Before the sun clears the low clouds, the bay belongs to sound. Shrimp ticking along a shoreline, a gull calling somewhere beyond the grass, and the sharp pop of a trout taking a topwater plug all carry farther than they do later in the day.
Start with a manageable lane of water. A small ripple is helpful; a hard chop makes it difficult to keep the lure walking cleanly and harder still to see bait. Position the boat so the cast travels across the breeze instead of directly into it.
A missed strike is not failure. Keep the plug moving for a beat, pause it once, and give the fish an easy chance to come back. Many of the better trout of the morning arrive after the angler has resisted the instinct to pull the lure away.
A missed strike is an invitation to slow down, not a reason to abandon the plug.
Trust the first hour
The summer sun climbs fast, so use the early minutes well. Fish the same lane thoroughly, take note of the depth that produces, and move only when the water stops offering clues. A topwater morning is as much about attention as it is about noise.