’ll come up when it pauses. I show the actual bloop-and-pause retrieve in the video further down, where it’s much easier to see how little movement is needed.
Where I’d use it
Gutters and drains are two of my favourite places for small poppers because they often funnel bait out with the water.
Others might be:
- Areas where small mullet are moving through
- Areas where prawns are running out
Predators will often sit in or around those little grooves waiting for something to come past. A popper gives them a very obvious, noisy surface target to investigate.
That’s the main difference from the floating stickbait. They can both work in similar territory, but the popper gives you more surface disturbance when you want to draw a bit more attention.
3. Prawn-Style Topwater Lures
Prawn-style topwater lures are a good choice when prawns are part of the natural bait in the area, particularly around gutters and drains in muddier water.
That’s where prawns like to hang out (and predators know it!). When a prawn is moving across the surface, fish sitting underneath have a pretty obvious opportunity to look up and have a crack.
What it imitates
A prawn moving or flicking along the surface.
What it encourages fish to do
It’s more of a quick reaction presentation. Predators see what looks like a prawn moving above them and come up to grab it before it gets away.
The retrieve is a little different from a popper, even though some prawn-style lures have a small concave face as well. Again, I demonstrate how I work them in the video further down, so you can see the little movements that help mimic a prawn properly.
Where I’d use it
I particularly like them around:
- Gutters
- Drains
- Muddier water
- Areas where prawns are present around the surface
These are some of the same areas where I might use a small popper, but the difference comes back to what I’m trying to imitate.
If prawns are the obvious food source, a prawn imitation is a pretty logical choice. That’s the sort of thinking that helps narrow down the best inshore topwater lures for the situation instead of treating all topwater lures as if they do the same job.
4. Surface Frogs
Surface frogs are a bit different from the other inshore topwater lures because their biggest advantage is the territory they let you fish.
What it imitates
A frog or other small animal moving across the surface and over cover.
What it encourages fish to do
Frogs are all about getting a surface target into ambush territory.
A fish sitting underneath timber, reeds or mangrove roots can watch the lure move overhead and come up from below to grab it.
That makes them particularly handy around fish such as mangrove jacks that like holding tight in those root systems.
There are a few different frog styles and ways to work them, including versions that create a bit more noise and others that are better for skip casting as seen above.
Where I’d use it
I reach for a surface frog when I’m fishing:
- Mangrove roots
- Timber and fallen structure
- Reedbeds & Lilypads
- Tight, snaggy edges
- Under overhanging trees
- Anywhere exposed treble hooks are likely to cause trouble
That’s what gives the frog its place among the best inshore topwater lures.
It lets you put a surface presentation into country the other three lure styles may struggle to reach and sometimes that’s exactly where the fish are sitting.
Inshore Topwater Lure Comparison
Here’s the simple overview.
| Lure style | What it imitates | What it encourages fish to do | Where I’d use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small floating stickbait | Wounded or surface-moving baitfish, including Popeye mullet | Follow, stalk and attack a visible surface target | Calm gutters, drains, mudflat edges and areas with surface baitfish |
| Small popper | Noisy or injured bait | Investigate the disturbance and attack | Shallow gutters and drains where small bait is moving |
| Prawn-style topwater | Fleeing prawn or shrimp | React quickly to prey moving across the surface | Gutters and drains, especially muddier areas where prawns are active |
| Surface frog | Frog, animal or bait moving over cover | Ambush from underneath | Mangrove roots, timber, lily pads and other snaggy or weedy territory |
The important bit is that these lures aren’t really competing with each other.
They’re different tools for different situations. So it’s great to have one of each in your tacklebox, especially if you’re heading for a longer fishing trip in different territory or an area that you’re not very familiar with.
Want to see how I work each lure?
I’ve deliberately kept the retrieve side of things out of this article.
In the video below, I run through all four lure styles and show you how I work each one.
Use the article to help decide which lure belongs where, then the video will show you how to work it once it’s tied on.
A simple way to choose your inshore topwater lure
There’s no single best inshore topwater lure for every situation.
The better way to think about it is: what’s the best lure for the territory and bait I’ve got in front of me right now?
A simple way to narrow it down is:
1. Check the conditions
Look for calmer water where a surface lure can work properly.
2. Read the territory
Gutters, drains, mudflats, snags and heavy cover all favour different lure styles.
3. Look at the bait
See what’s using the surface and what your lure needs to imitate.
4. Match the lure
- Popeye mullet or surface baitfish: floating stickbait
- Need more surface disturbance: small popper
- Prawns around gutters or muddy water: prawn-style topwater lure
- Mangroves, timber, reeds or heavy cover: surface frog
Rather than looking for one lure that does everything, match the lure to the scenario and give yourself a reason for what you’re tying on.
Want my inshore gear and tackle setups?
There’s no point having the right lure tied on if the rest of the setup doesn’t suit the job. So if you want a look at the rods, reels, lures, lines and electronics I like to use for inshore fishing, I’ve put them together in my free Inshore Gear & Tackle Cheat Sheet.
It’ll give you a handy starting point when you’re putting your own setups together.
