something smaller usually works best on schooling fish. Something like a jigging spoon, small lipless crankbait, Mann's Little George, 3" swimbait on a 1/4oz darter head, etc..

OUCH! That is my only hesitation when it comes to that presentation as it�s not a cheap set up.

Five inch flutter spoon to the bigger ones below. Had that going on at Monticello yesterday early and couldn't get anything to bite near surface in deep water. Got three on 5 inch flutter spoon just off bottom in 12 feet of water.

Different lakes they like different things when schooling from my experience. One lake I can cast an A rig past them rigged with flukes on weightless hooks, reel and pause, repeat and they'll smash it. Another it might be a square bill in a shad pattern and yet another a jerk bait or a trap that gets them. I find that if they've been in their feeding frenzy for quite a while then they tend to get more picking about the lure size matching the shad they're chasing. I watch for spots nearby like grass lines that they're pinning the bait against in there attack and target these areas. I'll position my boat as far from the cover as I can and still be in casting range, set and wait for the next school to start feeding. Sometimes the surface is the only thing they can pin them against and I'll cast a square bill or jerk bait and dead stick it then barely twitch it and have good luck. Most of the time casting past the exploding surface or lead it in the direction they're moving and reeling down into them and pausing is the ticket for me. Suspended fish hanging tight to timber when the bait is shallow can be caught using the same techniques. I cast past the timber as closely as I can given the wind then retrieve my lures just past or smashing into the timber. Tight lines!

1/4oz Roadrunner white head / white grub