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Old 07-30-11, 06:07 PM   #1
iowathode
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Default Bass feeding on top?

First of all, hello all. Yep, I'm a newb.

I've been following this website for quite some time (love it btw), and I finally decided to take the plunge and join the forum to seek some advise. So, I'm starting off with this question. I asked this question in my other forum, but didn't really get a satisfactory answer. So...

I was out fishing this morning at first light and all of the sudden when it got just bright enough to start seeing decently, the water started to come alive. Let me explain... Bass were smacking the top of the water, but for the most part they were sucking something off the top of the water. They'd come up and sort of porpoise (however you spell that), so you could see their backs and fins. They were doing it all over a large flat that was anywhere from 5-9 feet deep. I threw everything I had at them, sort of. I threw a spinner, a buzzer and shallow diving crank (because they were obviously hitting the surface), but couldn't get a single strike. The bass were obviously active, so what gives? The only thing I can think of is maybe swimming a jig or swim bait, that might have been the ticket, but other than that I'm totally clueless. I've had this happen before in the evening when bass were actively feeding and had the same dilemma. So how do I tackle this? It's really getting to me not knowing how to catch these active bass. So, I'm hoping that some of the bass experts out there can help me figure this scenario out, or at least shed some light on it for me.

Extra info:

Central Iowa
water temp 80 degrees
water is stained to clear

Thanks in advance for any help offered.
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Old 07-30-11, 07:27 PM   #2
66KingFisher
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The two small lakes I fish regularly, have bass busting the top during the middle of the day during the summertime....They are pushing schooling shad to the surface....Throw a shad colored crankbait, or something like a chrome rattletrap for the best success. Fishin gets fast and furious when thats happening....enjoy it while you can...lol
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Old 07-30-11, 11:49 PM   #3
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First off, welcome to the forums! Make yourself at home pal. Now for your question. Maybe I can help. A lake I fish often near my home had shad introduced into it a few years ago. Last year, I found myself facing exactly what you are facing now. I threw buzz baits, swim baits, spinnerbaits, spoons, lipless cranks and crankbaits. They wouldn't hit a thing, untill I started throwing two lures that have been the ticket for me so far. A top water popper and a soft jerk bait. I call what the bass are doing wolf pack bassin. They herd those shad to the surface just like 66kKingFisher said, but in my case they would not touch ANY baits other than the popper and jerk bait. Even a hard bodied jerk bait went untouched, but not the soft body jerkbait. The two I use are the Xcaliber 3" popper in any shad color and the Strike King 5" Caffeine Shad trigged weightless in baby bass or any shad color. Those two baits are killer for the schooling bass in my lake. Also, a Heddon Super Spook Jr. works fairly well also, but the popper is more consistant. The trick is to wait untill the bass actually start to attack the shad before throwing into the shad school. If you see the shad start to boil the surface and throw before the bass are actually attacking, your bait will scatter the shad, and also the bass with them. Also, I try to pick which bass I throw to inless it's a feeding frenzy ripping apart the shad school. And even then I try to pick a particular bass to throw at. I find I get far more strikes by zeroing in on a particular bass thats hitting the surface rather than just throwing randomly. I prefer the 3 inch popper because it's added weight allows longer casts which is critical in this kind of fishing. So often the feeding bass seem to hit schools of shad just out of casting reach. I hope this helps you with your dilema.
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Old 07-31-11, 07:10 AM   #4
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You sure those aren't carp? They do that quite a bit. Throw a weightless Senko, something white to look like shad. 5" is about right.
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Old 07-31-11, 02:38 PM   #5
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Keithdog, sounds like some great advise. Still haven't thrown a popper at them so I'll have to give that a try.

I was out again this morning and had the exact same thing happen. In fact this seemed to happen all over the lake from about 5am until I left at about 8. Bass seem to be in open water busting some sort of fish. Some did the big bass smack, and some did the surface "slurp" as I'd call it. I started to second guess myself on the species, thinking maybe they were crappie out in open water, but I'm still fairly confident that they were bass. This lake is loaded with them. The only kind of forage I saw were really tiny minnows jumping on the surface. It wasn't like they were all over busting the surface (the minnows that is).

