Schools of bay anchovies are easily identifiable by the orange or muddy brown appearance that their schools have. They are typically about 2 inches to 4 inches. Like the silverside, their coloration is very distinctive, easily identified by their orange or brownish appearance and silver striping. Also like the silverside, bass and albies can really key in on the appearance making it hard to catch without the right profile. Anchovy feeds can often be the most exciting as they shower the water. The best retrieve speed for mimicking these is a medium to fast retrieve.
- Hogy Top Imitator: The Hogy Epoxy Jig lure in “Rain Bait” or “Shrimp” color patterns are dead riggers with a coloration patterns in deep amber with a silver stripe and shrimp with silver stripe. This lure is best fished on a 7’ lite spinning rod at or around the surface using varied retrieve speeds.
- Trouble Shooting Extreme Bait Competition: If there is an extreme abundance of bay anchovies, so much so that it is hard to get a bass or albie to key in on one, your go to retrieve is the “skippy retrieve:” cast just outside the school which will simulate one that has been separated from the school. Bay anchovies or rainbait are typically found in tight schools and you will often get a hut when your lure first hits and starts tumbling, so it is imperative to have contact with your Epoxy Jig when it hits the water. Another technique to grab a fish’s attention among shoals of bay anchovies is using a contrasting color, such as Pink or Crack, which has proven to be effective when fish are around the thick schools of rainbait.
