Shad

Gizzard shad and threadfin shad school in open water and move seasonally, and bass, crappie, stripers and walleye follow them. That is why so much of bass fishing amounts to finding the bait first.

Autumn is the clearest example. As water cools, shad push into the backs of creeks and bass follow in numbers, which makes a silver or white bait in the right size close to automatic for a few weeks.

Threadfin die off in cold snaps, and a shad kill in winter puts easy food in the water and concentrates predators under it. Gulls working an area are usually pointing at exactly that.

Size matters when you are matching them. Threadfin stay small, two to four inches, while gizzard shad grow far larger, and a lake dominated by big gizzard shad rewards a much bigger bait than one full of threadfin.

Not every water has shad. Northern lakes and most ponds run on perch, bluegill and crawfish instead, which changes the color and profile you should be throwing.