had a lot of fun chasing bait fish being chased by bass last evening in the canoe. Kind of neat. We’d look on the almost still lake and see a bunch of commotion, paddle over, throw a lure and bang, got a bass. Not real big, about 15 inches, but it was fun. Threw em back, of course. After things settles down we worked the shore and weed line. Anyone else chase bait fished being chased and catch fish?
Very popular tactic…
when fishing for speckled trout (spotted sea trout) along the gulf coast. When we see birds diving and feeding you can bet there are trout beneath them.
We get upwind and then drift through them and almost never fail to pick a few up. Then we come around and drift through again. Repeat until the birds get tired of you and disperse. Once they disperse you’ll lose track of the school of shrimp or baitfish that they were feeding on.
Yessir
My son and I did that last fall. Bass were busting bait at the surface. Paddle over and toss out a topwater. A couple of pops and wham! fish on!! That was so much fun I’m surprised it’s legal.
Constantly!
I fish after rising baitfish constantly; it is the non-fly-fisher’s means of sight fishing. While I see it happening occasionally on lakes, it seems to be much more common on the local rivers where there are clouds of baitfish that are always meddling and nipping at surface insects. When they scatter, it’s lunch time!
One of my most fun fish last year was caught from my kayak while chasing rising baitfish. I was fishing off a tiny island with a great dropoff when around the island came a shower of jumping minnows. About every five minutes one would (apparently) disappear with a splash. I threw over a hand-carved popper/buzzer, went into the “wounded minnow” act, and Pow! onto my biggest bass of the year. This chunky little guy towed me halfway around the island before I brought him in.
So, yee-haw to chasing rising baitfish!
Stripers
I saw bait jumping near a bridge while on my regular boat, threw out a bass assassin, and wham, a striper of 20 inches. I call it taking advantage of a good opportunity.
FunFunFun!!
I love doing this!
what a treat and lots of fun!
never anything really big, but its fun trying 
whites
Few things are as fun as getting into a huge school of white bass busting bait fish. Well, big smallmouth are good too.