Why Imitate Shad so Much in the Fall?

[gotarheelz14]

So I understand that shad will chase after plankton and other stuff while the bass will follow them. Because of decayed sunlight, this will usually occurs at shallow places and especially in creeks, etc.

But, why do we make such a big deal about imitating shad during the fall? Why not also do that during the summer months?

Do bass target shad more during the fall?

Thanks,

Carlos

[BASSclary]

I believe its more on the "Dont ask, Don't tell" basis ! ;D

In all seriousness I have no idea so i'm looking forward to a real answer

[Mottfia]

Thats a good question. To start off yes bass target shad in summer...when they come into the bass's territory. we all know bass as shallow water cover laden type fish. During fall, a large amount of easy to eat and good for you shad come into their domain and since they are feeding up for winter, they focus much harder on the easiest prey.

In summer, shad spend most of the day suspended in open water. Since the shad isn't coming by his home during the day he isn't as picky about his food. now in low light and dark situations those shad move back to the shallow water of the bass where they can be eaten but its not the situation like in fall where the shad are there ALL the time to eat on. 

Mottfia

[I.rar]

wellllll....afaik , not every lake has shad. my lakes main bait fish are tilapia and cichlids. so why would i make a big deal to imitate something thats not even there.  :-?

personally , ive always had success with baits that look like smaller fish in natural colors.

[Raul]

None of the lakes I fish have shad, Tilapia/Bluegills/baby carp that 's the main forage base.

So when do I fish shad patterned baits ? from Jan 1st to Dec 31st.

[YeahSure]

wellllll....afaik , not every lake has shad. my lakes main bait fish are tilapia and cichlids. so why would i make a big deal to imitate something thats not even there. :-?

personally , ive always had success with baits that look like smaller fish in natural colors.

You shouldn't. Yes you will catch fish on those patterns even if they are not present but from everything i've learned MATCH THE HATCH.

[I.rar]

wellllll....afaik , not every lake has shad. my lakes main bait fish are tilapia and cichlids. so why would i make a big deal to imitate something thats not even there. :-?

personally , ive always had success with baits that look like smaller fish in natural colors.

You shouldn't. Yes you will catch fish on those patterns even if they are not present but from everything i've learned MATCH THE HATCH.

thats what i was getting at. its not the shad youre wanting to imitate  , but whatever the bass feed on in that particular lake.

[Sam]

Shad are what bass eat.

#1 is shad.

#2 is bluegill.

#3 is crawfish.

You can switch #'s 2 and 3 depending on the time of year and body of water.

This is why shad imitations work well under certain conditions. 

[Grey Wolf]

If it looks like food , they'll eat it , match the hatch is over-rated. JMHO

[I.rar]

If it looks like food , they'll eat it , match the hatch is over-rated. JMHO

i would have to agree. i dont see 7" tequila sunrise ribbon tail worms swimming around my lakes (it would be pretty cool though lol), but the bass eat them when i cast em out. i cant tell you how many bass ive caught on unnatural colors vs. natural colors , but both do catch fish.

[Mottfia]

I'll say this. When fish are active, they will eat just about anything. But when they aren't killing everything it helps to make your lures look real. We imitate them to put the odds more in our favor.

Sam - agreed. Thats how I think of the food preference with bass.

Mottfia

[gobig]

I'll say this. When fish are active, they will eat just about anything. But when they aren't killing everything it helps to make your lures look real. We imitate them to put the odds more in our favor.

I have found this statement to not always be true. Some times it seems the fish are not actively feeding and the answer is to be totally different. People have recently brought up threads about hot pink lures and such. In my experience these are the times those applications can shine.

[Mottfia]

I'll say this. When fish are active, they will eat just about anything. But when they aren't killing everything it helps to make your lures look real. We imitate them to put the odds more in our favor.

I have found this statement to not always be true. Some times it seems the fish are not actively feeding and the answer is to be totally different. People have recently brought up threads about hot pink lures and such. In my experience these are the times those applications can shine.

True True. Rules to fishing are more or less guidelines, not etched in stone. They work in a majority of situations but there are always exceptions. Thats what makes it a challenge

Mottfia

[RoLo]

Though it flies in the face of conventional wisdom,

I don't believe that bass target any food item any time.

I believe that their feeding behavior is purely opportunistic.

Thanks to Mother Nature, game fish and baitfish both seek

the same basic habitat, so their paths are in constant mesh.

Oh Wait a Minute...there are lakes where bass definitely target Spinnerbaits,

and other lakes where they definitely target Zoom Ultra Vibe speed worms  ;D  ;D

Roger

[gobig]

I don't believe that bass target any food item any time.

