| Bass Articles |
John N. Felsher's Bass Fishing Adventures
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Articles and photos on this website are for the viewing pleasure of patrons of this site. All articles and photos on this site are protected by the copyright laws of the United States. Any unauthorized usage is strictly prohibited. If you wish to purchase an article or photo, contact John N. Felsher as listed in the contact section. |
| Articles and photos on this website are free for your viewing pleasure, but it takes money to keep this site up and running. If you would care to help keep this site up and running for the use of all outdoors patrons, you can make a cash contribution. If you care to donate, contact John N. Felsher as listed in the contact section. |
| Protected by Copyright |
| How you can help keep this site operating |
School in session for monster bass
Mickey Carlton shows off a bass he caught on a Zara Spook while
fishing in Lake Osceola near Winter Park, Fla.
fishing in Lake Osceola near Winter Park, Fla.
Just beyond casting range, the placid water exploded with activity as
hundreds of 5- and 6-pound bass smashed into a terrified school of shad.
We dropped our rods and kicked the trolling motor into high gear. As we
began casting to the now empty waters where bass once schooled, fish
again erupted just beyond casting range behind our boat. Again, we
pushed volts to the electric motor only to see bass explode where we just
left.
Such eruptions commonly tantalize anglers in any lake or reservoir with
large populations of threadfin shad as bass fanatics futilely chase these
“ghosts of late summer.” They appear without warning and suddenly
vanish, only to reappear in another spot moments later. An angler can
sometimes spend nearly all day chasing schooling fish without putting one
in the livewell. However, in the right spot, an angler can fill a livewell in
minutes.
“Patience is the key to catching schooling bass,” said Sam Swett, a
professional bass angler from Covington, La. “By the time we motor over to
where the school was, it disappears. Nine times out of 10, the school
reappears behind the boat.”
To understand schooling fish, anglers must first understand shad.
Threadfin shad make up a considerable portion of bass diets in many
waters. Shad eat microscopic plants and animals called plankton.
Threadfins frequently gather just under the surface to feed upon plankton.
“Often, winds and currents help predict where bass will come up,” Swett
said. “It’s easy to see a school break over in one place and then another.
It’s tough to resist chasing after them. Fish usually return to the same
general spot. What made them school over that spot once might make
them appear again. I try to throw a buoy marker out where the fish
appeared and back off for long casts.”
Find the shad and anglers usually find bass. At the right opportunity,
bass attack from all directions, herding shad into balls and forcing them to
the surface. At the surface, shad run out of room to escape. Then, bass
move in to gorge on anything they can catch, churning the surface in the
process. If anglers happen to sit in the right spot at the right time, they can
quickly catch several fish if they act fast.
“It’s almost impossible to predict where schooling bass might come up
next,” said Randy Blaukat, a professional bass angler from Lamar, Mo. “If
I’m in an environment that I think might have some schooling activity, I rig up
a bait for making really long casts. People need to be aware of schoolies
and prepared to make long casts when they surface.”
In areas where they might see schoolies, many anglers keep light
spinning rods loaded with 8-pound monofilament handy. For making long
casts at schooling bass, many anglers throw lipless crankbaits, chrome
spoons, spinnerbaits or topwaters. Often, quickness and accuracy mean
more than lure selection or color, but stick to shad colors, such as chrome
and blue, gray, white, silver or bleeding shad to mimic wounded baitfish.
Toss these baits as far as possible in the direction of schooling activity
and run them through the area. Over the spot where the bass struck, let
these baits fall a few feet before resuming the retrieve. Bass attacking
shad often wound fish. Seconds after the attack, the largemouths return to
slurp the fluttering morsels as they sink.
Although bass might attack shad in extremely deep water, topwater
baits still work well on schoolies because the predators herd baitfish to the
surface. Jerkbaits, such as Rattling Rogues, walking baits including Frenzy
Walkers, Super Spooks or Rapala Skitter Walks, effectively entice
schooling bass in any depth. Also try Tiny Torpedoes, Pop-Rs and similar
topwater baits.
“My first choice for schooling fish is a Zara Spook,” Swett said. "When
the water is calm, I like to throw a walking bait because the action gives a
good steady cadence. I like to replace the tail hook on a Spook with a
feathered hook. A hook dressed with a chicken feather gives it a little more
action. It almost looks like a tail swimming or a fin. It makes the bait look
more like a fish swimming along the surface.”
Although bass might appear instantly and disappear in seconds, they
didn’t necessarily leave the area just because they stopped popping the
surface. Often, attacking bass break up baitfish balls. Shad disperse and
drop deeper to regroup. Beneath the water, bass reorganize for another
assault, herding the shad back to the surface in another spot. Throw out a
marker buoy and continue to fish the area with soft plastics, spinnerbaits or
deep-running crankbaits.
“Just because you don’t see fish, doesn’t mean they aren’t there,”
Swett advised. “I use the depth finder to find schools of shad. If I see a lot
of shad balls, I know I’m in the right area. When bass go back down, I
continue to fish the area with crankbaits. In deeper water, I throw Carolina
rigs, but I keep a Spook or a Spot handy.”
