What to throw when bass are busting shad?? 2024

Bassin-Yakin reply :

I was out late yesterday and noticed several balls of shad early in the afternoon, nothing was hitting them they were just swimming around in several coves near the mouths...

in the evening about when the sun was going down, something started nailing the shad, I believe it was bass and not stripers... they were everywhere and shad were flying everywhere....now it would happen for 30 seconds in one spot, then move to another spot.... I threw at several places and had a few hits but no hookups.. i was using a fluke and also a topwater popper...

what would be a better lure to throw at these schools when this happens.... I was thinking perhaps a rattle trap, shallow running crank, or hard jerk bait, I think the fish are in such a frenzy they were just hitting into my bait, not eating it....suggestions??

nern reply :

I've had luck with Rattletraps in that situation. I just burn it through the panicked shad and it looks like another panicked shad that isn't schooling the best (vulnerable).

That's my take on it, though I'm a little rusty

roadwarrior reply :

New from MegaStrike:

Here is a pic of the first Megastrike Fat Shad (THE Fat Bass Dit) It is only 4 inches long but replicates the most popular bait fish size. I wanted it to displace a lot of water so I made the body fat. Unlike streamline swimbaits , it has a fatter body section and a big thumper tail. It has a very unique body roll. I will have videos of it soon -attached to a 1/4 and 3/8 Pro Model Shak-E2 Head. It is designed to be slow rolled on the surface and crawled along the bottom. The other day I was flipping it into mats of grass when I could find a hole and gottum.Double click on the image to enlarge. Almost has a goby type profile http://lineart.redshad.com/MegaStrike/

;D ;D ;D

SoFlaBassAddict reply :

For me, a spinnerbait, small shad colored crank, a swim jig with a paddletail trailer, or a soft plastic swimbait.

lightsout reply :

Luckycraft sammy 85 in MS american shad. An absolute perfect threadfin mimic on some lakes I fish.

There was a post with a ton of info on this very topic about a month back, check it out!

Raul reply :

As many know, shad is a species that does not live in the waters I fish, howver there are many other native species and I 've seen and experienced that behavior, for the fun: Heddon Baby Torpedo ( nothing like bass striking violently the bait ), less fun but more productive: Lipless cranks & jerkbaits.

Chris at Tech reply :

weightless super fluke, Zara Spook, jerkbait and my favorite -- a scrounger head with a fluke on it.

Wayne P. reply :

Super Fluke and Trap

electricbass reply :

I know this may sound a little odd but trust me it has worked for me and my partner plenty of times. When we are up in a bay or cove and the bass start busting shad we throw a 4" gary yamamoto hula grub "spider grub" on a 1/4oz jig head, and I usually use chartruse. I know what your thinking it dosent resemble a shad but I am telling you it works. Just throw it out on a long cast and fish it like it was a spinnerbait. You will be surprised.

ukfan03 reply :

I've caught them on a Bomber model A crankbait that runs around 6 ft deep when shad are busting the top. The TN Shad color has produced the best results for me.

repper reply :

I have had great sucess throwing Vixens, Dog-x, and Sammys, when faced with boiling shad. And I always use a shad imitating color. Flitter shad, American shad, ghost Minnow, Chartreuse shad, etc. It's an awesome time to fish! I've nailed them using small, heavy Megabait lures too. I use chrome with black or blue top. These lures are very heavy for their size so they cast great. i cast them to the far side of the boil, reel fast until they are in the center, and then let them sink, and as they flutter down below the boil, they get hammered, and often by the larger fish waiting below the boil for the 'easy pickens'. Good luck. This is quite common on our lakes in the fall, as the shad begin to gather for their spawn. if boils will happen periodically in the general area where you first see them. the bass 'round up' the shad until they have them balled up, and then they attack. this will last various times, and then they stop and rest, and 'round up' the shad again, and the cycle continues. so be patient and wait for the cycle to happen and you will catch them!

bigbill reply :

Match the shad??? I was watching the smaller pickerel going thru small schools of baby bass just tearing them up. I had to save the day of course. I put on a rapala to match the size of the baby bass and started putting my hooks into every pickerel i could till the action stopped. Match the baitfish as close as you can. But when the daylite starts to go away as dusk approaches the game changes thats when i go to a brighter colored lure in the samething/size.

gobig reply :

Rattletraps, speedtraps and shad style swimbaits.

