Catching Bass on Shad Schools?

[FishAddict]

Every October this happens to me. I can't seem to pull bass off of the shad schools with any regularity. I know some of the fish are skippies, but not all are. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

[XxthejuicexX]

Originally Posted by FishAddict

Every October this happens to me. I can't seem to pull bass off of the shad schools with any regularity. I know some of the fish are skippies, but not all are. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

What I have noticed is once they get locked in on those shad they tend to only eat something that matches the size. I ran into this last fall on priests. I ended up having to bite off some of my smallest swimbaits to get close to the shad size.



I've not tried this but I hear people throw really bright baits that stand out too. Pink or Chartreuse fluke or something like that, rooster tail would be a nice option too.

[Heiny57]

I got into a school of whites ( I think) Saturday that were feeding on 2 1/2 inch shad and tried everything but a swim bait and only snagged the shad.

[fairweatherfisherman]

My two favorites for this time of year for that situation are a 1/3 oz Cotton Cordell spot and a popping cork rig. Instead of popping the cork, I reel it just as fast as I can. They miss a lot but usually one will catch up with it. I had my son and a buddy with me once and I only had to of the 1/3 oz chrome spots and they were wearing them out. Nothing else I had worked for me.

[FishAddict]

Thanks all for suggestions