i live in central alabama and i have seen fish up near the shore but im wondering:

are we already in post spawn for my area of the US?  i havent seen pairs of bass up near the shore so i have no clue

I'm guessing the spawn is almost over. The Lake Fork trip was during the spawn, and the water temps between you are probaly alike.

The spawn in your area last for almost two months. Right now you should be able to find spawning fish in the lower end of the large lakes in your area and all over the small ones. You should be able to catch bass that are in all the parts of the spawn right now. (Pre-Spawn, Spawning, and Post-Spawn)