Bass schooling on tiny bait

[roarlionsxc]

I was fishing Wilson Lake in Alabama this evening and had an interesting day. The bass were schooling on micro shad in the back of creeks. Like, 1.5-2 inch shad. Couldn't get them to bite anything I initially had tied on. Adjusted and tied on a 1/8oz Bill Lewis Tiny Trap and a 77 size Evergreen SB topwater and started crushing them. Boated 20 fish in about an hour and a half. Lots of fun. Any of you guys encountered a similar situation?

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Pretty much everyday on my home lake which stocks Threadfins and already had/has a huge population.    It's ridiculous the amount of them there is.    

 

My secret to cracking the code was 3/8th scrounger head w/ 3.5 Live Magic Shad in the summer, and now in the fall with these 1.5-2" size, I've gone to the Chatterbait Flashback Mini in 1/8th 

 

Ive tried the rattletrap but not the topwater you listed...tried others.   Great job, and way to adjust on the fly

[roarlionsxc]

1 minute ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Pretty much everyday on my home lake which stocks Threadfins and already had/has a huge population.    It's ridiculous the amount of them there is.    

 

My secret to cracking the code was 3/8th scrounger head w/ 3.5 Live Magic Shad in the summer, and now in the fall with these 1.5-2" size, I've gone to the Chatterbait Flashback Mini in 1/8th 

 

Ive tried the rattletrap but not the topwater you listed...tried others.   Great job, and way to adjust on the fly

I'll have to try the mini chatterbait! The Evergreen SB 77 is the best walking topwater bait I have found, especially in the smaller sizes. It's $16 but I don't mind spending a little extra on topwater because if I toss it in a tree, it's my fault ? 

[TnRiver46]

Yes definitely experience something similar every fall, they love their shad 

[roarlionsxc]

By the way, I am primarily a bank angler, so if anyone is looking for a boating partner for wheeler/wilson/pickwick, I would be grateful! I jump at all opportunities to get out on a boat. 

[WRB]

1/4 oz Splash-It and tail spins like Little George and Wing Ding.

Tom

[scaleface]

  Bass anglers  throw itty bitty spinnerbaits around here every fall . Some day I might get in on that action . 

[Captain Phil]

Mepps Comet Minnow

[SC53]

Happens all the time here. A small white fluke works great. At times they want smaller. When that happens, I take a Pop R, remove back hook, add a short leader and tie on a small crappie lure.

[Scott F]

I’ve had it happen pretty regularly in the spring when the smallmouth will school up. I use a #65 Lucky Craft Pointer. My fishing partner and I have gotten 60 without moving the boat 

[bulldog1935]

We take advantage of winter glass minnows in tide passes and under dock lights for inshore. 

Speckled trout will hit a larger flashy lure for slashing into bait balls, but both redfish and snook will only sip the correct size bait. 

Micro-jigs and micro trout plugs (w/ hook swap to plug singles) shine here, 30 mm to 45 mm, weight  3 to 5 g. 

[the reel ess]

1 hour ago, SC53 said:

Happens all the time here. A small white fluke works great. At times they want smaller. When that happens, I take a Pop R, remove back hook, add a short leader and tie on a small crappie lure.

I've always wanted to do this with a shad imitation fly as the dropper. Another method is the Frontrunner in front of a Spook, preferably a baby bass pattern Spook. It looks like the bigger bait is a small bass chasing a small shad.

[Columbia Craw]

1/8 ounce Speed Trap.?

[Munkin]

Sounds like a good situation for a  Silver Buddy. 

 

Allen 

[king fisher]

23 hours ago, roarlionsxc said:

I toss it in a tree, it's my fault ? 

No.  Not your fault.  In my boat it's always the rod and reels fault.

[volzfan59]

Happened to me and my buddy on Norris Lake in east TN. We would catch one here and there on "normal" sized baits. I kept a few ultra light baits in the boat. He tied on a gold/ black back Rat L Trap on a light action spinning rod and proceeded to wear them out. Me, I was to stubborn to change to my own baits! Go figure 

[Big Hands]

My son and I volunteered at a local Cast for Kids event last weekend where we take kids fishing. We 'pre-fished' last weekend and came to the conclusion that getting bigger fish to bite was going to be a tough proposition and that smaller baits for smaller  fish would at least get them bit and we could even see them in the shoreline rock and swimming above the weedbeds where the 'mower' had been cutting them down 2' to 3' below the surface.

 

We settled on Keitech 2" Swing Impact baits on dropshot and 1/16 oz ballhead jigs near the shoreline rocks, and after seeing how interested they were in a tiny (brand unknown) jerkbait I tied on during pre-fishing, I bought a couple Lucky Craft Pointer 48 suspending jerkbaits. I changed the hooks out to Owner ST-36 #12 dark colored hooks as I don't have as much confidence in silver hooks. The kids (and us) caught bass and bluegill on all of those baits, while no one else caught nearly as many fish and many boats blanked. 

