Spotted bass are an aggressive, competitive lot; but even a robust school sees peaks and valleys in its feeding. When this happens, you certainly have the option of giving them a rest and returning later. However, Bassmaster Elite pro Gerald Swindle would first try a little spot stimulation strategy.
“One thing I’ll do if the fish are kind of dormant is I’ll drop my ¾-ounce Buckeye Lures Ballin’ Out Jig on them. It’s a round ball head finesse jig and I’ll hop it to them; jump it to them really fast to make one bite.
“Even if I miss him, a lot of times, that first one will bite so aggressively, it will trigger the school. Then, I’ll pick up a worm and start catching them. If it slows down again, I’ll hop that jig through there again.”
If the fish need a different form of pot stirring, Elite pro Casey Ashley suggests working different angles.
“Be mindful that spotted bass like hanging on the upcurrent side of things, and sometimes, they even like it when you get on top of the structure, throw off to the side and bring your bait up,” Ashley said. “This makes your bait look like something the current would wash up onto a point, a hump or whatever you’re fishing.
“So change up your cadence just like you would with a jerkbait or a crankbait. If you’re dragging a jig across a point or up a drop and they stop biting it, you can stroke a jig. They’ll follow a bait, so if you hop it off the bottom really quick, that will trigger them to bite and fire up the school so you can catch them and catch them and catch them.”
