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Old 07-29-12, 05:10 PM   #1
racingfan
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Default small shad schools

I went out this morning to my local resevoir and caught a small 15inch keeper on a 5inch dinger early around some shallow weed beds... That was the only fish I caught.

Anyway, its that time of year when the small shad are starting to school and be seen around the shallows. Ive just never been successful fishing in this scenerio.. Lots of times toward the end of summer and fall I've been out and just not connected at all. I fish tournaments and do well from spring to mid summer usually but... I just flat out struggle in the dog days of summer. Obviously its very frustrating to see all the shad schools and know that bass can't be far away, but just flat out struggle to connect.

My question is, what are some of the ways or things some of you have learned or figured out in this scenerio? ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED
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Old 07-29-12, 05:56 PM   #2
bamabassman
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well the latest craze is the alabama or umbrella rig. slinging it into the schools or jsut out in the middle towards the dropoffs. other thatn that, you can try the shaky rig, or wacky worming. jigs are good too. jsut a few of the tings that might work.

also, oyu can try a big ol 10-12 inch worm either texas rigged or carolina rigged. toss it where a creek flows intot he main lake. bass will go where there is some water flowing in order to cool off and catch prey.
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Old 07-29-12, 06:50 PM   #3
keithdog
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The shad in the lake I fish have just now made their presence known and the bass are there to welcome them. My best approach to bass busting schools of shad has been a 3 inch Xcaliber popper in shad colors. If you see bass busting a school of shad, throw that popper right into the middle of the commotion. Now you don't want to use a slow pop pop pause routine. Get agressive! Reel and twitch that popper like your working a Spook! Make it dance and spit. That will excite any bass nearby and make him hit. The thing is, you have to be prepared. You can often smell and see a shimmer on the water indicating shad are nearby. Grab that popper rod and get ready. As soon as the bass start blasting those shad, throw right into the middle of it. Once the commotion stops, it's too late. ALSO, a soft jerkbait like the Strike King Caffeine Shad rigged weightless will get savage strikes when thrown into the furry. I often get asked, "why throw a 3 inch popper instead of a smaller one? Answer is simple. A larger popper will give you more casting distance! One thing I know, the closer you get to the shad, the faster they will panick and be gone. Using the trolling motor to motor over to the action almost always results in the shad splitting the scene and the bass along with them.
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Old 08-03-12, 02:23 PM   #4
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Another great bait for schooling bass chasing shad is a lipless crankbait. Throw it over the school and drag it back through it. If that does not work try a shad type soft jerkbait like a Zoom Super Fluke. I've done well on those along with a popper like Keith mentions.
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