 

I don't normally fish for small bass or bluegill and wouldn't usually go down to 2" baits like the Keitech, but I have decided that the Pointer 48 may get some future use for schooling bass or stripers.

[BlakeMolone]

the smaller size sexy dawg has been crushing them for me in that exact situation.

[Bankbeater]

When it starts to become jacket weather I start fishing with a 1/16 oz. spinnerbait.  I catch a lot of dinks, but every once in a while I find a hawg.

[txchaser]

-3.3 Keitech on a flashy swimmer, it seems to present as pretty small vs a 3" shad

-Blade bait isn't just a winter bait, ripping it like a spoon has worked for me when they are chasing tiny shad

-and I haven't fished it yet, but I just bought a 6th sense duke lipless - 5/8oz but only 2" 

-my favorite has been imitating the dinks chasing all the shad with a 6" or 8" swimbait low and slow and catching bigs

 

TBH a ned rig with 'the deal' color swum at the right depth would probably be effective too

[AlabamaSpothunter]

4 minutes ago, txchaser said:

 

-my favorite has been imitating the dinks chasing all the shad with a 6" or 8" swimbait low and slow and catching bigs

 

Very interesting and very topical for myself.    I posted about this the other day in the latest catch thread.    Since then I keep seeing it repeated over on sonar.   

 

Catching lots of 1-2lb fish in the 5-10ft column of water, however underneath them, and the huge balls of bait, anywhere from two or three....to six or seven big Bass essentially have their bellies on the bottom at around 15ft.   Tried lots of deep cranks but only caught the 1-2lb class fish.

 

What bait are you using?    Have some nice swimbaits but new to throwing them.   

 

I took a pic of my sonar to illustrate what you and I are talking about....green circle is the 1-2lb Bass I can catch, red circle is what I imagine are 4-5lb+ Bass I can't catch.    The balls of bait are threadfins, and intermixed in the frenzy are Crappie.

[VolFan]

If you’re in the TN river drainage I’d guess those are blue cats. They sucks up the slow and injured and anything else they can get in their mouths.

[txchaser]

 

On 10/9/2022 at 6:26 PM, AlabamaSpothunter said:

What bait are you using?   

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Optimum_Boom_Boom_Weedless_Swimbait/descpage-OBBWS.html

With a 8/0 or 10/0 weighted beast hook, both the 6" and the 8". The 6" is really forgiving in terms of the rod, but the 8oz is a big hunk of plastic and needs a serious rod to throw it right. I think the actual weights are on the optimum site. 

 

You will need to open up the slit in the bottom further towards the head of the bait or hooksets won't work right. Also it's worth the time to pop the eyes off and superglue them down. 

 

This color sort of looks like an offshore/pale bass, or maybe a big shad. 

 

Also,

I've had some luck during other times of the year if I see what you are seeing above with a near silent deep crank, when couldn't get bit on a rattling one. And the z-man giant TRD in smelt on a 6/0 grip pin hook and a 1/2 oz weight. Stands up like a ned, big and meaty. 

 

Edit: on the big swimbait lets them stun it first - don't set the hook early, usually you'll feel them get it and pull as a second action.

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

On 10/9/2022 at 6:38 PM, txchaser said:

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Optimum_Boom_Boom_Weedless_Swimbait/descpage-OBBWS.html

With a 8/0 or 10/0 weighted beast hook, both the 6" and the 8". The 6" is really forgiving in terms of the rod, but the 8oz is a big hunk of plastic and needs a serious rod to throw it right. I think the actual weights are on the optimum site. 

 

You will need to open up the slit in the bottom further towards the head of the bait or hooksets won't work right. Also it's worth the time to pop the eyes off and superglue them down. 

 

This color sort of looks like an offshore/pale bass, or maybe a big shad. 

 

Also,

I've had some luck during other times of the year if I see what you are seeing above with a near silent deep crank, when couldn't get bit on a rattling one. And the z-man giant TRD in smelt on a 6/0 grip pin hook and a 1/2 oz weight. Stands up like a ned, big and meaty. 

 

Edit: on the big swimbait lets them stun it first - don't set the hook early, usually you'll feel them get it and pull as a second action.

 

Really excellent reply, thanks!     Now the tackle monkey will love me sweetly tomorrow....thanks again ?

[txchaser]

15 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Really excellent reply, thanks!     Now the tackle monkey will love me sweetly tomorrow....thanks again ?

I hope they aren't catfish