For late summer fishing, anglers should carry binoculars to watch for
schooling activity. Also watch for diving birds. As bass herd shad to the
surface, birds frequently dive upon them to snatch meals before bass get
them. Diving birds or concentrations of fish-eating birds could indicate
schooling activity.
Although not guaranteed success, anglers who pay attention and stay
prepared could add several more fish to their catch almost instantly in the
right spot at the right time. Stay alert. Watch for surface activity and keep
a long-range bait handy.
hundreds of 5- and 6-pound bass smashed into a terrified school of shad.
We dropped our rods and kicked the trolling motor into high gear. As we
began casting to the now empty waters where bass once schooled, fish
again erupted just beyond casting range behind our boat. Again, we
pushed volts to the electric motor only to see bass explode where we just
left.
Such eruptions commonly tantalize anglers in any lake or reservoir with
large populations of threadfin shad as bass fanatics futilely chase these
“ghosts of late summer.” They appear without warning and suddenly
vanish, only to reappear in another spot moments later. An angler can
sometimes spend nearly all day chasing schooling fish without putting one
in the livewell. However, in the right spot, an angler can fill a livewell in
minutes.
“Patience is the key to catching schooling bass,” said Sam Swett, a
professional bass angler from Covington, La. “By the time we motor over to
where the school was, it disappears. Nine times out of 10, the school
reappears behind the boat.”
To understand schooling fish, anglers must first understand shad.
Threadfin shad make up a considerable portion of bass diets in many
waters. Shad eat microscopic plants and animals called plankton.
Threadfins frequently gather just under the surface to feed upon plankton.
“Often, winds and currents help predict where bass will come up,” Swett
said. “It’s easy to see a school break over in one place and then another.
It’s tough to resist chasing after them. Fish usually return to the same
general spot. What made them school over that spot once might make
them appear again. I try to throw a buoy marker out where the fish
appeared and back off for long casts.”
Find the shad and anglers usually find bass. At the right opportunity,
bass attack from all directions, herding shad into balls and forcing them to
the surface. At the surface, shad run out of room to escape. Then, bass
move in to gorge on anything they can catch, churning the surface in the
process. If anglers happen to sit in the right spot at the right time, they can
quickly catch several fish if they act fast.
“It’s almost impossible to predict where schooling bass might come up
next,” said Randy Blaukat, a professional bass angler from Lamar, Mo. “If
I’m in an environment that I think might have some schooling activity, I rig up
a bait for making really long casts. People need to be aware of schoolies
and prepared to make long casts when they surface.”
In areas where they might see schoolies, many anglers keep light
spinning rods loaded with 8-pound monofilament handy. For making long
casts at schooling bass, many anglers throw lipless crankbaits, chrome
spoons, spinnerbaits or topwaters. Often, quickness and accuracy mean
more than lure selection or color, but stick to shad colors, such as chrome
and blue, gray, white, silver or bleeding shad to mimic wounded baitfish.
Toss these baits as far as possible in the direction of schooling activity
and run them through the area. Over the spot where the bass struck, let
these baits fall a few feet before resuming the retrieve. Bass attacking
shad often wound fish. Seconds after the attack, the largemouths return to
slurp the fluttering morsels as they sink.
Although bass might attack shad in extremely deep water, topwater
baits still work well on schoolies because the predators herd baitfish to the
surface. Jerkbaits, such as Rattling Rogues, walking baits including Frenzy
Walkers, Super Spooks or Rapala Skitter Walks, effectively entice
schooling bass in any depth. Also try Tiny Torpedoes, Pop-Rs and similar
topwater baits.
“My first choice for schooling fish is a Zara Spook,” Swett said. "When
the water is calm, I like to throw a walking bait because the action gives a
good steady cadence. I like to replace the tail hook on a Spook with a
feathered hook. A hook dressed with a chicken feather gives it a little more
action. It almost looks like a tail swimming or a fin. It makes the bait look
more like a fish swimming along the surface.”
Although bass might appear instantly and disappear in seconds, they
didn’t necessarily leave the area just because they stopped popping the
surface. Often, attacking bass break up baitfish balls. Shad disperse and
drop deeper to regroup. Beneath the water, bass reorganize for another
assault, herding the shad back to the surface in another spot. Throw out a
marker buoy and continue to fish the area with soft plastics, spinnerbaits or
deep-running crankbaits.
“Just because you don’t see fish, doesn’t mean they aren’t there,”
Swett advised. “I use the depth finder to find schools of shad. If I see a lot
of shad balls, I know I’m in the right area. When bass go back down, I
continue to fish the area with crankbaits. In deeper water, I throw Carolina
rigs, but I keep a Spook or a Spot handy.”
For late summer fishing, anglers should carry binoculars to watch for
schooling activity. Also watch for diving birds. As bass herd shad to the
surface, birds frequently dive upon them to snatch meals before bass get
them. Diving birds or concentrations of fish-eating birds could indicate
schooling activity.
Although not guaranteed success, anglers who pay attention and stay
prepared could add several more fish to their catch almost instantly in the
right spot at the right time. Stay alert. Watch for surface activity and keep
a long-range bait handy.
