There are a few key general things to keep in mind when top water fishing. Although you can fish top water at any time, early mornings & evenings seem to outperform. Also, your odds of catching fish on top water are much higher if the water is calm. This allows your lure to really "show its stuff".

Some lures are made to "pop - pause - pop" while other lures are made to quickly retrieve. Some make plenty of noise, while others do not. If you're going to fish top water, you will want to have all of these bases covered. Generally speaking, the top water lures made to quickly retrieve (like a jitter bug for example) are used to search out active fish. The "pop - pause - pop" top water lures (such as a Zara Spook for example), will catch both inactive & active fish.

Start your day off with a top water lure such as a jitter bug (cast and retrieve) and cover as much water as you can. Once you catch a fish, work that area well. When the action stops, try the same area with a top water lure such as a Zara Spook or Hula Popper (i.e. pop - pause - pop). Should there be a reluctant "big fish" lurking below, this would entice him into striking.