White bass don’t require specialized techniques to catch them when they are actively feeding. However, they can become a little tougher to catch when they retreat back to deeper water.
That’s why guide Terry Bates of Greenville started experimenting with the drop-shot technique on Lake Ferguson a few years ago: He was looking for something that might entice the whites when they weren’t as active, and he thought this popular largemouth bass-fishing technique might fit the bill.
“I drop shot a 2-inch Gulp! minnow on it and can absolutely catch the stew out of them on it,” Bates said. “Once I know I’m in the general area, I just throw it out in front of the boat, maybe 20 feet, and let it sink to the bottom.
“With this rig, my weight is on bottom, while that minnow swims above it about 2 feet off the bottom.”
When his rig hits bottom, Bates just kind of crawls it along by reeling it really slowly while trying to keep his weight on the bottom. He admits he doesn’t normally feel the bite this way; his bait just gets heavy all of a sudden.
“It’s easy to tell when a fish is on it after you catch a few and get the hang of it,” Bates said. “But sometimes there’s no doubt they’ve got it because they’ll grab it and run off with it.
“It’s definitely more technique-oriented than a spoon or a Little George, because they basically hook themselves on those two baits.”