You might try lures designed to imitate pellets. Stubby Steves, maybe?Or perhaps put a hook through a golden raisin.
I have tried a DIY "Stubby Steve's" by cutting a pellet sized piece of small faded purple rubber worm. It closely mimics a pellet under water, similar in size and color. I am convinced that it must be the combination of floating, color, & smell/taste that they are tuning in to.
How can any fish resist a fat, juicy, live grasshopper during a feeding frenzy? They are only interested in pellets it wold seem.
I imagine every bass in there is watching the one get hooked...collective memory: "well, that's a fake also."
Fake or not...I'm a believer! Just last week during my first attempt to catch a HSB during the feed...I was using small HBG under a bobber (about 6" deep) and got a few hard strikes, but nothing landed. I have fished for an hour a day since during feeding time with the same rigging and NOTHING will touch it. I'm afraid I have trained them to NOT eat my HBG YOY. Surely not, but that's the way they're acting.
I'm asking you selfishly because I stocked some this spring in my pond in the 4-6" range. How many fish do you have per acre?
I'd also try very small jig head (1/32 to 1/64oz) tipped with worm.
I put in 40 HSB in my 1/4 acre pond (160 per acre). Their main purpose is to help control the HBG offspring as my goal is to grow some bigger HBG. They (HBG) seem to have topped out this year at 1/2 pound, but that's for a different rant. The first year, the HSB got over a pound each and should be over 2 pounds now, if I could just prove that.
I may try a jig head tipped with dynamite!
