We have had such warm weather that the fish have been spawning sooner that normal and we went from really active shallow fish to now where things have really slowed down. Water is not clear enough for me to really spot fish but pretty sure things have progressed and we are in that stage where fish are spawning and guarding fry to post spawn. For that time of the year just wanted to hear what most folks have had success with and what technique has worked the best to continue catching LMB.

Thanks

We've had the same weather, unusually warm for early April, early spawn.

It seems like parental instinct takes over during post spawn and the bite slows somewhat as the parents are more interested in guarding fry but as the water temps rise the fish disperse and the bite picks back up.

We have very clear water here so I rely heavily on soft plastics / finesse for much of the season regardless...... other than a spinnerbait.

Same situation here. I have had two things work lately, one where fish were stacked on brush piles just a little off the bank and I was catching them on a t-rig worm or jig, the other is just burning a lipless crank or chatter bait around to find scattered post spawners.

Also gotten a few nice frog fish under matted veg in the middle of the day.

I live out west and fish mostly deep water impoundments. As soon as fish have started to go "pre-spawn" It's all about big topwater and slow sink glides for me. big hens start looking for big meals after they've had a chance to recover and it's probably some of the most violent topwater bites you'll ever get the chance to witness. Get's me excited just thinking about it👍

I live on a herring lake. The fluke is king until they go out to their summer haunts.

6 hours ago, Mike Thomas said:

I live out west and fish mostly deep water impoundments. As soon as fish have started to go "pre-spawn" It's all about big topwater and slow sink glides for me. big hens start looking for big meals after they've had a chance to recover and it's probably some of the most violent topwater bites you'll ever get the chance to witness. Get's me excited just thinking about it👍

Pretty sure this is how I caught my PB this month. She absolutely crushed my choppo

Because bass don’t only spawn once or all at once - I generally don’t change what I’m doing much after surface temps get warm - bass are pre spawn when they finish laying eggs because they are physically incapable of maturing a round of eggs all at once and while they’re laying one round of eggs another is incubating and maturing - this process is actually slowed down even more if temps are below 70 or above 80 regularly - egg incubation slows a lot when it’s hot or cool but they keep spawning every new and full moon.

Fry guarders are among the easiest fish to catch all year and I truly believe the main reason the bite seems to get so hot in the summer is that fish are spawning and guarding fry literally everywhere perpetually and they have a very hard time resisting anything that’s in the water with the fry. Also important to remember that once a bass is locked into spawning - he will be busy for well over a month and often times be protecting fry for multiple females and dealing with fresh egg drops all at once! Very busy boys! Males look beat up not necessarily because they’ve been caught a million times but because they’re probably on their 6th round of spawning and you think he just got done with his one round of babies etc.

My experience is more so that when a ton of fish are spawning at once it can seem tough/slow because when they’re on their beds they get pressured and aren’t really eating anything at all - just chasing things off - so basically a couple weeks where the only way to get bit is to drop a bait right on their bed and let it sit. Not very fun or easy fishing - but it can be cool to sight fish - I enjoy just seeing them everywhere - it’s kinda like going shopping a few weeks before Christmas - you get a sense of how big the bass are and where they hang out from just studying them without even making a cast.

The “post spawn” is sort of confusing terminology because it feels like we are talking about deer or trout and bass simply dont reproduce the same way at all - a healthier way of viewing the seasons of LMB fishing (to me at least) is “late spring” - I don’t really sit around and try to generalize an entire population of bass - I try to think more so about the weather / the water temperature and continue to fish for them where they are.

The spawn is happening long before and long after people are fishing for spawning bass and it happens in direct response to the people pressuring it every year - bass absolutely will move around based on how much they’re fished for etc.

When it really starts to warm up - there’s tons of food everywhere and fish are more aggressive and worried about competition and typically you have sunfish and crappie and minnows trying to use the same areas as the bass to spawn and guard fry - this period when fish are in all 3 stages of the spawn perpetually and in competition with other species on the lake really lasts until it’s too cool for those other species to be up shallow anymore which is a different time every year - just depends on the weather.

A lot of times sections of the lake become little breeding factories and you can always go look for hungry or defensive or competitive or territorial fish around sunfish or crappie beds or grass fields where fry will perpetually be protected until the grass dies etc.

