Multi-level Schooling Strategy
Whether it’s elementary, senior high, or college, going to school generally implies multiple classes. By comparison, savvy anglers understand that fishing for schooling fish means a multi-level approach.
Starting with the obvious, it’s hard to imagine anyone who can resist the pulse-pounding appeal of hungry bass blasting baitfish at the water’s surface. Whether it’s the seasonal migration of threadfin and gizzard shad into creeks and pockets, random occurrences where bass pin a group of baitfish against the surface, or the completely random and potentially round-the-clock mayhem of blueback herring lakes, white water furies are simply amazing.
Topwater walking or popping baits target the fish where they’re feeding, but considering the frantic activity, bass often awkwardly slash at lures, so you want to make sure you hook what bites. Do so by retrofitting your topwater baits with Mustad KVD Elite Triple Grip Trebles.
As far as the right action, faster is better. Remember, you’re competing with the real thing, so you don’t want the fish to get a good look at your bait.
Subsurface Assault
While the visual schooling clearly holds the star power, what happens below the surface can be just as compelling. Live sonar helps anglers keep track of bait and bass movement, so keep a couple of mid-depth baits handy for targeting the fish deeper in the water column.
A good bet for schooling fish is the Mustad Arm-Lock Spinnerbait in a pearl white or chartreuse white pattern. You’ll also tempt those subsurface fish with a LIVETARGET Threadfin Shad Swimbait or a Blueback Herring Swimbait.
Sidenote: Along with those subsurface targeting baits, don’t overlook the value of keeping a topwater follow-up handy. Often, you’ll have fish boil on your bait without committing. Other times, the frantic feeding activity simply causes a bass to miss.
When the schooling action is raging, your best bet is to keep working the bait. Another fish is likely to be sizing up your topwater as soon as the previous one clears out of the way.
However, when the fish are popping one here, one there — common on blueback herring lakes — quickly following up that missed surface bite with a subsurface bait often seals the deal. One of the easiest follow-up baits to throw and certainly one of the most effective is a LIVETARGET Stick Worm *COMING SOON* rigged weedless on a 4/0 Mustad AlphaPoint Tak Offset Hook.
Bottom Shelf
While surface schooling occasionally offers a big quality bite, those older, more experienced fish typically avoid bumping fins with the smaller, faster fish. Also, depth means safety, but understand that the surface feeding activity generally attracts big bass attention, even if they decide to forego the party.
Between the surface flurries and your midrange probing, mix in some bottom contact presentations. One of the most overlooked, but potentially a real day-maker is the “big worm.” Rig your 8- to 10-inch favorite ribbon tail on a 5/0-7/0 Mustad AlphaPoint Tak Offset Hook with a 3/8-ounce Mustad Tungsten TitanX Worm Weight and slowly drag this bite getter through the active area.
Another good cleanup option is the shaky head. Rig a 5.5- or 6.5-inch LIVETARGET Finesse Worm *COMING SOON* on a Mustad Elite Standup Jig and give it a wiggle-and-pull look.
And don’t worry if you have to watch schoolers crushing baitfish. You can bet all the ruckus will bring several unsee fish into the area and, at the end of the day, a catch is a catch.