Karen,

Not a dumb question at all, because truthfully there is no hard and fast
rule for when to throw a topwater and when not to throw one.
One thing to pay attention to is water temperature. Temp is very
regional, but you want to match the activity level of the bass to the
type of top water you use. It doesn't mean if the water is 40 degrees
you can't catch them on the surface, it just means you have to match the
surface bait to the mood of the fish.
One of the most obvious situations is when you are witnessing surface
activity, such as bass smashing shad on the surface, or maybe you just
notice little dimples of shat or bluegills eating insects on the
surface. That is probably the easiest situation when making a decision
whether to fish a top water or not.
Next you have shallow areas with lanes in between say wood or weeds, you
can run a surface bait in those lanes and hit the "edge" areas that fish
use as ambush points. One thing i like to do is picture hiding spots,
be it weeds edges, shadows, or stumps, and just imagine where that fish
will be sitting in order to maximize his hunting potential.
Next you have a HUGE mat of weeds or lily pads. You just throw out a
frog (Horny toads are a favorite here, and work really good) and
retrieve it across the surface. Healthy surface weeds usually imply a
certain temperature range, and therefore give you a good opportunity to
catch fish.
Also, here in Wisconsin on Lake Michigan, the water is gin clear, and
people throw spinnerbaits over 25 to 30 feet of water and get smallmouth
bass to move vertically 15 feet to hit them. So you are not confined
to shallow water areas either.
So as you can see , there are almost always topwater opportunities.
Except for the very early spring, I always have a zara spook rigged and
on the deck.
Hope this helps.

Chris
Karen C. wrote:
I'm sure this is a dumb question, but . . . When is it more beneficial to
use a lure that stays close to the top of the water?

Karen C.