I think that when fish are super active and looking for things to chase off or kill like sentinels - it becomes more important to target the right part of the water column - bass become way less worried about things on the bottom sitting still and way more keyed in on things that are darting around their faces and above their heads perpetually. I find things just under the surface or on the surface tend to be really really good during the early stages of the transition into the summer when bass are mostly concerned with protecting fry and chasing invaders out of big areas they have staked out.

Topwater. Buzzbait or buzzfrog if water is dirty, spook if water is not dirty.

I struggle to catch big fish during the period you are talking about. If I could fish in water between 40 and 50 degrees all year I would be happy, but that aint gonna happen.

Spawning bass are hard to catch but if the water is warm the postspawners will wack a topwater.

I just take it for what it is during the spawn when the majority are on beds. I usually switch to panfish or something when it’s peak spawn and wait till good amounts start posting up resting and hungry “post spawn”. I do not think there is any magic wand for that period, take what you get and call it good.

Bomber Prop A which are not available, destroys post spawn females on cover and points leading away from spawning areas. Bagley makes the Bang-O-Lure with the prop that is similar. For fry guarders I like a lizard. Being water is usually to murky to see bass, nest or fry a spinnerbait is what I throw the most .

Rarely do I target true "spawning" fish so most of the spawn I am fishing near or around the first break near spawning flats. Before the spawn the vegetation is scarce and I'm fishing spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, jerkbaits, jigs. When that vegetation grows in more towards the end of the spawn I fish spinnerbaits more heavily and start mixing in big t-rigged worms and fishing those newly established weedlines.

1 hour ago, Lottabass said:

Topwater. Buzzbait or buzzfrog if water is dirty, spook if water is not dirty.

I struggle to catch big fish during the period you are talking about. If I could fish in water between 40 and 50 degrees all year I would be happy, but that aint gonna happen.

Spawning bass are hard to catch but if the water is warm the postspawners will wack a topwater.

Ive thrown a buzz bait and no takers. I usually always have one tied on since I like throwing them...

11 minutes ago, MassYak85 said:

Rarely do I target true "spawning" fish so most of the spawn I am fishing near or around the first break near spawning flats. Before the spawn the vegetation is scarce and I'm fishing spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, jerkbaits, jigs. When that vegetation grows in more towards the end of the spawn I fish spinnerbaits more heavily and start mixing in big t-rigged worms and fishing those newly established weedlines.

Im not targeting spawing bass either but i am fishing shallow, water is stained enought that I cannot see beds or fish for that matter, Im just trying to catch fish....

Try a weightless t rig original trick worm no salt on 8 lb big game with a 2/0 offset worm hook twitched at various speeds or dead sticked or slowly pulled and paused or popped like a jerkbait etc

2 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

Because bass don’t only spawn once or all at once - I generally don’t change what I’m doing much after surface temps get warm - bass are pre spawn when they finish laying eggs because they are physically incapable of maturing a round of eggs all at once and while they’re laying one round of eggs another is incubating and maturing - this process is actually slowed down even more if temps are below 70 or above 80 regularly - egg incubation slows a lot when it’s hot or cool but they keep spawning every new and full moon.

Fry guarders are among the easiest fish to catch all year and I truly believe the main reason the bite seems to get so hot in the summer is that fish are spawning and guarding fry literally everywhere perpetually and they have a very hard time resisting anything that’s in the water with the fry. Also important to remember that once a bass is locked into spawning - he will be busy for well over a month and often times be protecting fry for multiple females and dealing with fresh egg drops all at once! Very busy boys! Males look beat up not necessarily because they’ve been caught a million times but because they’re probably on their 6th round of spawning and you think he just got done with his one round of babies etc.

My experience is more so that when a ton of fish are spawning at once it can seem tough/slow because when they’re on their beds they get pressured and aren’t really eating anything at all - just chasing things off - so basically a couple weeks where the only way to get bit is to drop a bait right on their bed and let it sit. Not very fun or easy fishing - but it can be cool to sight fish - I enjoy just seeing them everywhere - it’s kinda like going shopping a few weeks before Christmas - you get a sense of how big the bass are and where they hang out from just studying them without even making a cast.

The “post spawn” is sort of confusing terminology because it feels like we are talking about deer or trout and bass simply dont reproduce the same way at all - a healthier way of viewing the seasons of LMB fishing (to me at least) is “late spring” - I don’t really sit around and try to generalize an entire population of bass - I try to think more so about the weather / the water temperature and continue to fish for them where they are.

