Hey, basically just what you try when that plan isn’t working? 

I guess I should add, I was snagging those shad while casting various cranks

Something bigger and slightly different (color splash somewhere).  Fished below the school of bait.

If the Shad are balled up a structure spoon  or tail sin is my 1st choice.

Tom

I catch a pile of fish on a jigging spoons when shad are present. You can fish the entire column of water, steady retrieve, yo - yo, or burn across the surface.

If they're busting the shad at the surface, tightlining a flutter spoon all the way (well almost all the way) down can get your rod yanked from your hand.  I've had 2 jigging spoons, white and silver, a tailspin, and a flutter spoon strewn across my deck all weekend.  First light/last light and each day, had different 1st choices.  Fish are weird.

 

scott

Match the hatch applies to trout fly fisherman more then bass anglers imo.

When bass are focused on live Shad, especially during the spring Shad spawn, few if any lures will be effective unless the lure tricks a strike from what the bass is looking for...a live Shad. Catch and fly line a live Shad on light line and small hook it’s instant bite. 

Fall Shad schools are a different situation and you can get strikes on Shad profile and color lures especially spoons falling through the Shad schools.

Bass jigs sort of look like a crawdad, not a match but something the see’s as prey. The perfect crawdad match is less effective then a real live crawdad.

I try to use lures coloration the bass can see and mistake for the real thing in lieu trying to use real like fakes because that imo is impossible.

Tom

Something that doesn't rattle? Then maybe a minnow profile,Soft plastic swimmer,4in exoswim? I am not really good with a spoon unless I am fishing vertical. A spoon might be the good choice where you are.

You want to stick out while blending in.  The idea is to make it look like a shad, while making it stand out from all of the other shad.  Sometimes color or size can do this.  Sometimes it's action.  If you blend in too much, then the bass won't focus on your bait.  But if you stand out too much, they won't see it as prey.  

 

Spoons are good for this, because they look like a shad that was already attacked and injured, but not eaten.  So they're an easy meal.  Bass will often attack from below, so sometimes a crankbait pulled in from just below the rest of the shad will catch a strike.  Often times, one that's slightly bigger or a more vibrant pattern will attract the bass.  Those are my two preferred baits for this situation, though I'm sure a lot of other things will work too.  I've also had luck with hard swimbaits reeled fast.  

The only time when I'm really concerned about match the hatch is when I know the fish are keyed in on that bait and actively feeding and even then I'm more concerned with profile and relative size then matching the color dead on.    

I guess I should add, I was snagging those shad while casting various cranks

Thanks for the replies. I ended up getting a few on a ned rig very slowly retrieving along bottom. 
today I got them  on a Rapala  DT 6 , dragging super slow along bottom. It has a very slow rise. I would literally just stop reeling. Tough bite  , glad to get a few.

3 hours ago, Dan N said:

Thanks for the replies. I ended up getting a few on a ned rig very slowly retrieving along bottom. 
today I got them  on a Rapala  DT 6 , dragging super slow along bottom. It has a very slow rise. I would literally just stop reeling. Tough bite  , glad to get a few.

 

 

Nice one!  I often have to do this with crankbaits and Swimbaits when it gets cold.  Low and slow is the way to go with fast moving baits!