TackleTour

How many guys have success using deep diving cranks, spoons and lipless cranks under schools of bait fish?
Thanks

Back when I used to tourney fish, we always did well under big schools of bait. We also used paddletails, as well as the usual suspects you mentioned.

There is not much I haven't used to catch fish under schools of bait. I go with lipless or spoons most of the time when the bait is transient working my way down in the water column until I find the better fish. The deep cranks and heavy spinnerbaits can be great when the fish are on the bottom and not moving quite so much. Sometimes you need a heavier bait to get through the rats. A lot of times the schools of bigger fish are cruising below the smaller fish that are doing most of the work. If you can find something heavy enough to get through the rats that the better fish will eat, it can be magical.

Sometimes when the mentioned lures aren't working I'll go to a Cumberland pro prayer hair jig. I don't think bass sees those as often and it picked me up a couple of fish when I was struggling with a spoon, etc.

Our shad tend to school in deeper water, so there are very few deep diving crankbaits that fit the small profile that can get to them.

Underspins are big here, and also small swimbaits, as you can fish them as shallow or as deep as you can. I haven't figure out the vertical game, but I know guys out here using spoons and ice jigs as well.

When I see school of little fish, poppers and lipless crankbaits work for me. I throw lipless cranks, when I want to fish fast. When I think the school is in the area, I just use a popper, and let it sit for long time, and pop it every once in a while. The season of bass chasing schooling shad is over a few weeks ago in my area, though.

Another one is a pencil popper like Evergreen SB. Just move it fast and aggressively. It spits more, and those feeding bass can't resist it.