The spawn is happening long before and long after people are fishing for spawning bass and it happens in direct response to the people pressuring it every year - bass absolutely will move around based on how much they’re fished for etc.

When it really starts to warm up - there’s tons of food everywhere and fish are more aggressive and worried about competition and typically you have sunfish and crappie and minnows trying to use the same areas as the bass to spawn and guard fry - this period when fish are in all 3 stages of the spawn perpetually and in competition with other species on the lake really lasts until it’s too cool for those other species to be up shallow anymore which is a different time every year - just depends on the weather.

A lot of times sections of the lake become little breeding factories and you can always go look for hungry or defensive or competitive or territorial fish around sunfish or crappie beds or grass fields where fry will perpetually be protected until the grass dies etc.

I think that when fish are super active and looking for things to chase off or kill like sentinels - it becomes more important to target the right part of the water column - bass become way less worried about things on the bottom sitting still and way more keyed in on things that are darting around their faces and above their heads perpetually. I find things just under the surface or on the surface tend to be really really good during the early stages of the transition into the summer when bass are mostly concerned with protecting fry and chasing invaders out of big areas they have staked out.

Nice explanation, in my case its a smaller body of water (600 acres) and the upper end is really stained from all the rain, chocolate milk and the lower is clearer but lightly stained maybe 1-2ft visibility. Kind if been throwing the same things, chatter, spinner, jig, squarebill some buzz. I was just thinking of what else to try, i think I will tie on a pop-r and a fluke and maybe a prop bait...just wasnt sure during this period what would be better to try.

Just now, Pat Brown said:

Try a weightless t rig original trick worm no salt on 8 lb big game with a 2/0 offset worm hook twitched at various speeds or dead sticked or slowly pulled and paused or popped like a jerkbait etc

In my reaponse i left out whacky rig trick worm...i think all my zoom trick worms have salt but I fish a small weedless hook with my whacky rig and could just trig the worm instead, thanks.

Topwater

My second favorite time of the year (after the pre-spawn happening now) is the bluegill spawn which normally happens pretty soon after the bass spawn. If your bass are off the beds then bluegills have come into those areas. And the bass hate them. The bass cruise the first line of cover just a little deeper than the bluegill beds. In a lot of my lakes, I'll have a bare shoreline for the first 5-15' until it gets to 2-3' deep and then the weeds start. The bluegills spawn in that empty flat and the bass wait right on the weedline for any bluegill to pass by. A swim jig, vibrating jig, swim bait, buzzbait, or texas rigged creature will all catch fish. Just pick the one that gets through the cover you have easiest. I love a buzzbait in the early morning until the sun pops up, then I'll swap to a chatter or swimjig. If it's still, clear, and sunny they hold a little tighter so I'll go with the texas rig. Bluebird afternoons a ned rig will do it. Lately I've found that the exact bait is less critical but placement and color are. Put it in the right zone (top, mid, bottom) and have a bluegill looking color (for me, GP with some chartreuse).

This is what I have the most confidence using here in south Louisiana during post spawn. Understand all of my fishing is in water less that 6 feet deep.

Floating Jerkbaits in gold/orange belly - specifically the Smithwick Rogue and Cordell Redfin.

Topwater prop baits like the Smithwick Devil's Horse and Cordell Boy Howdy.

Buzz Bait in white/gold blade or black/black blade

Swimming Worm in Junebug on a light Texas rig.

Punching water hyacinth and hydrilla mats.

I stay shallow and keep moving trying to cover as much territory as I can during the day. Unfortunately I injured my arm in February and have not been able to fish since. I have been told it will probably be another 3-4 months before I can go again. Can't wait to get back out there.

26 minutes ago, river-rat said:

This is what I have the most confidence using here in south Louisiana during post spawn. Understand all of my fishing is in water less that 6 feet deep.

Floating Jerkbaits in gold/orange belly - specifically the Smithwick Rogue and Cordell Redfin.

Topwater prop baits like the Smithwick Devil's Horse and Cordell Boy Howdy.

Buzz Bait in white/gold blade or black/black blade

Swimming Worm in Junebug on a light Texas rig.

Punching water hyacinth and hydrilla mats.

I stay shallow and keep moving trying to cover as much territory as I can during the day. Unfortunately I injured my arm in February and have not been able to fish since. I have been told it will probably be another 3-4 months before I can go again. Can't wait to get back out there.