So, a followup question. I need an education on forage? I always hear about shad, but for all I know they're not around here. I'm in northeast Iowa, and the lake I'm fishing has LM bass, northern, crappie, bluegills, and catfish in it. I'm sure there's some carp too. I always thought that the "minnows" in the lakes around here were the smaller version of the species mentioned above. So, do shad exist around here? I'm assuming that when the bass are schooling and feeding like this, that they're attacking the minnows I mentioned above. So what should I throw to imitate this type of forage? I need some schooling (ironic ). Any enlightenment on this would be great. Thanks for the input.
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Old 07-31-11, 06:15 PM   #6
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Forgot to mention my retrieve with a popper for this situation. Bear in mind that the bass are chasing pray that is trying to escape at the surface. It's a high action activity taking place and you want your popper to mimic this action. So when I see bass starting to bust the surface, I cast into this frezy and work a fairly fast retrieve of jerk reel jerk reel jerk reel causing fast popping action and movement of the popper. This creates the disturbance and look of fleeing baitfish and feeding. It's not the jerk pause jedrk pause retrieve used in other situations. You really want to get that popper moving and dancing on the water.
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Old 08-05-11, 10:48 AM   #7
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In my local lakes, that is almost always stripers or smaller hybrids. Not as much fun to catch as a bass though.
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Old 08-05-11, 12:07 PM   #8
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Iowathode welcome aboard I agree with keithdog use a popper the color I use is silver on top with a blue underbelly with red feathers on the hooks. I throw it out let it set for about 5 sec and the 3 quick pops let it sit for 3 sec and fish on LOL.

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Old 08-06-11, 03:13 AM   #9
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I am pretty much with KD. Grab a 3 or 5" weightless fluke style bait in a silver/black color and cast through them. I live deep in south and a lot of this action you are referring to is also by crappie getting their .02 in while they can maybe. It's hard to tell unless you see one actually come up out of the water. At least for me. I have chased schools of crappie more than a couple of times.
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Old 08-06-11, 02:59 PM   #10
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I'd try tossing a spool type bait to start. Work it real aggressively and don't let them get a real good look at it... but by all means experiment. They may want it worked dead slow that particular occasion. Next try a weightless, or lightly weighted fluke.. next I would go on to the louder baits. Try ripping a lipless crank through em. Some time the bigger fish will be slightly deeper then the busters waiting for injured ones to drift down. Use a lift and drop/stop and go retrieve. A aggressively ripping a ripbait (like an x-rap or pointer) though the school may also produce. If the stop hitting one, throw something else at them, they may still be there, they just may have gotten accustom to what you were showing them.
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Old 08-16-11, 06:05 PM   #11
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Yea, I only live a couple hours sw of you. And there are shad. In fact the little lake I fish near muscatine have a ton of them. I am glad you asked the question becasue I was wondering the same thing. Looks like I have a few new tricks up my sleeves to try.

Good luck
Clint

Oh yea I live 45 Min east of CR.
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Old 08-16-11, 06:56 PM   #12
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If they are bass feeding on top, there is nothing better than a Iovino Splash It in King Shad. Throw it out a work it quickly back to the boat in short, fast pops.
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Old 08-16-11, 08:36 PM   #13
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Often on ky lake they froth the water yet most surface baits dont get but a few slashes,same with shad baits,it is because they are chasing fat head minnows or shiners,without reducing the size and shape to some degree as not A shaped,slender,one often cannot get bit yet surface is litterally exploding.
Whites,stripers ,bass and even skipjacks do this generally called schoolers.
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Old 08-19-11, 06:31 PM   #14
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Dont get focused going with only top water or suspended baits. If those are truly bass and they are feeding on shad they are there and you can cast off to the side of the area/ shad school etc and nail them with a dropshot.
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Old 12-03-11, 01:52 AM   #15
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I love that action. Freeline a zoom fluke with a wide gap or nose hook with 1/0 circle hook. Match the hatch. Hit the boil reel and twitch. Make it look like its scared for its life. You'll get bit. Let the lmb take the slack out. Works like a charm for me.
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