Odd thing at a pond.

Scott the fishman · 11-02-11, 09:16 PM

There was bass pushing yellow perch minnows to the shore. I was watching them push them it was pretty interesting to watch, so i tied on a rapala yellow perch minnow color. it match the rough size and color. Could not get anything. Worked it through school the minnows didnt move away from it also. so then i has straggling behind the school didnt work. there was some nice bass too 3 lber just cruising back and forth. any input on why it didn't work?

lilmule · 11-02-11, 09:55 PM

Maybe just not moving the same,try a fast retrieve then kill it and let it sink to see if a reaction occurs.

keithdog · 11-02-11, 10:34 PM

I have a lake I fish most of the time that has shad. The bass will chase the shad and push them to the surface and then pounce on them. For the longest time I had a heck of a time figuring out how to catch those bass. I threw many many lures at them that looked like those shad. Hard jerk baits, spoons, crankbaits, lipless cranks, all shad pattern and not a single strike. I threw spinnerbaits, small swim baits, various surface baits including buzzbaits and jitterbugs. Nothing. Finally I started throwing a 3 inch Xcaliber popper and those same bass started annihilating it. And it's been that way since. Now why none of those other lures wouldnt draw any interrest but the popper did is anyones guess. But I do believe the poppers action worked fast on the surface very closely resembles the commotion on the surface durring a shad feeding spree. So I'd have to agree with lilmule. It may not be whether your lure looks like a perch, but insted, what kind of action it has.

bluebasser86 · 11-02-11, 11:23 PM

Sometimes you gotta zig instead of zag. If you have a big school of yellow perch and you throw a yellow perch lure, it's not going to stand out and the bass have hundreds or thousands of other options that look the same as your bait. You might try fishing a jig or something that looks like a bluegill or shad instead, something that will stand out as different and give the bass something to hone in on.

Dogmatic · 11-03-11, 07:21 AM

I have most of my success when bass are busting schools of shad, like Keith, with a top water popper, so much so that I keep one tied on all the time now. I just think it looks like a wounded baitfish struggling on the surface, and an easy meal.

AUFred · 11-03-11, 08:29 AM

a topwater bait like a pop R might work too.

11-02-11, 09:16 PM	#1
Scott the fishman BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Central, New Jersey Posts: 221	Odd thing at a pond. There was bass pushing yellow perch minnows to the shore. I was watching them push them it was pretty interesting to watch, so i tied on a rapala yellow perch minnow color. it match the rough size and color. Could not get anything. Worked it through school the minnows didnt move away from it also. so then i has straggling behind the school didnt work. there was some nice bass too 3 lber just cruising back and forth. any input on why it didn't work? __________________ MA CAN I GO FISHING!!!!

11-02-11, 10:34 PM	#3
keithdog BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: IN Posts: 8,308	I have a lake I fish most of the time that has shad. The bass will chase the shad and push them to the surface and then pounce on them. For the longest time I had a heck of a time figuring out how to catch those bass. I threw many many lures at them that looked like those shad. Hard jerk baits, spoons, crankbaits, lipless cranks, all shad pattern and not a single strike. I threw spinnerbaits, small swim baits, various surface baits including buzzbaits and jitterbugs. Nothing. Finally I started throwing a 3 inch Xcaliber popper and those same bass started annihilating it. And it's been that way since. Now why none of those other lures wouldnt draw any interrest but the popper did is anyones guess. But I do believe the poppers action worked fast on the surface very closely resembles the commotion on the surface durring a shad feeding spree. So I'd have to agree with lilmule. It may not be whether your lure looks like a perch, but insted, what kind of action it has. __________________ Just one more cast, and then some! Last edited by keithdog; 11-03-11 at 06:55 AM.

11-02-11, 09:55 PM	#2
lilmule BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Buchanan,Tn Posts: 2,685	Maybe just not moving the same,try a fast retrieve then kill it and let it sink to see if a reaction occurs.

11-02-11, 11:23 PM	#4
bluebasser86 BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Gardner, KS Posts: 605	Sometimes you gotta zig instead of zag. If you have a big school of yellow perch and you throw a yellow perch lure, it's not going to stand out and the bass have hundreds or thousands of other options that look the same as your bait. You might try fishing a jig or something that looks like a bluegill or shad instead, something that will stand out as different and give the bass something to hone in on.

11-03-11, 07:21 AM	#5
Dogmatic BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Bucks County, PA Posts: 714	I have most of my success when bass are busting schools of shad, like Keith, with a top water popper, so much so that I keep one tied on all the time now. I just think it looks like a wounded baitfish struggling on the surface, and an easy meal.

11-03-11, 08:29 AM	#6
AUFred BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Prattville, Alabama Posts: 802	a topwater bait like a pop R might work too.

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