Bummer about the injury, hope it heals up quicker than they think and hou can get out there soon...

I tried a lot of different things today, fluke (weighted), whacky, squarebill, buzzbait, pop-r, small underspin swimbait, spinnerbait, bladed jig. I caught some dinks on squarebill, couple of dinks on bladed jig and one keeper on bladed jig. I guess I have a lot of other things to try as mentioned above, I did not throw any bottom baits pretty much all moving baits. Next on the list will be a swimjig, weightless trig trick worm, d-bomb and maybe a compact jig.

Just crazy that things were on fire couple weeks ago and now its really slow, one here one there etc, nothing that I can pattern etc...will be going back out on wednesday. Was bluebird skies and I went out in the afternoon time frame.

Noisy topwaters like the WP. Pop-R or Chug Bug, Trick Worm, fluke, spinnerbait. I'll also try to pitch a T-rig to every piece of wood and weeds. I'm always going to try the frog from now until the water cools in the fall.

14 hours ago, river-rat said:

This is what I have the most confidence using here in south Louisiana during post spawn. Understand all of my fishing is in water less that 6 feet deep.

Floating Jerkbaits in gold/orange belly - specifically the Smithwick Rogue and Cordell Redfin.

Topwater prop baits like the Smithwick Devil's Horse and Cordell Boy Howdy.

Buzz Bait in white/gold blade or black/black blade

Swimming Worm in Junebug on a light Texas rig.

Punching water hyacinth and hydrilla mats.

I stay shallow and keep moving trying to cover as much territory as I can during the day. Unfortunately I injured my arm in February and have not been able to fish since. I have been told it will probably be another 3-4 months before I can go again. Can't wait to get back out there.

I feel your pain. I had a major abdominal surgery in late Feb. So the surgeon said no heavy lifting for 3 months because I'm a candidate for a hernia. He also knows I like to hit the gym. I decided I was feeling good enough to fish two Sundays ago and used the kayak as well and fished for 4 hours. The wife took this as a sign I was ready to help her do some yard work. Well, I paid the price for all this by being sore in my gut for a week. I told her I was off limits for another month. I am feeling much better after a week, but I have to be careful.

6 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

I feel your pain. I had a major abdominal surgery in late Feb. So the surgeon said no heavy lifting for 3 months because I'm a candidate for a hernia. He also knows I like to hit the gym. I decided I was feeling good enough to fish two Sundays ago and used the kayak as well and fished for 4 hours. The wife took this as a sign I was ready to help her do some yard work. Well, I paid the price for all this by being sore in my gut for a week. I told her I was off limits for another month. I am feeling much better after a week, but I have to be careful.

Take it from an older dude, I know its easy to think your better but its better to bite the bullet and just recover properly. Otherwise you end up making thjngs worse and making recovery even longer...just do what the doctor says to do, frustrating but better in the long run.

I missed almost a whole year of fishing due to two open heart surgeries, 6 months apart, so trust me I can relate..

Hope both you folks recover fully and can soon get back into it full swing.

On 4/20/2026 at 7:56 AM, scaleface said:

Bomber Prop A which are not available

I googled "Bomber Prop A".

Seems a little aggressive bro.

On 4/20/2026 at 9:24 AM, Pat Brown said:

Try a weightless t rig original trick worm no salt on 8 lb big game with a 2/0 offset worm hook twitched at various speeds or dead sticked or slowly pulled and paused or popped like a jerkbait etc

Where I'm from we call that a floating worm rig and yes it is one of my favorite ways to catch post spawn bass. Matter of fact I literally just got through tying one on for a tournament I have in two days. I'll add another dimension. I only use two colors for a floating worm. Merthiolate if the water is kinda dirty and bubble gum if it is more on the clear side. I have used yellow before but it is the least producing color of the three for me.

2 hours ago, IYAOYAS said:

Where I'm from we call that a floating worm rig and yes it is one of my favorite ways to catch post spawn bass. Matter of fact I literally just got through tying one on for a tournament I have in two days. I'll add another dimension. I only use two colors for a floating worm. Merthiolate if the water is kinda dirty and bubble gum if it is more on the clear side. I have used yellow before but it is the least producing color of the three for me.

I've actually been messing with that the last few days here. Used to fish it religiously every spring and early summer but just kinda forgot about it. I found a bag of 065 color code "old purple" trick worms that spurred the thought as that was always THE color here, turns out it still is