School is in session during late summer

Just beyond casting range, the placid water exploded with activity as hundreds of 5- and 6-pound bass smashed into a terrified school of shad.

            We dropped our rods and kicked the trolling motor into high gear. As we began casting to the now empty waters where bass once schooled, fish again erupted just beyond casting range behind our boat. Again, we pushed volts to the motor only to see bass explode where we just left.

            Such eruptions commonly tantalize anglers across North America as bass fanatics futilely chase these “ghosts of summer.” They appear without warning and suddenly vanish, only to reappear in another spot moments later. An angler can sometimes spend nearly all day chasing schooling fish without putting one into the live well. However, in the right spot, an angler can fill a live well in minutes.

“Patience is the key to catching schooling bass,” said Sam Swett of Covington, La. “By the time we motor over to where the school was, it disappears. Nine times out of 10, the school reappears behind the boat. It’s tough to resist chasing after them.”

Find the shad and anglers usually find bass. At the right opportunity, bass attack from all directions, herding shad into balls and forcing them to the surface. At the surface, shad run out of room to escape. Then, the bass move in to gorge on anything they can catch, churning the surface in the process. If anglers happen to sit in the right spot at the right time, they can quickly catch several fish, but they must react fast.