JPP topwater or white bass

[backdoc]

At no point am I trying to steal a secret spot, just trying to find fish. I've never kept a fish out of the lake (although I wil eat crappie and whites) and do not plan to fish any tourneys.

I have fished all my life and just moved here about a year ago so this is the first year fishing JPP. I get out about twice a week in the boat for a few hours at a time and literally have only been once without my 5 year old. We did fairly well on crappie and I have been catching 4-5 bass per 3 hour trip which i am perfectly fine with. Im dying to find a topwater bass bite or even get into some white bass, the whites mainly for my little boy. I usually put in at the state park. I have a 20' deck boat so always looking to make new fishing partners.

Thanks,
Justin

[hogdawg]

You will usually find the stripe in the jumps in the dog days of summer. With the heat as it has been this year, it looks like that will be June! It is usually July and August.

[jad2t]

What does "in the jumps" mean? Sorry, I'm not a local haha so I don't get all the lingo around here.

[fisher01]

Jumps= Schools of Shad

[StriperFan]

Originally Posted by fisher01

Jumps= Schools of Shad

I would have to add that jumps also usually include the predators that are making them jump, and can also be jumping, but are usually just smashing and gulping bait, and can be white bass, hybrids, or striped bass. The most spectacular "in the jumps" event I ever witnessed was on Lake Cumberland in KY, close to Halloween. Big alewife were leaping straight up out of the water, and so were stripers in the 5-12# class. These fish were coming straight up from deep water, and seemed to be hundreds of them, and some of the stripers were clearing the water completely, while many more were tail slapping, and others were just smashing the surface. Me and my wife actually heard it first and turned around to see what the noise was. They were only on the surface for a minute, then they would go deep again, and we would wait and they would re-appear. Slightly rainy day, a lot like today, except in fall. What I was fishing today on JPP could also be called "in the Jumps", and is the pattern I see on Tims Ford and Piercy Priest the most. Usually you see just a few bait jumping and a few crashes at a time. Topwater times are my favorite times, can ya tell

[tnridgerunner]

You will also catch smallmouth and Kentuckys in the jumps, but largemouth are relatively rare.

If they aren't hitting topwater, try something that will get down 10 or 12 feet where the larger fish are schooled up under the bait.

If you see a predator swirl, throw 10 feet across the ring and work it back across. If you hit on top of the ring, you'll spook the fish.

[StriperFan]

Originally Posted by tnridgerunner

You will also catch smallmouth and Kentuckys in the jumps, but largemouth are relatively rare.

If they aren't hitting topwater, try something that will get down 10 or 12 feet where the larger fish are schooled up under the bait.

If you see a predator swirl, throw 10 feet across the ring and work it back across. If you hit on top of the ring, you'll spook the fish.

That is a good point. On Tims Ford, when the hybrids have the bait pushed up against the bank, I have caught smallmouth right in the mix with the hybrids. I will also try and run a plastic jerkbait near the bottom of the school that you see. Sometimes the biggest fish will come off of that.

[thehick176]

I got an interesting story about largemouth mixed in with others when they are busting shad on the surface. We were fishing Suggs creek on JPP last fall and came across a major feeding frenzy. We were throwing pop-r's and big rooster tails, catching boatloads of white bass and Spotted bass. During the ruckus we were wondering where the largemouth were. My buddy ties on a Zara spook and he started catching nothing but largemouth. The white bass and spots never touched it.
Anyone have any idea why? We were left worn out and scratching our heads, wondering why?

[Scott715]

Nothing better than those bone-colored zara spooks. A buddy and I went out last week and were fishing right around Seven Points. We found some fish busting bait and the first one my buddy snagged was a largemouth pushing 2 lbs. I forgot to put one of my boxes on the boat that had my zara spook, but I DID have a box with a giant "Super" Spook that I use for hybrid/rockfish. I threw that thing on and caught a couple of bass on it. It's funny to see fish hit a topwater that big. A few years ago I caught a 17# and 20# rockfish on that lure within 10 minutes.