My seven-year-old daughter took the time yesterday to remind me how fast Christmas is approaching. I checked the calendar and she’s right. In less than 14 weeks the big man in the red suit will be emptying our wallets and bringing big smiles to our kids’ faces. The good old Aussie summer is well and truly on its way, and it’s about time. I don’t know if it’s just me getting older, but I can’t remember a winter that has been as cold and as wet as the one we’ve just had.
Summer is a great time of the year to enjoy holidays with family and friends, good food on the barbie and off course, a few cold beers. Late spring and summer are also the time of the year when the prawns start to run and the top water fishing in our estuaries and rivers fires up. Over the past couple of summers I’ve turned into a hopeless topwater fishing addict. I’m the first to admit I can’t walk into a tackle shop without buying a new popper or two, maybe even three if the good wife isn’t with me.
Fishing the flats with magnificently finished micro poppers and walk-the-dog style lures is something I just can’t seem to get enough of. Just between you and me, I know I’m not alone. Quite often when I’m feeding my habit at a wall of Japanese wonders I spot other addicts out of the corner of my eye buying multiple models, colours and sizes to satisfy their need for the topwater buzz.
Rod manufacturers are starting to cater for this segment of the market by building slightly longer rods with mildly, softer tip sections that produce more forgiving actions to help keep the hooks in lightly pinned fish. Some anglers I know are even going back to fishing with mono to put some more stretch and shock absorption back into their tackle system.
I pulled out my top water lure box over the weekend to check out the state of things after a long winter hibernation and I must admit it was good to get reacquainted with some old friends. Alas, some of them were a a sad sight. Lots of rusty trebles cried out for attention before they could go back into the heat of battle.
The kids have a birthday party to go to on Sunday arvo, so I think it’s a good opportunity for dad to visit the local tackle store and pick up a couple of packets of trebles. While the gang are all out I’ll take advantage of the peace and tranquility and give my top water friends some much needed TLC.
While I’m at it I might write a Christmas wish list that goes something like this: 2 x Sammy’s; 2 x Zipbaits Skinny Pop Jnrs; 2 x Sugarpens – the list goes on and on. I’m sure there’s plenty of other fishing dads out there that will be writing similar styled wish lists.
Good luck, I hope your Christmas stocking runneth over with plastic topwater treasures!
Captain
