Can someone give me a 101 course on Sand/Hybrid Bass fishing

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Onski326
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Can someone give me a 101 course on Sand/Hybrid Bass fishing

Post by Onski326 »

I've been trying my luck at sand bass fishing lately with no luck. I'm not looking for spots, just some pointers on where to find them in any given lake. How deep of water are they usually swimming in? What kind of structure do I need to look for? Protected water, wind-blown side of the lake, chop? Lures? How deep do they usually run?
I know about the birds and have had great luck with that in the past...when I had a motorboat but it's a little more difficult making way across a lake on a yak. lol What about lake dam aerators? I've never ran into those before but they seem like a candidate.
I've been trolling looking for bait schools trailing silver Bomber slabs, hammered chrome CC spoons and white Mepps Aglia spinners. Last time I really went fishing (5 years ago), my pops and I ran into a school of sandies and filled the cooler in like 15 minutes. It was epic and I really loved that style fishing. Hoping to be able to attain that in the yak.
Any help would greatly be appreciated!
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Kirk B.
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Re: Can someone give me a 101 course on Sand/Hybrid Bass fishing

Post by Kirk B. »

<popcorn emoji here>
Looking forward to the answers, as well.

Kirk B.
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Puck
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Re: Can someone give me a 101 course on Sand/Hybrid Bass fishing

Post by Puck »

These fish travel in wide open water all day, chasing baitfish. If they can pin the shad against a hump, or underwater ledge, your day is made.

This only applies to fishing open water, and is the approach I used to fish Toledo Bend.

In winter you'll have to find the bait balls. These will look like a round blot or huge arch. Look at your owner's manual to see what to expect. Keep in mind that even in the winter, these bait balls move. I usually found them in old creek channels in the winter.

My trick to fishing them is a spoon that flutters down through the bait. Keeping a tight line you'll feel the sandy try to run with his snack, in an attempt to keep it away from his school mates.

With a fly rod, my preferred method is to use a full sinking type V or VI line and cast a barely floating shad fly, like a doctored Cypert Minnow or a Davy Wooten Shad, well past where you marked the bait out, let the fly line sink, and work the fly in slow twitches. With every pause, the fly will slowly float upwards, imitating a dying shad.

Good Luck,
Puck
Warhawk
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Re: Can someone give me a 101 course on Sand/Hybrid Bass fishing

Post by Warhawk »

Look for underwater structure, like creek channels and humps. They will often be found deep, running creek or river channels. Once you find them, jig lead slab spoons vertically.

Another way to catch them, that I've used in a big boat, is to troll the "hell pet" rig. You'll have to google it. But you're basically using a hellbender crankbait trailed by a pet spoon. This rig is popular enough that Academy sells (or used to) Hellbender plugs without hooks.

Good luck
Onski326
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Re: Can someone give me a 101 course on Sand/Hybrid Bass fishing

Post by Onski326 »

Well went out again this last weekend and no luck once more. I was trolling a Bomber silver and a CC hammered jigging spoon with 1/4 oz jig heads and sassy shad on one and a Bobby Garland baby shad above the other real close to the bottom. I found a few bait fish in 30' but they were close to the bottom. I did manage to get a small catfish though so I didn't get skunked at least. I think I was marking them but just couldn't get anything to bite.
There are some channels and road beds and good points but the bad part is they're a good distance from any launches.
I did google the hell pet rig and really liked the idea. Basically a poor man's downrigger. I actually have a downrigger left over from a previous life but I don't think there's a suitable way to put one on a kayak. lol I have a few real deep divers that I've never caught anything on I think I'm going to convert over to the hell pet rig as well. Brilliant idea and it'll let me keep my trolling speeds up to be able to cover more ground. I was only able to roll around .4-.7mph without having the lures trail too far off behind the yak. 1.5mph felt better but they just ran too high up at that speed. Excited to try out the new rig setup! Much thanks guys.
P.S. on the fly would be amazing when they're schooling and feeding! Never thought about that. May have to dust off my old fly reel and give it a shot someday.
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