Spotted Bass Numbers?

[mjk86]

Why do the big shad follow the bass to the boat?

[merc1997 Bo]

Why do the big shad follow the bass to the boat?

good question, and they follow spinner baits a lot too. and, i do not know why they do that. just the nature of the beast i guess. why do bass eat all the phony looking lures we throw at them??

bo

[Bill Babler]

The big Gizzard Shad will also swim below a fin or a spook. I have also been throwing 6 to 9 inch swimbaits from LongCreek to Campbell point and almost every cast there is a school of 10 to 14 inch Gizzard shad following the swimbait.

Got to be dangerous for their health you would think.

If you stop it or swirl in in the water they will just swarm around it. In speaking with most of the boys, they are not getting followed by bass with swimbaits, topwater or hooked fish. It is the huge Gizzard Shad that are doing the following.

Richey611 is seeing bass, I'll take his word for it. I will see usually one maybe swimming with a hooked fish. If the bait comes in empty most of the time it is just surrounded by the big Shad. If there are multiples swimming with the bait 99% of the time right now it is the Gizzard Shad.

Took two guides with 30 plus years of experience from Texas 2 weeks ago. One was a bass guide and the other was a striper guide. Both thought the follows were by bass till I really made them look. Finely the Striper guide said, "Holly Fat, Jim those are Big Gizz's." The bass guide said no-way until you looked close and could see their forked tails. Jim said, "I would have bet my new Ranger they were Spotted Bass following and never batted an eye." Dave said, "there you go Bill you could of had his boat. Then again, he would have welched on ya."

Just sayin, look close. If you are not seeing them you are not looking, as they are as big as the bass.

[dtrs5kprs]

Got to be dangerous for their health you would think.

Or maybe not. Perhaps it is a safety in numbers instinct.

[Alex Heitman]

I have noticed both big gizzards and packs of bass following hooked fish. We have even thrown a lure down to the followers while the other bass was hooked and caught them that way. It's a weird year but I'm not complaining one bit.

[dougdean]

Does the MDC publish any fish population numbers for Table Rock?

[Ealy]

I fished three days prior to the Oakley tournament and caught mostly largemouth and smallmouth. I avoided main lake gravel points, because I didn't feel that was where my best chance was for catching a big black. The few that I fished produced some KYs for me. During the tournament, I checked main lake bluff ends for post spawn blacks, and caught KYs at every one. The only fish I weighed in was a 3.48 KY that they mentioned was the largest spot weighed in. At that location we had a dozen KYs in maybe an hours time.

[Jozark]

Bill,

My dad and I where fishing the James not far from Cape Fair last weekend, and caught 30-40 K's all where very healthy. Some where still spawning for we caught them off some gravel, but caught some off ledge rock as well. All of these fish were caught on jigs, and the top water bite was very slow last weekend.

Hope the K's show up for you down lake.

[Bill Babler]

Bill,

My dad and I where fishing the James not far from Cape Fair last weekend, and caught 30-40 K's all where very healthy. Some where still spawning for we caught them off some gravel, but caught some off ledge rock as well. All of these fish were caught on jigs, and the top water bite was very slow last weekend.

Hope the K's show up for you down lake.

Great info, thanks for the report. Beck and I will probably get up that way next week. We have 3 days with the same folks and will try and look at some different lake sections. Good to here they are snapping. I just love to fish that area and would more except for the time it takes to get up there.