Try a buzzbait, Josh. I'd recommend a Secret Weapon Lures Bleeding Minnow in
3/16-ounce size with a nickel or red willowleaf trailer blade behind the
buzzblade. Other anglers who use this bait on J. Percy Priest Reservoir
prefer high-profile buzzbaits, like the Midnight Snack Buzzrbait.

A buzzbait is the farthest thing from many anglers' minds when they're
fishing bass in the jumps over deep water, but the lure is a pretty fair
simulation of a small shad skipping along the surface.

Bass use edges to help restrict the movement of their prey. That is one
reason why fishing tight to a bluff wall, against a stump, or along the
bottom is so effective; bass are more successful at the squeeze play than
they are at open-field tackling, so they position themselves to attack prey
that enters the killing zone between them and the edge to which they're
orienting. In open water, their prey can escape in many directions. When the
prey is up against an edge, their escape route options are limited, and the
bass eat better as a consequence.

The water's surface is just another edge to bass. They trap shad against it,
and when shad are schooling in open water, the predator fish hang out below
and around the sides, looking upward. A racing buzzbait sputtering and
splashing across their field of vision is clearly visible and is often too
tempting to pass up. The bass are already in attack mode, so they rocket
upward and smash it.

Give it a try. This is effective on stripers as well.

Joe
---------------------------------------
"Joshuall" wrote in message
. ..

Last week my brother in law and I fished the Mississippi River Pool 18. We
caught a few decent fish in the limited time we had, but here's my question.
We found bait fish on all the major main river points and over much of the
shore lines. On the last point there were literally schools of bait fish for
about a fifty yard diameter. We could see larger fish feeding on them, but
couldn't get a bite no matter what we threw. I suppose the bigger fish were
just gorging themselves at that location and nothing would have been
successful, but I wondering what we could have done at other venues on the
river were there were also plenty of shad and we had a hard time getting a
bite. Any tips or suggestions appreciated as ususal. We smacked em again on
the Cal last Friday, but didn't see much baitfish activity at all.

Now I'm grounded with a broken down boat motor acccccck ! Thanks for any
help guys/gals

mike
--
God Bless America

Josh The Bad Bear