The post-spawn time for bass fishing can change from day to day. This is the time of the year that you are going to have 7 different rods rigged up with seven different baits. Things are always changing. Fish spawn over a 2 to 3 month period sometimes. There are a lot of different things you can target. After that first month of spawning is over you can start to target post-spawn bass.
Most people think that you have to slow down and finesse fish for post-spawn bass. That is not necessarily the case. Post spawn bass are ready to eat after they have spawned out. So you can most definitely power fish for these post-spawn bass.
Where to Find Them
The big females tend to rest and hang out around the spawning areas. So look their first and see what you can find. They can congregate under docks nearby, grass, timber, and brush piles. They can also suspend off the banks a little deeper near those spawning areas. The key to trigger bites is to use erratic action and multiple casts. You also want to stay in the strike zone as long as possible as well to get those tired spawned out bass to bite.
Lure Choice
A fluke is an excellent choice for post-spawn bass. The fluke stays in the strike zone for a long time, has erratic action, and is a shad pattern that is popular this time of year.
A hardstyle jerk bait is another great choice. It has great erratic action. Make sure to use a cadence of twitch twitch pause. Try and pull on slackline so this bait moves more erratic side to side. This same cadence for the fluke above will work as well.
I love a spy bait for this time of year. On my home lake of Lake Lanier the bass will start to move out to offshore brush piles, steep banks, and bluff walls in the post-spawn. This spy bait because it is so slow-moving will stay in the strike zone for a long time. This bait especially shines when fished over offshore brush piles when the bass are not quite ready to commit to topwater baits. If you want to learn more about this bait and how to use it check this resource.
I will tell you this. The spy bait has helped me catch fish on days that I could not get them to bite anything else. It has a time when it really shines. It is very subtle and sometimes that is what they want. It also small in size which helps match the shad spawn that is going on this time of year.
A square bill crankbait is another choice that I have had success with near those spawning areas. It moves side to side a little more when reeling in and gets their attention. It is important to try and match a shad pattern this time of year which is their bait of choice after the spawn.
More Aggressive Post Spawn Bass
So as you get a little deeper into the post-spawn you can start to have a little more fun. That means you can throw bigger baits and use topwater which everyone seems to love. The bait gets bigger so you want to match that as best you can.
The spook is an excellent choice to target offshore brush piles and catch big post-spawn bass. You can cover a lot of water. with this bait. If the bass doesn’t commit to it really hard or boils behind your bait you might be better served to throw something subsurface like a swimbait.
A sebile magic swimmer is probably one of my favorite ways to catch a bass. Like I said above if they are not coming up and hitting the topwater they may want the bait just a little beneath the water. This is also a great follow up bait. If you have caught a couple on topwater and it seems as if the bite has slowed down then follow up with a magic swimmer and hold on. If you want to see some of that swimbait action than check this video of me catching them on a magic swimmer down below.
Targeting the Shad Spawn
The bass knows that this time of year there is a shad spawn happening. The shad like to spawn in low light periods of the day. The first hour of the morning and the last hour of the evening are great times to target these shad spawn areas.
The shad spawn will happen around sand pockets, rocky or clay points and sandy or clay blow through areas (which is a personal favorite of mine). Down below is a great example of a blow through area. The bass will wait on the downwind side and the front side of the blow through waiting for shad to be pushed into them and attack.
If the water is a little discolored the shad spawn will last a little longer throughout the day. They can also be pushed up against grass lines. A small spinnerbait or a small swimbait worked on a small jig head will work in these areas as well.
Pro Tip: One of the best search tools for finding the shad spawn if you do not see them hitting the surface is to throw a spinnerbait. The shad will bump the lure and try to spawn with it. I have even reeled my bait back to the bait with shad hooked on my spinnerbait.
Story Time: In Lake Guntersville we found a shad spawn in a pocket with grass. It was an over cast day so the shad spawn lasted a long time and we caught fish after fish on this bait.
They were chasing shad in this cove and we must have caught over 40 bass. It was one of the best fishing days of my life.
Targeting the Bluegill Spawn
Bluegills spawn better in the middle of the day. Bluegill beds can be found in pockets and around docks. They look like little dished out areas often mistaken for bass beds. The bluegill beds are much more defined and smaller. The bass will wait in the shadows and on the first break to get these bluegills. They can also hide and tuck under the shady side of docks waiting to pounce.
What to Throw
You can use a lot of the baits mentioned above just throw blue gill type colors. You would want to incorporate more orange, purple and yellow in your bait choices. You can also mix in some soft plastics and swim jigs like this one.
Efficiency is Key
When targeting that shad spawn you may not have a lot of time. If you are fishing by boat you want to cover as much area as possible. This is not your time to go fish your favorite spot. Fish the pattern and the conditions. If you are fishing a rip rap wall than get parallel to it so you can keep your bait in the strike zone as long as possible. Use a couple of different baits if you know the shad are there and find what they like best.
If you are fishing docks than work one side of the dock and quickly work the other side of the dock and move on. Since you only have this small window you want to maximize it.
Reef Markers or Offshore Humps Near Spawning Areas
After the spawn is over the bass will start to make their way to their summer hang outs. One place I like to look is reef markers or humps close to spawning areas. The bass will still be fatigued after the spawn and won’t make the long trip all at once.
They will stop and hang out at these humps and reef markers. This is something you will want to target later in the post spawn.
What I like to do is go and give them a check. I won’t fish all of them, I may just fish two of them to see if there are any signs of life. I will look for schooling activity, fish on my sonar, or of course a bite. If I see any of those I may fish them a little more thoroughly.
In Conclusion
The Post spawn time can be frustrating at times. But if you figure stout it can be some of the most rewarding and fast-paced action there is. Remember you are following the fish out to their eventual summer landing spots. On Lake Lanier that is offshore brush piles. On Lake Guntersville that may be offshore ledges. In Michigan on Lake St. Clair that will be offshore rock piles and grass flats most likely.
I hope this helps you guys and remember to adapt and try different things. Conditions will dictate what you throw. Have lots of baits tied on and go to work. Good Luck and Tight Lines!!
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