Techniques For Schooling Bass

[whakx]

Hello I was hoping we could share our favorite techniques for catching schooling bass. 

 

This is something I picked up today bank fishing with a buddy on a point that transitions to a rocky hump. We were having difficulty catching them and were starting to get irritated as the bass were really keyed in on baitfish and were not keen on artificial baits. I took my Duo Realis Popper 64, (if you are unfamiliar its a small 2.5 inch popper that can be walked) and rubbed some megastrike on it as it sits nearly vertical in the water. I discoved if i slowly dip my rod on a semi slack line, the bait with dunk itself underwater and come back up with zero spitting/popping, very subtle. Whatever it is about the dunking really excited the bass and I got tons of strikes. My theory is that is looks like a dying baitfish convulsing on the top of the water, easy meal! I would dunk the bait 3 times after the cast, walk it alittle, pause, dunk 3 times and continue. The difficult part about fishing it this way is the popper is very small and it sits nearly vertical. On a long cast you can barely see it, ontop of that the 90% of the strikes were extremely subtle. There is often no boil, you will just see the popper disappear, or on a dunk the popper just wont come back up. So I missed some fish, but caught a good 6 or 7 schoolies fast! 

 

I think the megastrike helped, but the dunk was the ticket to enticing strikes most of the time. 

 

I'd like to hear what your techniques for schooling bass are as im sure this won't always be the ticket, we had pretty good topwater conditions today. 

[Sam]

Depends. If they are hitting crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits or topwaters you cast, hook, reel in, release and do it all over as fast as you can.

 

When the baitfish are "balling" on top of the water I like to throw a lipless crankbait into the ball and let drop through before the retrieve.

 

Once they tell  you what they want go for it and have some fun until they move on.

[Catt]

Avoid em like the plague

Most generally they are small bass & I aint into chasing small bass, if i want to chase small fish I'll go perch jerking, at least i can eat em!

[dday07]

Well here in cali the big girls stay low pickin off the injured baitfish the small ones  hit...throw your lure  well below the boils mimicing a injured baitfish

[CPBassFishing]

Sounds good but I don't think the megastrike had anything to do with it. I know I'm going to get hate for saying that but I feel that bass will not hold onto a hardbait regardless of how good it tastes.

[Bankbeater]

If I can reach them I like to throw a small jig into the middle and let it through. The jig will usually get bit as it clears the bottom of the baitfish.

[whakx]

Sounds good but I don't think the megastrike had anything to do with it. I know I'm going to get hate for saying that but I feel that bass will not hold onto a hardbait regardless of how good it tastes.

 No hate here, I kind of agree with you. Putting megastrike on it was more of a joke on my friend who refuses to use the stuff. I missed a few fish that spit it out extremely quickly, even with megastrike on it. 

[BradGuenette]

Crank baits work for me