The Struggle

[It was a 10 pounder]

So it's beginning to warm up down here in Tennessee and I am seeing bass jumping out of the water left and right. I tie on topwater like a spook, buzzbait, popper, spinner baits, jigs, and crankbaits. Everything I try does not work, I slowed everything down and I still see them jumping left and right. I tried to burn the lures as well. I tried senkos and other soft plastics but nothing works. The water is kind of muddy and it was overcast. Please tell me what I am doing wrong.

[WDE]

1 hour ago, It was a 10 pounder said:

So it's beginning to warm up down here in Tennessee and I am seeing bass jumping out of the water left and right. I tie on topwater like a spook, buzzbait, popper, spinner baits, jigs, and crankbaits. Everything I try does not work, I slowed everything down and I still see them jumping left and right. I tried to burn the lures as well. I tried senkos and other soft plastics but nothing works. The water is kind of muddy and it was overcast. Please tell me what I am doing wrong.

All of this rain that we’ve been getting could be playing a role. At least that’s what I tell myself to make me feel better. I’ve also been having a tough time at my usual surefire spots. 

[Ratherbfishing]

I seldom see bass jump.  Are you sure they aren't carp? - although I don't usually see them jump this early.

[It was a 10 pounder]

4 minutes ago, Ratherbfishing said:

I seldom see bass jump.  Are you sure they aren't carp? - although I don't usually see them jump this early.

They're definitely not carp. The person who stocked the lake stocked bass, catfish, bluegill, and crappie

[TnRiver46]

Which part o’ Tennessee?

[Smalls]

I’ll have this happen in the late fall. They’ll be chasing baitfish, and won’t bite any of my top waters. I’ll tie on a fluke and they seem to like that. 

[It was a 10 pounder]

34 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Which part o’ Tennessee?

Jackson, Tennessee. It's getting really warm over here and I was getting excited but they wouldn't eat my lures.

5 minutes ago, Smalls said:

I’ll have this happen in the late fall. They’ll be chasing baitfish, and won’t bite any of my top waters. I’ll tie on a fluke and they seem to like that. 

Thank, I'll try this!

[TnRiver46]

I was also going to say a fluke also. Largemouth Chase shad in coves around here a lot on the surface and can be way too hard to catch. Other times they swallow any lure when they are chasing 

[scaleface]

This is a recurring theme . Someone post about bass jumping everywhere and not being able to catch them . Then someone post that this is typical carp behavior . Most of us have  never witnessed bass exhibit this phenomena   yet people insist that they are  bass .

 

Anyway , if it is bass , according to the many posters on this forum who have witnessed it ,they are impossible to catch .

[BrackishBassin]

Think about the behavior you’re describing. If the bass are jumping out of the water, they’re more than likely chasing something under the water and popping out due to the speed they’re chasing it. I’ve never seen a bass jump out of the water when hitting a topwater. They may splash, thrash around, or just suck it under, but never seen one jump until it was hooked. I’d go with a lure that mimics a bait fish that you can keep close to the surface, but not on top of it. A weightless fluke seems like a great suggestion. 

[Catt]

Many times I've seen bass go completely airborne & come down on top of a topwater lure.

 

It is my firm belief than in spring & fall when bass are aggressively feeding like this there is so much baitfish around they simply ignore our lures.

 

Down south we call it "schooling"; large groups (schools) of bass chasing large schools of shad. I think the bass "know" our lures aint real & simply will not hit em.

[Deleted account]

5 minutes ago, Catt said:

Many times I've seen bass go completely airborne & come down on top of a topwater lure.

 

It is my firm belief than in spring & fall when bass are aggressively feeding like this there is so much baitfish around they simply ignore our lures.

 

Down south we call it "schooling"; large groups (schools) of bass chasing large schools of shad. I think the bass "know" our lures aint real & simply will not hit em.

Not as often as some other fish, but bass will chase bait out of the water. I had one hit a lure suspended (not on purpose) just above the surface once.

[SWVABass]

I’ve had luck throwing a tube into the frenzy and picking off this fish that are below that bait ball not working as hard for a meal. Never seen largemouth jump out but have seen a smallmouth do it... just not the norm they seem to skim the surface and make a ton of commotion 

[Catt]

46 minutes ago, reason said:

Not as often as some other fish, but bass will chase bait out of the water. I had one hit a lure suspended (not on purpose) just above the surface once.

