The first cool nights of autumn trigger changes on many fishing lakes, few of which are more exciting to fishermen in the know than the onset of striper schooling activity. Initially, most schooling occurs very early and late in the day, and most schools only come up briefly. As fall progresses, though, surface schooling activity increases substantially on many lakes.
Schools sometimes contain only a handful of fish. Other times, countless stripers spread over vast areas, smashing baitfish all over the surface so the water looks like it is boiling.
While schooling stripers sometimes feed with reckless abandon, they often are surprisingly fussy. Therefore, veteran anglers keep three or four rods rigged with different types of fishing lures for when schools do come to the top.
Tops on most anglers’ lists are topwater lures, both because the fish are naturally looking up to feed and because it’s so fun to catch schooling stripers on topwater lures. Heddon Super Spooks, Rebel Jumpin’ Minnows and Cotton Cordell Red-Fins are favorites among striper fishermen.
Red-Fins, which are fished with a slow, steady crank to create a wide wobble on the surface and push out a wake, are outstanding when schools are loose, with plenty of fish in an area but only occasional surface breaks. Super Spooks and Jumpin’ Minnows, with their erratic walks and noisy rattles, are better suited for aggressively schooling fish.
In addition to a topwater fishing lure, many anglers keep a chrome/blue 1/2-ounce Cotton Cordell Super Spot rigged at all times for schooling stripers. Shad-shaped, tight wobbling and loaded with vibrating rattles, a Super Spot will draw shoulder-jolting strikes when swam quickly just beneath the surface.
A third type of bait that can be very effective for schooling fish is either a Booyah Flair Hair Jig, which is a bucktail dressed with a curly-tailed grub, or a YUM Samurai Shad fished on a leadhead. Both styles of bait typically are swam steadily within a few feet of the surface, where large stripers commonly lurk.
Veteran striper fishermen switch rods every few casts when the stripers do come up and change baits on their rods between schools until they find the right big fish lure with the ideal action, size and color. Schooling stripers will smash “the right bait” virtually every cast but will completely ignore other baits.
Arguably the most important thing to remember about schooling stripers is to never run a boat among breaking fish. Veteran anglers run toward schools when they see fish come to the top but always stop the boat well away from the fish and either drift toward the fish or approach them with a trolling motor. Running the motor too close will push the fish down and shut off the bite.
Finally, it’s worth keeping in mind that just because the fish stop breaking on top doesn’t mean they’ve gone away. When stripers that have been schooling seem to disappear, anglers are wise to continue fishing Spots or other subsurface offerings until another school pops up. Often stripers will be lingering just beneath the surface, and one will stop a Super Spot in its tracks.