Each year after the bass spawn, the fishing can be a little tricky for a while until the bass settle into their summer routine. This “post-spawn funk” the bass population gets into can make things difficult, as they can be a little lethargic, not set into one specific place or pattern, and generally just tough to get them to commit to.
While it’s no fun to try to catch bass that don’t want to bite, there are some things you can do to combat this time of year and catch bass, even when it’s a little tough at times. This includes finding the right cover, locating what the bass want to eat, and choosing lures that work well at this time of year.
Find the Food
Right after the bass spawn, the forage base does the same, and the shad spawn is something that occurs almost the moment after the bass finish spawning. This gives the weak and weary bass some easy food, and it can also be a very good opportunity for bass anglers. It happens early in the morning and won’t last long, but the feeding frenzy along rocks, docks, and other hard objects can often be your best chance of the day to catch fish.
Using white- and shad-colored baits like spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, swimbaits, and swim jigs can be the best way to capitalize on this brief window of feeding activity each morning. The shad spawn doesn’t last too long in the scheme of things, but thankfully, another big spawn is right around the corner. The annual bluegill spawn starts sometime after the bass wrap up, and then often goes well into the summer, and this can be another great way to combat the post-spawn funk.
Bluegill spawn in many of the same places as bass, and the bass know it. They will patrol these areas with bedding bluegill, often in small groups or “wolf packs,” and you can fool them with a variety of different lures. Wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senkos, popping frogs like the Deps Buster K, and bluegill soft plastics like the NetBait Bull Bream are all great choices for imitating bluegill and catching bass that are solely focused on feeding on them.
Seek their Retreat
Forage is critical when trying to locate and catch bass during the post-spawn period, but knowing where they hide as they recuperate is just as important. After spending so much energy during the spawn and then guarding their young, bass need a break and will often head to somewhere they can spend time as they work to build up their strength.
Knowing where the bass spawn and then working backward towards deeper water can give you clues of where to look. At the mouth of a spawning area, like a small pocket or cove, there may be submerged trees, secondary points, laydowns, or isolated docks in slightly deeper water that all could hold bass looking to take a break before they get into a full-on summertime pattern. All of these are key places to look, and you will have a great target to fish for bass during the transition from spring to summer.
Look Up Top
One of the best styles of lures to use during the post-spawn period is the wide variety of topwater lures. They excel throughout the summer months, but you can start using them with success immediately after the bass spawn, and they can be deadly during the post-spawn funk.
Both the shad and bluegill spawns mentioned above are also great times to throw topwater lures and walking baits like the Strike King Sexy Dawg and Lucky Craft Sammy, which are excellent for matching both of those forage species, and they have colors that closely imitate both of them. Go with a bone or pearl colored bait for the shad spawn and darker and bluegill patterns for the bluegill spawn.
Besides the shad and bluegill spawns, you can fish a topwater just about anywhere this time of year, and the appeal of a bait on the top is something that bass can’t resist this time of year. When fishing slowly around isolated objects such as docks, trees, and laydowns, a topwater popper like the Yo-Zuri Pro Series Popper or the Lobina Rico is a great choice. If you are fishing around grass or thicker cover like bushes and under docks, a walking frog like the Spro Bronzeye Frog or a popping version such as the Bass Mafia Cannon Ball or Deps Buster K are all great options for catching topwater bass during the post-spawn.
Present an Easy Meal
For bass that don’t want to chase and spend any extra energy than needed, the post-spawn can be a great time for finesse lures, and it’s also a period when soft plastic baits can dominate. From wacky-rigs and the drop-shot, there is no wrong way to present an easy meal, as both rigs, no matter which bait you add to them, will help you catch more bass during this period of the year.
Another great option for presenting an easy meal is bite-sized bait. You can downsize by using small lures like the Z-Man TRD or TRD CrawZ on a Ned Rig or add a small tube bait like the Z-Man Llama Tubes on a small jighead to get bass to bite when they do not want a big meal and are looking for something quick and easy to eat. These small offerings will still catch big bass; don’t let their size fool you.
Fishing during the post-spawn can be a little difficult at times, but by focusing on what the bass will eat and hitting high percentage areas, you can still find great success during one of the most challenging times of the year to go bass fishing.
