when tiny bait is in, what lure?

[ivanputski]

I was out in the boat this evening, water was like glass... i spotted multiple schools of schoolie bass and blues feeding for about 2 hours... I tried poppers, needle eels, deadly #^&#^&#^&#^&s, and 4" rigged plastic shad... I caught 6 fish when I should have caught 30... One blue spit up TINY bait fish... about 1" in length and very thin. (not peanut bunker) My question is, What should I have been using? My only thought is using a 1-2" sluggo or fin-s with 2 feet of leader, attached to a 1-2 ounce trolling sinker as a casting weight... so when retreived, the tiny lure trails behind the trolling sinker. would this be effective, or is this a completey bootleg idea that wont work... I like using a 1 oz deadly #^&#^&#^&#^& because they cast so far with braid, but the fish just were not taking it.... any help would be appreciated.

[RIJIMMY]

easy one - go with a teaser on a plug, a small fly would have nailed them
80% of my summer fish are on teasers

[ivanputski]

It seems though that if most of the fish would hit the small fly, that it would be easier to land the fish if the fly was trailing behind the plug... is that what you do? I normally attach a teaser ahead to induse a strike, but in a school/feeding situation, I think it would be a quicker, cleaner landing if the fly was trailing.... thanks for the resonse.

[Backbeach Jake]

I can't recall blues ever being finicky to the point where fine graduations in size matter. I'd go with a 1oz. Kastmaster or Hopkins.

[capecodkid]

I'd go with a 3/4 oz. deadly #^&#^&#^&#^&.

[RIJIMMY]

I have the plug ahead of the teaser but I am sure the other method would work too

[Pt.JudeJoe]

The peanuts are here and this one should be in your bag.Let it flutter down and get to the stripers below.

[ThrowingTimber]

Small tin with a small teaser.

Also the 1/8 ounce storms shad in that pearl white color or the bunker pattern work well with the small bait. Good luck, sounds perfect for a flyrod if you so inclined.

[pmueller]

Originally Posted by Backbeach Jake

I can't recall blues ever being finicky to the point where fine graduations in size matter. I'd go with a 1oz. Kastmaster or Hopkins.

Blues can be highly selective. About ten or so years ago, fishing out at Sandy Hook, we had blues at night. The problem was they were feeding on small shrimp. About size 4 or 6. Along with light tippet. I know, it doesn't sound like much, but when its the only game going, its what you go with.
Go figure, blues at night, size and shape selective. Feeding like trout in a stream

[Got Stripers]

Early evening yesterday I ended up on a point with blues outside the rocks slurping and acres of bass inside closer to the rocks slurping. Couldn't tell what they were feeding on, but it was almost too small to see, maybe young squiddy's. I switched to a 6" ledge runner weightless and worked it agressively on top, caught until I had to stop.

[doc]

sometimes when the peanuts are around and being chased...and it seems like all the fish are 1-3"...i have had good luck tossing large plugs...go figure, but it has worked when matching the bait has not...

[numbskull]

Sometimes the fish are on krill. Even a fly rod can be near futile in that case. I once tossed a live bunker into a huge school of 12lb bluefish piled on each others backs eating krill........and they ignored it. Let the bunker go after that figuring he'd suffered enough.

[jimmy z]

Originally Posted by RIJIMMY

easy one - go with a teaser on a plug, a small fly would have nailed them
80% of my summer fish are on teasers

What RIJIMMY said.
Three casts last night, three bass on the teaser.
Ya might even get some shad on the teaser.

[shadow]

if it is penuts the fish will hit just about anything most of the time even large plugs like someone else said.If it is some other very small bait that is around mostly in spring then all you can do is walk away or the fish will drive you nuts. even the blues.

[emgred]

Originally Posted by jimmy z

What RIJIMMY said.
Three casts last night, three bass on the teaser.
Ya might even get some shad on the teaser.

Had that about 10 days ago at one of my "skinny water" spots here in Eastern Long Island. Would not touch a thing; put a teaser on - 4 Blues, 2 decent size Shad & 5 Bass. Funny thing, the blues & shad hit the teaser, but the bass that would not touch a plug by itself, all hit the bomber. Go figure.

[pops]

these little guys

[Finaddict]

Originally Posted by pops

these little guys

Those little trouble makers are awesome ... I've done very well with them ... they still cast well too.

[teaser]

Originally Posted by RIJIMMY

easy one - go with a teaser on a plug, a small fly would have nailed them
80% of my summer fish are on teasers

"go with a teaser on a plug" ... leave me outta this

[tynan19]

Same thing in Buzzards Bay this week. A ton of small blues on top going airborne on 1 to 2 inch bait. I was using a fly rod fishing with clousers and still could only get about 6 fish in 2 hrs of casting. Fish were constantly blitzing the whole time. Frustrating to say the least.