suspended bass?

[FatBoy]

Conditions have been tough around here lately with all the heat.  Then we had a cold front come through, which made it more tolerable but still tough.  

I fished a flooded quarry yesterday morning.  Clear water, surface temp right around 80, overcast skies.  I expected to find find bass along the steep banks, but no luck.  At one point I marked a huge school of bait fish on my sonar (most likely shad in this lake) with a TON of bass around it (could have been crappie, but some of them were awefully big for crappie).  The sonar marked them at 9-14 ft in 18 fow. They were out in open water away from any structure I could identify on the graph.  

I couldn't get any of them to hit anything I threw.  Given the conditions and depth of these fish, what would you have done?  

[looking for bass]

Their suspended! They are not alowed to hit anything.  ;D Ha Ha Ha. That was funny.

[Panamoka_Bassin]

Suspended bass are about the hardest bass to catch, imo.  A lipless crank might do the trick, or perhaps even a swim bait, though I have never had any luck with those...

[CrazedL.IFisherman]

Even thought im not good this technique yet, id say carolina rig something, probably a smaller worm or lure colored similar to the baitfish like the shad you mentioned

[Rebbasser]

A small swimbait or a silver spoon-let the spoon flutter down through the school to the bass waiting below.

[CJ]

Suspended fish that are that far off the bottom,in a negative mood,are nearly impossible for me.A spoon fished like Rebbasser posted is the only way I have caught fish suspended under pods.I think they were a little more active.

[RobDar]

Conditions have been tough around here lately with all the heat. Then we had a cold front come through, which made it more tolerable but still tough.

I fished a flooded quarry yesterday morning. Clear water, surface temp right around 80, overcast skies. I expected to find find bass along the steep banks, but no luck. At one point I marked a huge school of bait fish on my sonar (most likely shad in this lake) with a TON of bass around it (could have been crappie, but some of them were awefully big for crappie). The sonar marked them at 9-14 ft in 18 fow. They were out in open water away from any structure I could identify on the graph.

I couldn't get any of them to hit anything I threw. Given the conditions and depth of these fish, what would you have done?

I agree with whomever said suspended are tough to catch. It is what I have the most trouble with...and that is with them suspending off of structure...when they are out just cruizing without structure...that is a thinker.

I think I might have assumed they were chasing/ following the bait fish and I had happened to just come along at the right time to see it...

might have tried a jerk bait, Silver Buddy, or maybe even an inline spinner right up in their face and see if I could convince it was time to eat.

[iminsanenutz]

i like to sink a smaller sunfish down there, sometimes, its hard to resist a free meal but sometimes, like everyone said they are stubborn

[techo]

On Table Rock we use drop shot a lot for suspended bass.  If they are not hitting the drop shot we use a spoon to fire then up a little and then go back to the drop shot.  I don't know why they don't hit the spoon, but they will chase it.  Then they hit the drop shot.  The fish confuse me most of the time.  

[powerman970]

First thing you might try is a casting net.  You could use it to catch shad to try to entice those bass to hit or you could just go ahead and skip the middle man and use it to catch the bass.  The other possibility is dynamite.

On a more serious note, I have had some success with a floating deep diving crankbait.  I crank it as deep as possible into the "zone where those little monsters are suspended and then kill it letting it float up.  A few little twitches as it is rising and sometimes it produces magic.  A dropshot might also be productive.  Try dropshotting with a pearl colored fluke.  If they are feeding on shad it may be the ticket.

[RoLo]

Suspension that averages 64% above bottom is quite "lofty" for largemouth bass.

IMO, one of the main reasons why suspended bass are so difficult to catch,

is because in many cases they are not bass at all.

For example, a tight school of adult crappies can generate some very intriguing arcs and blips.

Roger

[Taliesin]

Suspension that averages 64% above bottom is quite "lofty" for largemouth bass.

IMO, one of the main reasons why suspended bass are so difficult to catch,

is because in many cases they are not bass at all.

For example, a tight school of adult crappies can generate some very intriguing arcs and blips.

Roger

Good point. Around here it might be white bass, hybrids, crappie, or catfish.

Quite often white bass and hybrids hang out right below a shad school, with the catfish hanging below them to catch pieces that float down. Or in the case of the bigger cats, feeding on the whites, hybrids, and crappie.