What's Better Than Having a Secret Bait?

I think we probably all know the logical answer to that question is having two of 'em. I mean, after all, what red-white-and-blue-blooded American angler wouldn't rather have a solid one-two punch, especially when the going gets really tough?

With that thought in mind, I've spent time the last few days researching an idea online and developing some working models. I'm now ready to begin the field-testing phase for what, if I'm successful, likely will come to be known as INT Bait No. 2--at least, for the time being.

"So whatz da matta? Gittin' noivous yer INT Bait No. 1 is gonna fail ya?" some of you very well may be asking. That's not the case at all. I'd just rather, as depicted in the old Wrigley's doublemint gum commercial, "double my pleasure, double my fun."

Let's face it, nothing can compare to topwater bassin'--not in my books, anyway. Whether they blow up on the bait when it hits the water, or just suck it down, nothing gets my adrenaline to pumping faster or harder than a topwater strike. And if I maybe can find a way to get twice as many of those strikes, so much the better. Right?

I'm not the only one who feels that way, either. Years ago, Outdoor editor of the Kansas City Star, Ray Heady, claimed there's nothing like catching bass with a topwater lure. "When bass come roaring up out of the depths of water with their big mouths wide open, and you see the fish exploding through the center spray, it gets your adrenaline going like nothing else in fishing," he wrote.

"The excitement of using topwater lures are just that," Heady continued. "They stay on top of the water, and fish come up from underneath and do their best to give the angler a heart attack. Fish hitting a topwater lure are doing more than picking up dinner; they are trying to kill that frog, bug, rodent, or baitfish struggling on top."

Well-known pro bass angler, Hank Parker, echoed similar sentiments. He once said, "I don't think I have ever met a bass fisherman who didn't get excited when talking about topwater fishing. There is no greater thrill in angling than a bass exploding on your surface lure."

And if you're looking for a way to interest a kid in bass fishing, topwater lures are an excellent choice. Once they see a bass explode on their lure, they are hooked...often for life.

As noted earlier, I'm looking for something to complete a one-two punch--an idea that ol' Tennessee Ernie Ford expressed in his classic tune "16 Tons." A line from that song goes, "If the right one don't get you, then the left one will." That's what I want to have in my hip pocket.

Maybe I'll find it, maybe I won't. "You never know 'till you try," though, or so the saying goes.