Best Lures & Techniques For Bass Busting Shad On Top Mid Day?

[primetime]

Been fishing a new lake as often as possible and I am starting to make progress understanding some of the patterns except one which should not be all that tough based on past experiences (It's never as easy as it looks on TV)

 

Almost every time we have fished this lake the Bass that are suspending out in the Main Lake during the Summer Heat (6-11') start busting schools of shad in the same areas 2-3x daily but are super tough to catch. This happens often in the Florida Lakes and usually the following would work pretty good:

 

1- Strike King Caffiene shad or Zoom Fluke in a shad pattern fished near the surface weightless.

2- Darter head Jig w/ 3-5" Yamamoto Grub in White Ice or Pearl fished top to bottom, or a Lipless Crank in shad pattern-Red Eye Shad for the Shimmy and for Ripping if the Suspening Sebile Flatt shad is not working on the surface......my buddy is throwing skinny dippers and spooks without much luck either so we end up flipping all day.

 

I alway's have a Floating Rip Bait Rigged and Ready to go, usually a Bomber Long A, Rapala Floater, Rattlin Rougue etc. and it is not the answer even when dropping to the smaller sizes.

 

 

I have been reading about Hair Jigs and Bucktails in White, Spoons etc. but I was hoping someone could suggest a technique since it is getting frustrated and I think I maybe need a pointer on presentation????

 

What would you guys throw? and why? What am I missing? This seems like the perfect situation since weeds are not an issue & it's a hard bottom with shells (Which is why the Bass are here) and I am starting to think that maybe I need to go stealth and lighter line in the 6lb fluoro range even though visibiity is usually 12-18".

 

Heading out Today so hopefully someone has a few tips we can try so we can start catching fish in bunches. We do decent flipping shorelines and dragging carolina rigs, but I want to put down the Heavy Rod. Thanks in Advance. I know I throw alot out there.....

[Sam]

Remember, the biggest bass will hold under the baitfish balls and wait for one of the injured baitfish to fall into their area.

 

So it is imperative that your bait be the color and size of the baitfish.

 

You want your bait to be casted over the ball and then reeled into the ball and to let it sink.

 

One of the best baits to do this is from Canada and you will have to order them on the Internet.

 

They are called Ugly Ducklings and you need the ones that sink, not float.

 

A small silver spoon may produce strikes as will any non-floating small crankbait in a baitfish pattern, such as silver with a black back.

 

You want your bait to act like an injured baitfish and therefore an easy meal.

 

Just some food for thought. Let us know how you do.

[Bluebasser86]

Super Spook Jr in bone color outproduces everything else for me in that situation. Once the school sounds a Keitech Swing Impact on a 1/8 or 1/4 ounce jighead will pick up a few more fish also. 

[fishballer06]

I"ve had luck on jerkbaits in these situations. 

[Mike L]

Spook is it for me in that situation also.

The first thing I do is work the edge of the ball first.

Work it to about to the middle, then pause. Walk it a few feet then pause again.

Then past cast past them and walk it right through.

I also like a bone color but with a little sparkle.

Mike

[Comfortably Numb]

I have that situation on my lake and sometimes they just make you feel stupid. They are just about jumping in the boat and nothing seems to work.

 

Lately I have been using a green pumkin (or any drker color) 5" Senko wack rigged. Throw it in the middle and let it sink.

 

Maybe they can target the opposite color easier.

 

Saw a vid with Ike where he was in that situation and laughed it off as he could not get a bit either

[kikstand454]

I just smile and throw a spook.

If they don't hit it. ....then I'm just tickled to throw a c-rigged trick worm dead in the middle of them, and catch all the bigger fish underneath them. Optional bait: shakey head. .... same trick worm.

[ColdSVT]

I like a jerkbait, vixen and a lipless crank for that situation

[ColdSVT]

Dont underestimate a dropshot either!

[warpath58]

Try a keitech swing impact fat on a 5.0 or 6.0 ewg hook try it without weight and if that's not working, try adding weight until you get the correct rate of fall that they are looking for.

[atcoha]

I have the same thing happen on one of the lakes I fish. Usually, a shad swim bait of same size and color works just about every time.

[primetime]

Thanks for all the responses and I am glad I am not the only one with this problem. The fish were scattered yesterday and not really busting in groups so tougher to target but we drifted and watched for activity after we were done fishing all the "Fun" areas in the Lake. We were able to get a few decent fish that were schooling and we caught maybe 6-7 in 2 hours, 1 in the 3.5 range,  but bigger fish were in the area. We each were lucky to have a good day early fishing the docks, laydowns, reeds, and we started to put up good numbers of fish flipping a green pumpkin red flake 5" Senko with a 1 oz. pegged weight, and I am convinced the addition of a red bead between the large wieght not only helps your knot stay strong but the sound it makes when it touches bottom seems to be when 90% of the fish grab it....I find it works better than rattles many times, but not always like anything in fishing.

 

We decided to drift the Main Lake in the afternoon and my buddy was able to get on a roll with a few fish on the surface with a tiny torpedo in clear with some chartruese on the belly, and he worked it pretty fast. In 2 hours he had 4-5 fish, and I was simply having a good time using light tackle (4lb test) and casting a small Gitzit pearl flash tube and I had some good action, but all smaller fish, none were Bass either but it was cool to learn what all the panfish and crappie, Catfish and shiners look like in the lake which we didn't know as we always look for shad which is a mistake obviously. When I targeted the fish on the surface I waited to see them jump and then threw a Nail weighted 4" Pearl Senko wacky rigged and it worked decent but not sure it worked any better if I just drifted a worm instead.

 

We found a few dead shad on the saltwater side of the spillway and that will help out as they have alot of chartruese in them and are small, 2" small and frail. I am sure they will soon be heading up the creeks and the schools should get tighter so I need to order some smaller spooks, topwaters, Jerkbaits, Swimbaits, and I need to try the keitechs again as they make a small size...I use the Bass pro Speed shad and it works great for me and much more durable in my opinion. the 3.8" size is great for all around use and for flipping and a trailer on a chatterbait, and the larger 4.8" is a big swimbait that fishes big and I love the action of that bait without any weight or simply using a weighted hook......The Kalin's Sizmic shad is a good swimbait as well compared to the Keitech, all are same price, and the Sizmic Shad is much Thicker with a fast taper so it swings wide and has a pronounced wobble but tails come off from short strikers but that happend on the keitechs...The BPS version and Bass Assassin are my favorites...Anway, Thanks for the tips, Fall should be the time for some true lunkers, and I am going to land my first 10lb plus this year for sure.

[Comfortably Numb]

I also take the ultralight when fun fishing for schoolers on top. Great fun in open water