Fall Shad

[DADAKOTA]

It is that time of year where I see roaming balls of shad on the surface in the middle of coves, major creeks,  and in the middle of the lake as well.  For the most part these balls of bait appear to be unmolested by the bass.  Of course they could be suspended under the shad and feed on the crippled ones.  Does anyone catch fish around these bait balls?  If so, what are you throwing at them?

[Fish24/7]

 

so I did some searching on the topic to refresh my brain!

https://www.flwfishing.com/tips/2011-11-07-up-to-your-eyeballs-in-shad

https://www.bassmaster.com/tips/shad-what-you-dont-know-can-hurt-you

http://www.scout.com/outdoors/wired2fish/story/1466002-fishing-for-schooling-bass-in-the-fall

i make and sell these spin heads. Catch fish on them year round.

Now through March is my fav time to use them. Especially around bait balls!

Wake baits and lipless cranks are another fav for Fall fishing around shad balls. 

there are a lot of great lures that will catch them during the Fall so pick up your favorite baits and get after it !!

[fishinwrench]

This....

 

There is very little that is truly random about bass feeding patterns. Bass have a home range and will seldom travel far to find food, especially if the food is coming to them. The challenge is to locate the spots that give predators a feeding advantage as the schools of shad cruise through the area.

is only true when bass are acting naturally.   But when keeper sized bass are constantly being relocated they have no "home range", they are basically lost and wandering about.  They do not know of spots that give them a feeding advantage.  They USED TO but odds are they were transported many miles from there several weeks ago.  And just as soon as they relearn a new home range....they get moved again.    All the study's on bass behavior can be thrown out the window once the bass has been removed from the area it was once doing well in.  

Imagine if you were zapped out of your home town, placed in a dark box and dropped into an unfamiliar town far away.  You'd have no idea which direction to get "home".  You'd have to find a new job, a new grocery store, a new source of shelter.  Then just when you finally figured out things in your new "home"....Boom, you're caught and transported again to yet another strange town.  

That would be maddening, and you certainly wouldn't be acting normally. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

Wrench makes a good point.  And he didn't even address procreation.

[fishinwrench]

I am on a crusade about the constant practice of relocating fish.  I'm really getting sick of it.  There has to be a better way to score all these tournaments.

[WeekendWarrior]

23 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

I am on a crusade about the constant practice of relocating fish.  I'm really getting sick of it.  There has to be a better way to score all these tournaments.

What! Do you think there were a few fish taken out of the gravois this weekend ?. I should have just fished pb2 only last night and caught my limit and taken them elsewhere. 

[DADAKOTA]

Interesting reads.  Most of them however deal with schooling bass on bait.  I'm seeing the bait and nothing is busting into them.  May just go out and try to fish around as many bait balls as possible with a jerk bait, crank, and small topwater and just see what happens.  

[fishinwrench]

5 hours ago, DADAKOTA said:

Interesting reads.  Most of them however deal with schooling bass on bait.  I'm seeing the bait and nothing is busting into them.  May just go out and try to fish around as many bait balls as possible with a jerk bait, crank, and small topwater and just see what happens.  

Good luck with that.  Shad are everywhere.  Bass, not so much, but then again yeah.  It's a crap shoot.  

The only thing I ever find out chasing shad in open water is 12-13 inchers.

[Terrierman]

Now when the shad are on a wind blown flat off a point in the evening, you might find something worth playing with.

[Terrierman]

Bass aren't people.  Just saying.