MLF Pros Dish on What You Can Learn from Summer Schoolers
By Mike Pehanich
nlike your sons and daughters , bass seem to love summer schools .
After their postspawn recovery , bass of all species school up gradually . On impoundments graced with large populations of schooling baitfish like blueback herring and various shad species , schooling habits can lead to some of the most exciting fishing of the year , ranging from giant largemouth slamming swimbaits on deep structure to schools of spotted bass cooking up a baitfish boil at the surface .
Electronics have added depth and dimension to our understanding . Side- and forward-scanning capabilities enable us to pinpoint structure and observe both bass and baitfish activity in real time and with increasingly lifelike clarity .
Here ’ s what five MLF pros have learned from the schooling experience , and how they ’ ve managed to convert those discoveries into hooked fish .
From wolf packs to hungry schools
Summer schooling starts to gain momentum in July on Anthony Gagliardi ’ s home waters in the Southeast . Threadfin shad and blueback herring are buffet favorites for largemouth on Lake Murray and the largemouth and spotted bass populations of Hartwell , Russell and the Savannah River impoundments .
“ The fish group in small wolf packs initially . Those fish tend to move , and the action is sporadic ,” says Gagliardi , whose resume includes both a Forrest Wood Cup ( 2014 ) and FLW Tour Angler of the Year ( 2006 ) award . “ But as the season enters August and fall , the fish group up more . They relate to breaks and suspend over brush and cane piles and become more accessible .” Spots will occupy a wide depth range . “ Spotted bass can navigate the water column from 50 feet to the surface way better than largemouth ,” Gagliardi says . “ They can work the depths better . They don ’ t seem to mind the pressure changes as much as the largemouth , which tends to suspend closer to the surface .”
Electronics have opened his underwater eyes to bass behavior in ways seldom imagined before .
“ The Garmin LiveScope has taught me a lot in a short amount of time about how fish gather on these spots and how active they can be ,” Gagliardi explains . “ I don ’ t waste as much time now on inactive fish . Before , you had to rely on the bite for much of your information . With LiveScope , you see fish respond whether or not you get a bite . It has taught me a ton .”
Bass suspend often in summer . Suspended fish pose a formidable challenge , and Gagliardi seldom targets them . Still , he ’ s learned much from observing their behavior .
On Table Rock Lake , he watched groups of bass follow his bait to the boat before retreating to a location 40 feet or more from where they were initially .
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE
“ The LiveScope showed that ,” Gagliardi says . “ It allows you to make the precise cast to the school as often as possible , which is important because once you ’ ve disturbed a school and pulled them off the spot where they ’ ve set up , they ’ re harder to catch . If they ’ re relating to a brushpile , they sit motionless a lot . If a school of shad passes overhead , they break and feed . When they ’ re done chasing , they hunker back down close to where they were , but not necessarily in the same place .”
Gizzard shad relate closely to the lake bottom . Schools of bass sitting in ambush over brushpiles are likely targeting threadfin shad or blueback herring .
“ I ’ ve seen bass herding threadfin one minute , then coming up again 10 minutes later to herd herring ,” he says . “ They probably prefer herring , but they aren ’ t going to discriminate if a ball of shad comes by .”
When bass are feasting on high-riding baitfish , Gagliardi opts for topwater walking baits like the Berkley Cane Walker or J-Walker or a Berkley PowerBait Jerk Shad fished close to the surface .
Berkley Cane Walker
“ All my presentations are fast ,” he says . He bases his bait selection and approach on what his electronics tell him . “ The 10- to 12-foot zone is the transition line ,” Gagliardi adds . “ Below that , bass aren ’ t going to come up for a topwater lure . If they ’ re deeper , I ’ ll likely go after them with a dropshot rigged with a Berkley PowerBait Bottom Hopper or other straight tail worm .”
Anthony Gagliardi prefers to speed up his presentation to get schoolers to bite .
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2021 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 47