Water temp is literally just now in the low 70s on a regular basis. I'm starting to see some shad-type activity and I'm catching my better fish around the areas where I'm seeing little surface bubbling and shimmering occuring. 

 

Last year in the first week of Sept I measured a couple gizzard shad at different parts of the lake on the same day both right at 2". 

 

I've read where gizzard shad can grow up to 1"/month. 

 

I'm trying to determine how to use this information to best size my swimbaits and underspins (or whether to even throw an underspin). 

 

I can't be sure the shad are even 1" long yet. I'm not seeing them all over the surface and shore like last fall. In fact I haven't seen any. But I am seeing some random bubbling/glittering on the surface at times that I'm positive is shad activity. 

 

What kinds of swimbait rigs would you be trying first given this information. This is my first year throwing swimbaits and/or underspins for the full year (I began throwing underspins last Fall). 

 

Looking for any feedback/thoughts that might help steer my thinking in the right direction. 

We're on opposite sides of the country but I'll let you know what has worked for me. The lake I fish I recently measured some small minnows around 4". I've been throwing the bigger Keitech swing impact fat 4.8-5.8" without bites. However, when I switch to the 3.8" and the 4" swing impact/easy shiner, the bass choke it. I've caught all my 3lb+ bass on these smaller swimbaits. 

 

Moral of the story, I try to match the length, girth, and color of the small baitfish as best I can and it seems to have given me the best results.

1 hour ago, NorthE97 said:

We're on opposite sides of the country but I'll let you know what has worked for me. The lake I fish I recently measured some small minnows around 4". I've been throwing the bigger Keitech swing impact fat 4.8-5.8" without bites. However, when I switch to the 3.8" and the 4" swing impact/easy shiner, the bass choke it. I've caught all my 3lb+ bass on these smaller swimbaits. 

 

Moral of the story, I try to match the length, girth, and color of the small baitfish as best I can and it seems to have given me the best results.

Those 4" Keitech Easy Shiners have been clutch for me. Either on an underspin or ball head jig, they eat them when they won't even touch a fat impact of the same length. Yesterday when I was fishing a bass I had just caught spit up a dead shiner almost the exact same size. It's been kind of a grind but I can't lie...it's fun to catch even smaller bass (1-2lbs) when I'm using finesse gear (5lb line, light drag, spinning gear). 

Bass never stop eating smaller baitfish, underspins work year around where the water doesn't freeze.

Tom

 

2 hours ago, WRB said:

Bass never stop eating smaller baitfish, underspins work year around where the water doesn't freeze.

Tom

 

 

Not all of their food is an inch long ?

 

Been throwing this one since February!

 

 

 

On 7/6/2019 at 4:43 PM, WRB said:

Bass never stop eating smaller baitfish, underspins work year around where the water doesn't freeze.

Tom

 

 

On 7/6/2019 at 7:09 PM, Catt said:

 

Not all of their food is an inch long ?

 

Been throwing this one since February!

 

 

 

 

I've been throwing the owner flashy swimmer for about a month now in the 1/O and 3/O sizes (see smallie pic below - 3.3 keitech on 1/O - smallies really tear up my plastics it seems, lb for lb the best fight though IMO). 

 

@Catt curious if that's a bobber stop above the knot and why? 

 

 

 

 

Water temps were in the 80's when this tank choked an underspin ~ 

?

A-Jay