Under the Lights

So I have seven underwater green lights off my dock and a ton of various types of fish swimming around. I sometimes see four or five largemouth swimming around a particular light but they are too smart to bite. I caught five white bass and two largemouth tonight. I think in time they've become educated because whether I toss a 1.5 square bill or a swim bait, I haven't been able to catch them for a while.

They never bite plastic worms.

Rarely do the ones you see in the light bite. Try throwing a crank bait then slowly reel it close to them and let it float for a minute or two. If they turn and look at it, crank it fast and let it dive. Sometimes you get a reactionary bite from them like that. Otherwise, seeing the bass let’s you know they are there and start fishing the outside of the light where they are set up to ambush. That’s where most of your bites will come from.

I fished the lights at Fork for a while and found there are lights that fish bite on and there are areas that have several bass in the lights but you can never catch a bass from that area. You might try using a timer and limiting the amount of time that they have for attracted baitfish and see if you find something that works.

Many years of “fishing the lights”. Also many years fishing lighted boathouses on Cedar Creek before green lights, LED’s... You have the right bait: smaller shad colored shallow crankbait was always my go to. Figured that out 30 years ago. I believe your problem is you are seeing the fish....thus they are seeing you. I always fish boat house lights from a boat and it has always been imperative that you keep a good distance back off in the shadows when fishing the lights. Also often helped to cast past the lighted area and work the bait through the lighted area so your bait does not splash down in the middle of the lighted area
on your cast. Basically you need to be somewhat stealthy fishing lights at night. Also as mentioned above: some docks hold fish and some do not.

Try chatterbait on yo yo retrieve off bottom around edges of light. Bass in lights do get use to you/baits and get finicky after you catch a couple have to have a rotation and or let it rest for a bit. Have seen lights stacked with 10-20 fish and caught a couple and they scatter but stay around area....

Happened big time last night. I mostly caught chunky white bass but the lights were loaded up with fish of all types. I could see gar, white bass and LMB moving about (and bream, crappie & shad). After catching a chunk of a LMB in the shadow off a light with the gar, even the gar disappeared, for a good long while. I'll try again tonight but I have to drop the boat into the water early or somebody else will be there fishing the lights. My dock is the community hole.

I've had several times where I've caught a decent 5 fish stringer in a pretty short amount of time. But this year they seem better educated or more finicky.

I also believe the stupid fish theory because some of the fish I catch shows signs of multiple episodes of catch and release. I feel a little sorry for them.

Gene Larew Shooters work.

Weightless Senko, TXRig.