Best Lure For Suspended Fish

[bassguytom]

I'm looking for the best bait you guys use for suspended fish. I have a lot of shad roaming around now and am seeing fish suspended. Any info. Would be great.

[Senko lover]

Jerkbait! Swimbait works too.

[Dwight Hottle]

Spybaits,  jerkbaits, crankbaits lipless & billed baits. You can also try flutter spoons. The spybaits & lipless cranks you just have to count down to the depth you are seeing fish.

[WRB]

A-rig, structure spoons, dart head jig w/ Shad color curl tail worm, crank baits. Drop shot Shad worm on points that intercept Shad schools work good.

Tom

[RoLo]

Based on the broad spectrum of replies, looks like you're on your own 

[Scorchx1245]

Haha, a rig works well compiled with the hydrowave, drop shot, jerkbaits, flutter spoons and swim baits!

[Dogmatic]

Magnum spoon.

[smalljaw67]

It depends on the water color but if you have 3' of visibility you can use a jerkbait or fish head spin like a swarming hornet. I believe fish head spins were developed for getting suspended fish to bite, just like a spy bait, make a cast and count it down and begin your retrieve.

[Catt]

My depth finder

Find the depth they are holding @ & move to structure @ that depth!

[Todd2]

My depth finder

Find the depth they are holding @ & move to structure @ that depth!

So if you find Bass let's say at 20ft in 40fow, you move to the closest structure at 20ft? Or you just graph different structure in the 20ft range and fish only if you find fish near bottom?

[roadwarrior]

The A-Rig in spring and fall. Another is the Sworming Hornet/ LFT Live Magic Shad.

 

 

 

 

[Catt]

So if you find Bass let's say at 20ft in 40fow, you move to the closest structure at 20ft? Or you just graph different structure in the 20ft range and fish only if you find fish near bottom?

Why do y'all think bass suspend at a certain depth?

[WRB]

Shad schools tend to move in mass following their food source which is plankton. When the Shad are attacked by predators the school tightness up into a ball for safety, the bait ball can be big depending on the school size. When a Shad school in open water approaches structure the water depth changes quickly, the bass use that to thier advantage and push the school up towards the structure and surface, the Shad are trapped, can't go deeper, must up and over the structure.

Watch the fish eating birds working the Shad school, good indication what direction the schools are moving, then you can get ahead and position near structure that intercepts the school movement, school fishing 101.

Lures; Shad color and size are good. If the bass have been on a structure feeding on Shad, the dead Shad on the bottom attract crawdads, don't over look crawdad type lures.

Tom

[Josh Smith]

Suspending jerkbait is what I'd go to first.

 

Regards,

 

Josh

[A KGB Operative]

Duo realis spinbait 80. Nothing better for suspended fish.

[kickerfish1]

Spybaits, jerkbaits, crankbaits lipless & billed baits. You can also try flutter spoons. The spybaits & lipless cranks you just have to count down to the depth you are seeing fish.

This 100%

[Catt]

Bass suspend at a certain depth for two primary reasons; the impact of either an oxycline or thermocline.

When we have a cleary defined depth which seems to have a concentration of bass and shad (food source) then look for some adjacent structure and cover at that depth. You will have a better likelihood of more stable holding patterns in that area; if there is sufficient oxygenated water they will suspend just off the bottom.

[dam0007]

What depth are we talking here? 4 ft in 10 ft of water or 40ft in 80ft of water. It really depends. Vertically I could drop shot and reel up to desired depth. Shallower than 20 ft I could throw the a rig or crank baits. But typically if they are suspended look around on the graph find drop offs or structure near by and kinda base what you're gonna do off that. I've seen it where in 50ft of water there's a few archs at 25ft bait ball at 15ft but about 30ft away there's a ledge coming up to 15ft for a hump. I would attack the ledge with confidence baits. Sometimes smallies will go wonder off while big largemouth will hold tight to a drop off.

[scaleface]

 

  If the bass have been on a structure feeding on Shad, the dead Shad on the bottom attract crawdads, don't over look crawdad type lures.

Tom

I have never considered crawfish eating the dead shad .