“For location, I like areas that have deep water close to a bank, like bluffs, points, and islands, especially in the late summer and into the fall,” he explains. “These are places where, say around an island or even along a shoreline, you can see a definite depth change. I like sharp vertical breaks, because normally the bass will be suspended along this break and they’re very susceptible to a topwater lure. These are the types of places shad prefer this time of year, too.
“And, if you can see that breakline you also have a definite casting target. With a long cast, you can sashay a topwater bait along that edge for a long time and cover a huge potential strike zone.”
In late summer and throughout the fall, one of Rowland’s favorite topwater seasons, he normally fishes main lake structure, but if he’s working a tributary, he’ll only fish the first half mile or so in from the mouth. The right tributary is one that actually flattens out rather than contains a channel; for Rowland’s purposes, the flatter the creek, the less water he has to explore.
“Sharp drops are just one option,” he explains, “and, of course, if vegetation is present it will change the equation completely. In some lakes and rivers I don’t think bass really leave thick vegetation, simply because of the food and cover it provides.
“When you fish a topwater lure around weedy cover like milfoil and hydrilla, you work the edge of the vegetation because once again it provides a type of vertical breakline. Bass may be suspended along that edge, or you may draw them out of the vegetation with a fairly fast and noisy retrieve.”
This is one place Rowland’s swimming jig technique can really pay dividends because he can swim it across the edge of vegetation, let it fall slightly when it’s in the open, then literally “walk” it back to the boat.
“This is another way I think a swimming jig offers another advantage over a plastic worm in that you can retrieve it quickly and still have a very appealing presentation,” he explains. “I nearly always retrieve my jig fast under these circumstances, and it doesn’t lose any of its effectiveness. On the other hand, a worm retrieved fast doesn’t offer nearly as much vibration or sight appeal.”
The jig also earns its keep as a follow-up bait around another of Rowland’s favorite topwater targets, boat docks. The reason is that a swimming jig will cover more water – 
and more potential targets – than a plastic worm.
“Boat docks offer a lot of places for a bass to hide,” he says, “and while flipping a jig or worm to pilings can be productive at times, I like a topwater because it calls bass to it, drawing them away from specific cover. If a get a missed strike, I can cover exactly the same water with a swimming jig.”
Rowland emphasizes the need for careful, accurate casting, with either lure, around boathouses. He can and does skip his baits underneath docks to reach places other fishermen never try.
That approach leads to another key in his overall topwater strategy for success: he’ll fish his surface lures all day.
“Everybody thinks you have to be at the lake at dawn for topwater action,” he says, “and I agree it’s a great time for topwater fishing. “But then about 9:30, or maybe even sooner, the surface bite slows. Anglers generally believe the rising sun has caused the bass to move, so they change lures and locations and do something different.
“In truth, the bass may not have moved. They just become less active, and the more pressure they receive – the more they see the same lures over and over – the harder they are to catch. I keep throwing a topwater lure even though I know the number of strikes will decrease.
“The reason is I know from then on the bass will be seeing fewer topwater lures and so my chances actually get better.”