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If you're in the area of a lake where the main lake body is broken up
with a lot of shallow structure, your
chances are better than most for finding a school of bass. And don't
overlook that isolated oil slick over deep
water, or that familiar "fishy" smell. It could be a sign of
active feeders wailing on a school of shad just below
the surface. And if not, you found a good crappie hole for the next
trip.
When a school comes
up, there are still a couple of things you need to find out before you
throw that first
lure. What size are the bait fish? What size are the bass? Is the school
tightly packed or a loose area of
single feeders? Are they slashing and chasing anything that moves, or
leisurely picking off the cripples? Is
the school staying pretty much in one spot or pushing and chasing the
bait all over the lake? Once you find
the mood of the fish, that will pretty much tell you how to work the
school the most effectively.
The biggest and most
common mistake made happens when a boat approaches a school. I can't
count
how many times I've seen a boat come roaring in on an active school only
to watch them disappear before the
first cast is made. If left alone, most schools will be active for at
least an hour, any many times several hours.
If you spook them once, they're gone for the day. Approach a school with
your trolling motor, not the big
motor. Try to come up from behind, be that: from down wind; from the
deeper water towards the shallows;
from where they were to where they're going; or in most cases, all of
the above. Use the time as you approach
to figure out what the shape, size, and mood of the school is going to
be. Have your partner tie up both your
lures once you've settled on your choice. A couple of extra minutes now
could well spell the difference in a
boat load or a bust. Keep far enough back so a long cast just catches
the edge of the school, not the middle
or across the active area. By just tickling the edges, you may not get
bit every cast, but once every fifth cast
over an hour isn't bad. If you are coming from behind the school, don't
wait until you get to the surface action
to start fishing. The biggest fish are generally less aggressive and
many times will trail a school of smaller
feeders and pick off the leaving!
The most important
information about a school is the size of the bait. Match your bait to
the size of the bait
fish. For 3 to 5+ inch shad, a large willow leaf spinner bait or a 3/4
oz Rattle Trap is a good start. If you don't
get hit on these baits, try a 7-inch jerk bait or large shallow running
crank bait. If the bait fish are your basic
2-inch minnows, a Little George, Gitzits, or a 4-inch Sluggo could just
be the ticket. For a faster bait try a
1/4 oz Rattle Traps, Pop-Rs, or Tiny Torpedoes in Chrome or White.
The size of the bass
will dictate how you fish the school. If you have small bass chasing
small bait, you've
got a good chance to waste your day trying to find a legal fish. If you
have small bass chasing big bait,
chances are some good fish are in the area. Try a suspending jerk bait
or a Carolina worm just behind the
school if it's moving, or at the edge of the deep water if on a shoal.
The bigger fish are most likely feeding on
the fresh kill as they drop to the bottom. If you have 3 - 5 lb. fish on
the surface, a real kicker could be near
but get your limit off the feeders first. A 7-inch Sluggo or a Zara
Spook would be my first choices. A willow
leaf spinner bait or a Poe's 300 could also work well. If you have those
1 - 2 lb. grade fish working the top on
smaller bait, still get a limit before trying for the hawgs. This is the
time for those Little Georges or a Salt and
Pepper Gitzit. A 4-inch Sluggo will work at times when nothing else will
draw a bite.
A tightly bunched
school boiling the surface will generally hit anything that moves, as
long as they don't get
too good of look at it. In this case work what ever bait you chose just
a fast as you can. Now is when those
high gear ratio reels work wonders. There's just no way to out reel a
fish if he really wants it! The trick seems
to be to give the fish just a split second to see the bait and have him
hit it before looking. Clear or Salt and
Pepper lure works great in clear water since the fish can't see it and
are just hitting at the movement. Pop-Rs
will draw up bites from schoolers that go down if you really rip it as
fast as you can. Speed is the key and
those with faint hearts need not apply.
If your school is
scattered over a wider area, then you're more on a feeding station than
a true school. If you
see fish busting all over the place in seemingly random small schools,
it's going to be a bit tougher, but the
results can be spectacular if you find the key. But, try to work this
situation as a typical school, the end of the
day will find you with a great story and an empty livewell. This
condition normally has number of predictable
conditions associated with it. It is characterized by reduced light,
either cloud cover or a high wind, a large
volume of bait in the area, medium to shallow water flats, and a rising
surface temperature.
These conditions will
bring the bass up in droves but it's also the time when horror stories
abound about
lock jawed fish and short strikes. These fish will be feeding but are
likely to be gorged by the time you find
them. They will have had their fill of bait and be very selective about
what to have for dessert. Present an
opportunity just too good to pass up. If you have your heart set on
surface lures, try the clear plastic ones or
with just a hint of color. Clear Spooks, Crippled Minnows, or
Bang-O-Lures work well in this situation. Work
them slow with plenty of pauses. Most strikes come just as the lure to
starting to move after being stopped
for a while. You may find better success trying under the surface. A
suspending bait or one that falls slowly
can be deadly under these conditions. A slit shot Sluggo in Shad color
or on a light Carolina rig just twitched
every once in a while can convince even the most stubborn fish to bite.
Dead Worming works now when
nothing else gets a second glance. Be slow and patient and don't expect
the hard hit. These fish may just
pick up the lure and move awhile before they bother to eat it.
Concentrate on what you're doing and don't
miss a bite you work hard for.
What ever the
conditions, don't assume just because the fish go down for a while that
the party's over. The
fish are there they're just recovering from the last lunge. Work the
area with small slow moving baits that won't
spook the school out of the area. Be ready when the action gets fast.
One old trick for schoolers is to have
your partner cast right beside a fish you have hooked. Many times your
partner will catch a second bass
curious about what the first bass just ate. You won't need many doubles
for your limit, just make sure your
fish is hooked good before you try anything except putting him in the
net.
Fishing schools give
us some of the best memories we'll ever have about fast action and tons
of bass. It's
not hard and works most of the time if you'll pay attention to what
you're doing and think before you act.
When you're on the water this spring, please be careful because School's
In!
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