I think I have to disagree. A good example are trout plants. The first plant of the year and the bass are few. As the plants become more consistent the bass start to key in on the trout with regularity. Over time there can be virtual feeding frenzies. The bass get to a point where the noise from the truck backing up is like a dinner bell and they know trout are at the top of the menu.

So if bass can respond to the consistency and specific sounds related to trout plants, then why not other prey in natural occurrences?

[roadwarrior]

None of the lakes I fish have shad, Tilapia/Bluegills/baby carp that 's the main forage base.

So when do I fish shad patterned baits ? from Jan 1st to Dec 31st.

Patterns and color, action and profile, depth and speed.

The combinations are endless. What surprises me is how

lures the don't replicate anything in nature are so successful.

[vapredhunter]

If it looks like food , they'll eat it , match the hatch is over-rated. JMHO

Here on SML if you dont match the hatch to some degree you'll have a long fishless day .... :-/

[Raul]

I don't believe that bass target any food item any time.

I think I have to disagree. A good example are trout plants. The first plant of the year and the bass are few. As the plants become more consistent the bass start to key in on the trout with regularity. Over time there can be virtual feeding frenzies. The bass get to a point where the noise from the truck backing up is like a dinner bell and they know trout are at the top of the menu.

So if bass can respond to the consistency and specific sounds related to trout plants, then why not other prey in natural occurrences?

A good example that you don 't need to match anything in particular is: there ain 't no trout nor trout hatcheries where I fish most of the time, bass don 't know, are not used to see any kind of truck dumping hatchery raised trout in the lakes, however rainbow trout patterned or true imitators ( like swimbaits ) catch bass on a consistent basis, actually it 's one of the patterns I like and fish on a regular basis.

The only consistent imitator where bass live is baby bass and it doesn 't catch more fish than shad/bluegill/tilapia/trout imitators.

[gobig]

I don't disagree at all that matching the hatch is over emphasised. However I do feel that bass key in on certain baits and feed heavily on them at times. I think both statements are correct. One day matching the hatch is critical, where the next it may not be.

[Gangley]

Shad are what bass eat.

#1 is shad.

#2 is bluegill.

#3 is crawfish.

You can switch #'s 2 and 3 depending on the time of year and body of water.

This is why shad imitations work well under certain conditions.

I have to disagree.  Throughout the year I will take a few stringers for eating purposes, and the forage by far within the bellies of the bass is crawfish.  I can cut open 10 fish, and 7-8 will have crawfish in them while only 1-2 will have shad.  I have yet to open a bass and find a sunfish in his belly, but I have seen them go after sunfish before so I know its a table fare for bass. 

I think priority of food for bass isn't based on type, but on availability.  The waters I fish have a large crawfish population and a decent shad population.  I'm guessing its easier for the bass to pick off a few crawfish in these bodies of water than it is to chase down shad, but I am not a fish so I don't know.

Basically, I think forage selection for bass is determined by the various populations of forage within a body of water, and not based on the type of forage.  Whatever provides the easiest meal with the biggest payoff, will generally be the most sought after food source, generally regardless of type. 

[Gangley]

To further clarify, I am not saying that bass will not key in on shad during certain parts of the year, because they do.  What I am saying, is that through out the entire year, I consistently find more fish with crawfish in their bellies than shad, and so the shad isn't always neccesarily number one on the dinner plate. 

When they can school them and the pickings are easy (fall), then definitely, but most of the year that isn't an option, and so it goes back to "whats the most available and whats easiest to catch", and shad generally aren't on the top of that list.

[vapredhunter]

Ok so I hope we can all agree with this :-/ !!!!!!!!! All lakes are different that's why have tournaments on different lakes. Now on my home lake the match the hatch is very important at certain times of the year. This wasn't as important before the alewives were introduced. The DNR let the gizzard shad die off in the winter and stocked alewives. This has made a huge difference in the way the bass feed since the alewives are smaller and easier for the bass to eat. This has caused many of the bass to spend much of their time chasing alewives. > It has caused us all to change the way we fish and not for the good it makes for some tough days.

[WRB]

The question was; why not target bass eating shad during the summer? The answer is you should.

During the summer the bass have a lot of oppurtunites to feed on a variety of prey, anything the bass can eat, they will.

During other seasonal periods prey gets harder or easier to find, bass tend to eat what is available.

A school of soft bit size shad offer the bass an easy, no risk meal. The problem is shad are pelagic fish during day light hours and bass wait for the shad to come close to where they are located. During the fall, the bass come to where the shad are located.

Lakes that don't have shad, have some other prey fish that fills the niche.

WRB