 

There are videos on YouTube of a guy fishing frogs, his technique is to purposely throw the frog over a limb & as the frog is dangling in the air bass come out of the water to hit it. Not little bass but Hawgs!

[Peddiesake]

My 2c is that the water is still too cold for them to expend the necessary energy to chase down the lure. So I target crappie. Another five degrees in next thirty days and all hec will break loose.

 

[TnRiver46]

I also forgot to mention that sometimes when largemouth are blitzing shad, a lure that looks nothing like the shad will work. Like someone above mentioned a tube, maybe a jig, or even a purple or chartreuse crankbait. Something completely different stands out to the fish. If they are blitzing shad on top over deep water in summer, a Mann’s little George way down deep can get the big ones

[JustJames]

I also saw bass jumped out of water once when they are chasing schools of Shad. I had it on video so I have a chance to confirm if it was in fact bass. 

But now it might possibly be carp, they are spawning at about this time a big group of male chasing after female and make splash everywhere.

[RPreeb]

4 hours ago, reason said:

Not as often as some other fish, but bass will chase bait out of the water. I had one hit a lure suspended (not on purpose) just above the surface once.

I've even had a LM take a hula popper the instant that it hit the water with no measurable delay, almost as if it was watching the lure in flight.  In both cases I remember, the fish came right out of the water.  We were fishing in midsummer, late evening right about sundown. 

 

We used to sit on the screen porch of our Wisconsin cabin and listen to the bass jumping along the weed bed that was just about everywhere from 50 feet to 100 yards off shore.  There really wasn't anything else in the lake that it could have been, no carp at all, and although there were northerns, they weren't all that common to see - I never caught a pike in 10 years fishing that lake.  Most of the rest of the fish population was various sunfish, yellow perch, crappie, walleye, bullheads.  Whatever was jumping was making a big splash and a lot of noise at it.  

[Sam]

Many years ago while fishing the Nottoway River in southern Virginia along the North Carolina boarder, I flipped my Senko into some beautiful pads.

 

It sank, no action, so when it came close to the closest pad I tweaked it on top of the pad and let it sit.

 

Flying out of the water came this crazy 1.5 pound bass that came right down on the pad and ate the Senko. And I nailed that sucker, too. Gave me my five fish limit.

 

Other than that one time event, I have never seen a bass jump out of the water without being hooked.

 

May I suggest you note what baitfish are in the water and mimic them?

 

A Silver Buddy may be your answer. Please consider it.

 

 

[scaleface]

19 hours ago, It was a 10 pounder said:

I am seeing bass jumping out of the water left and right.

Explain exactly what you are seeing .Are the bass coming completely out of the water frequently " left and right" making a large splash  and are these big bass ?

[Smalls]

1 hour ago, RPreeb said:

I’ve even had a LM take a hula popper the instant that it hit the water with no measurable delay, almost as if it was watching the lure in flight.

 

 

I’ve had this happen, as well. But during the mayfly hatch. People have told me that the bass sit and stare at the surface waiting to grab the mayfly as they hit the water. In fact, small top water is often the only thing I can get bit on during the mayfly hatch. 

[RPreeb]

23 minutes ago, Smalls said:

 

 

I’ve had this happen, as well. But during the mayfly hatch. People have told me that the bass sit and stare at the surface waiting to grab the mayfly as they hit the water. In fact, small top water is often the only thing I can get bit on during the mayfly hatch. 

I'll add that the Hula Popper I used back then (early 60's) was twice the size of the ones in my box right now.  When I bought the 2 I have now, I was rather shocked at how small they are.  The one that the bass hit on landing was likely around 1 ounce, or at least 3/4 ounce - all black with a black and white skirt. 

[It was a 10 pounder]

5 hours ago, scaleface said:

Explain exactly what you are seeing .Are the bass coming completely out of the water frequently " left and right" making a large splash  and are these big bass ?

The person who stocked this lake stocked crappie and bluegill as the main forage. I am 100% sure these are bass. Some of then jump completely out of the water where as others just come up and I guess you would say "swipe" at the surface of the water like its going up to the surface and going back down.

[thinkingredneck]

I've seen them jump out of the water and try to grab dragon flies.  Only once though.