Dave P reply :

Traps and believe it or not...Norman Fat Boys...

bigtimfish reply :

Xcailur xr50 in ghost color

Bassin-Yakin reply :

thanks for the tips... I had a Sammy tied on earlier in the day and switched it out... probably would have been better...

I threw a fluke weightless and they hit it some, just didnt eat it... needed trebbles!!

senko_77 reply :

Quote
Super Fluke and Trap

x2. These are the 2 things I throw at the schoolers.

I like using the Super Flue in Smokin Shad and a Spro Aruku Shad or Aruku Shad Jr. in the Perch color.

Bankbeater reply :

If I can hit the shad I will throw something that will drop down through them like a jig or a large plastic bait. If I can't hit them I try a rat-l-trap or a spinner bait.

Dock Master reply :

My personal favorite is one that you have already used. Its a popper in shad color. If that is not working though I will usually go with a Sammy or a shad colored Fluke.

jbass reply :

You may consider a spoon also. Maybe about the same size or a little larger than the shad. Let it flutter through the school. It mimics a wounded fish. Fish on!! 8-)

Bassin-Yakin reply :

well I am going out again tomorrow and should be out at the same time, hopefully they will be doing the same thing and I can have another shot at it..... thanks for all the tips...

bilgerat reply :

I've done ok tossing a tube into the boil. Then there are times no matter what I throw, they won't hit it.

piscicidal reply :

Lake fork live magic shad (3.5")

Also: spro aruko shad, zoom super fluke

When at okeechobee I have a set up with the magic shad setting on the deck at all times, waiting for the busting shad.

repper reply :

i still believe you will do best with a walking style topwater, with treble hooks! silver, white, or clear. just work thru the boil and you will get bit! And with the trebles you have the best shot at hooking one

tholmes reply :

1/2 ounce Kastnaster.

Tom

Bassin-Yakin reply :

we are not going until later in the day so we will be mostly searching for this action again.... I will have every rod with me ready so I can try different things...

I plan on having a rod with Sammy, Fluke, Spinnerbait, Rattle trap, swimbait, and maybe a crank or something else as well.... if they dont want any of that it wasnt meant to be!!!

kLuo reply :

these are some of the most exciting times to fish because the bass are so aggressive. I've had great success with the heddon spit'n image, red eye shad, and jerkbaits.

KC Bass Fanatic reply :

An old timer on Truman lake told me this a long time ago and it really works. Toss a big chrome spoon right in the middle of the action and let it sink. A lot of the larger bass don't expend the energy to bust the shad so they will just hang out below the action and wait for injured shad to sink. A super fluke on a keel weighted hook works well in this application too.

piscicidal reply :

The fluke is awesome also if the bust happens very close to your boat. I had this happen to me at Okeechobee two weeks ago. I was fishing a cut and my boat was nosed into some slop. A group of shad started getting busted about ten feet from the back of the boat. I pitched a weightless fluke in there and caught fish on five straight casts (three 3 lbers).

To me the answer to this question (what to throw?) really depends on your proximity to the bust. The aruko shad (or similiar lipless) is great for launching baits to them from long distance. Medium distance (15-30 yards) I like the lake fork magic shad...that bait best mimics the size/action of a shad, IMO. Up close, the fluke is hard to beat...the vertical action keeps the bait in the middle of the commotion and looks just like a dying shad.

NateFollmer reply :

Fluke, crank, spinnerbait, soft swimbait... All of these still work.

Try and see what shade the shad are (if you can) and throw something close. Dead sticking a fluke or swimbait usually works well.

iceintheveins reply :

I love the heddon spitn' image in that situation, or any shad colored walker. The swimn' image is good too.

8353

What to throw when bass are busting shad?? 2024

related Fishing Tackle topic

previous topic

next topic

most viewed Fishing Tackle topic