We’ve all been there at some point. Just minding our own business, not catching anything at all, and a school of feeding bass will pop up out of nowhere. It seems they will be there for a minute, then they will be gone only to pop up later to continue teasing you. There are times when you can nab some of these fish with a topwater, or a crankbait, but there are other times when they are so keyed in on what they are eating that they won’t touch ANYTHING.

Now, I’ll say that it drives me insane when anyone preaches about THE lure. In other words, one lure that you just HAVE TO HAVE. But, when it comes to schooling bass, this one bait is like candy and it has worked out for me in nearly every instance that I’ve ever thrown it at them. That bait is a small 3-inch (give or take a quarter inch) swimbait on an 1/8^th ounce jig head.

It’s a quite simple, yet effective, rig that I have learned to keep on the front of my boat 100% of the time. The only real KEY to this bait’s effectiveness is that it is likely the most realistic offering to place in front of these nomad fish that are following a certain type of forage around a lake. Once you see one of these schools fire up, simply cast your swimbait to the flurry and retrieve it at a slow to medium pace (if it takes THAT long to get bit).

I typically have this setup tied to 8-10-pound fluorocarbon connected to a 15-pound braided mainline. I like a medium action spinning rod and reel to help get the bait out as far as I can.

That’s all there is to it! Keep this rig handy and it could help you put a few extra fish in the boat during your next tournament or just-for-fun fishing trip! Until then, find us on Facebook, Instagram, and on  YouTube for more content and tips just like this one!