Most of us can’t call our shots when we head for a bass lake. Sometimes you’re in the right spot at the right time, others you can’t buy a bite.

That’s not the case on bass lakes across the Southeast right now, as the fall threadfin shad bite is at a peak. Threads, a smaller cousin of gizzard shad, are bass candy, and right now there are countless millions of them making shad ripples at the surface across hundreds of lakes. Drop a lure through any of these ripples—especially in the last 90 minutes of daylight—and you’re almost sure to get bit.

If it’s not a largemouth, it will be a spotted bass, or a white bass, or a crappie, or a hybrid. Almost everything that eats fish comes to these bait schools at this time of year. Even blue cats occasionally get in on the action.

Threads are only about 1 to 2 inches long at the beginning of October, and maybe a little over 2 inches by the end of November. You’d think they would be too small to interest a sizeable largemouth, but especially this month, the bigger fish will show up to stuff themselves, just as the 12-inchers have been earlier in the season.

The threads come to the surface to eat zooplankton and make an easily seen “shad ripple” when they do. The action is most intense when the surface is warmest, the last 90 minutes or so before sunset. In fertile lakes like those in the Tennessee River chain, they sometimes cover many acres on the feeder bays.

Fish attacking the bait first show themselves with swirls and bow waves, but as the attack goes on you’ll see fish doing flips and high jumps. Get in range of one of these attacks and put a shad imitation in front of them and you’re almost sure to get hooked up. Diving gulls can be a key, so keep your eyes peeled.

Lipless crankbaits like the Redeye Shad are among the many lures that work well when bass are feeding on threadfins. (Frank Sargeant)

Lures that work well include small Rat-L-Traps, Cordell Spots and Redeye Shads, the Heddon Tiny Torpedo, Mini-Spook, Rapala Skitter V and all sorts of spoons about the size of the bait or a little larger. 

The spoons work better than anything I’ve found—light-weight spoons 2” long of thin stainless steel with a single size 2 treble is all it takes. Some from Al’s Goldfish series also do a good job. Let this flutter down through the bait school and watch the line. When it jumps, set the hook and you’re on. 

Vibrating lures about 2 to 3” long are one of the better offerings for bass feeding on shad. Work them in a zig-zag, pull and drop motion. (Frank Sargeant)

It’s best to use spinning tackle with braided line, with a rod’s length of mono or fluorocarbon leader to “stiffen” the line so the hooks don’t tangle. The braid floats so you can see the bite, and also allows a more solid hook set than filament lines.

On those occasions when the first drop doesn’t get hit, raising the spoon or lipless crankbait about 5 feet off bottom and then letting it flutter back usually does the job. Lather, rinse and repeat, all the way back to the boat.

While most of the bass that hit on top will be fish of 12” to 14”, those you catch near bottom are more likely to be 2 to 3 pounders and occasionally a 4 or 5.

In between you’re likely to catch an assortment of crappies, hybrids and white bass to keep things interesting.

There are usually crappies, hybrids and white bass mixed in with the largemouths attacking shad. A small spoon works as well as anything to fool these fish. (Frank Sargeant)

It’s a bit of a movable feast, and the shad might be in one spot this evening and a quarter mile down the lake tomorrow night, but find them and be there at the right time with the right lures and it’s game on. The bite continues until the first serious cold fronts, when water temperature drops down near 50 at the surface, driving the bait and the bite deep for the winter.

— Frank Sargeant
Frankmako1@gmail.com