After a very wet spring things are drying out and warming up. About this time of year white bass are schooling and feeding on shad fry. That makes for some fast and furious action! Another contributing factor is the pulling of water through the dams to generate hydro-electric power to meet soaring summer demands. The combination of current and abundant bait-fish get the white bass and hybrids going.

This years shad fry are get some size to them and schooling up. When they reach about a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long they’re perfect bite size morsels for white bass. The water is clearing too from the spring rains and all of this adds up to some fun on the water.

Most of the action takes place later in the afternoon and evenings. When the lake flattens out the surface becomes a wall that the predator fish use to help corral the shad. The shad school near the surface to feed on the plankton growth created by the summer sun. Because most of the action is later in the day, plan to arrive around 4 or 5 and stay till late that evening. Be sure to bring the kids! There’s no better way to get them hooked on fishing than catching a fish on nearly every cast as the whites tear in the shad fry.

Bait selection is pretty basic too. All you need are some white or shad colored Road Runners, Rooster-Tails, or chrome Tiny Traps. Your lures should be small to match the size of the shad. Keep your eye out for the schooling action. Look for gulls and aquatic birds diving into the schools looking to grab an easy meal as the whites push the shad to the surface.

Good luck and have fun! We’ll see you on the water!