you need a slab or little George toss it and reel fast

Encountered this same thing at Monticello at the plant discharge many years ago. I figured out how to get them to bite by accident. I was throwing a 1/2 or 3/4 oz chrome CC jigging spoon and letting it fall into the schools of fish. That made a few of them bite but not to my satisfaction.

One time they came up and I threw the spoon into the feeding fish and started reeling it back fast. As I was reeling madly, the spoon started to skip out of the water. Before I got it back to the boat I had three fish blow up on it and hooked one of them. These were 3-4 pound fish so it was pretty cool! My partner and I repeated this technique of throwing it into the school and reeling like crazy as soon as the bait hit the water causing it to skip & jump out of the water. We smoked them doing this for two hours.

Some days they just don't stay up long enough to figure out what they want.
I try not to throw right into the surfacing bait but stay on the outside edges of the visible school so that my bait doesn't get lost in there. Medium diving cranks, rattletraps and topwaters usually get the job done.

+1 This - works for black and white bass schoolers. 1/4 - 1/2 oz depending on size of bait they're chasing and casts a mile.

Or - use a Launcher with a leader and even smaller lure if they're feeding on really small bait and you need to throw way out.

https://flexcoat.com/product-category/long-distance-casting-floats

I saw some shad busting in the middle of the lake the other day and sat in the same spot for about two hours tearing them up on a suspending jerkbait.

Cotton Cordell Gay Blade in chrome/blue. Best schooling fish catcher there is. 3/8 size is small and you can throw it a mile. Catch lots of doubles on it.

let me guess... Walter E???????? lol

Good luck. Those fish are super wise.

I love targeting schooling fish. I always have a Super Fluke Jr. and Swimming Fluke Jr. on in a natural bait color. I also keep a Live Target Bait Ball Popper on. The fourth bait I keep on that doesn't look like anything they are feeding on that works for some crazy reason is a senko.

yep! They sure seem to be. I've never caught a schooling bass there

if you were on bastrop, try any yo zuri topwater in clear finish...i dont burn it, tho...just a somewhat slow walk the dog...59 topwater strikes one morning! (yeah, i count 'em)