What Do You Throw When the Bass Aren't Feeding?

I imagine the response of weekend anglers to that question might run the gamut, from "whatever it takes" to perhaps "everything but the kitchen sink." However, I never could have guessed how veteran pro Rick Clunn would answer.

It wasn't a shaky head, dropshot, Ned rig, or Neko rig, if that's what you were thinking. No...his response was a topwater.

Said Clunn, "It's important to understand the predator-prey relationship. We'll use the analogy of a lion sitting there watching a herd of impala. Even if he's active, he tries to pick the young or the weak. He uses the laws of conservation of energy. Which one can he get and receive the most energy from with the least effort or injury?

"This is why topwater may be the best bait to throw during those time frames when the fish aren't biting. Because you're really pulling that predator's strings. He's sitting there like, 'Dang, that's weak. I'm supposed to eliminate it.' Because a predator's role is to eliminate anything that's weak. And all of a sudden, that topwater is easy; it looks fairly large, and he's supposed to eliminate it.

"Predators were not designed to eat the whole herd. Remember the Lion King? It kinda works off of that a little bit. Yes, they're out there to eat the impala, but they're not there to destroy the whole herd. Their presence should make the herd healthier by eliminating the weak. So that's why one of my favorite choices in that time frame is a topwater," Clunn explained.

According to one writer, "Clunn has a far deeper spirit and grasp on things than most of us ever will even glimpse. That's why he's one of the best and most loved anglers in the world."

So the next time you're looking for one or two extra fish between those feeding periods, see if a topwater will trigger some bites.