Bass Fishing After Spawning Occurs

The nature of the activity displayed by bass after spawning differs a great deal from that which is demonstrated prior to spawning. Because of this, the techniques used for bass  fishing after the spawning period need to be different than those you would use prior to the spawning period. In order to be successful when bass fishing during this time it is important to understand the activities displayed as the bass transition into their summer behavioral patterns.

The behavior pattern of the bass is more varied during this time than at other times during the year. There are several reasons for this. First, because spawning is spread over a period of time you will find fish in various stages of recovery. Normally after spawning occurs there will be a period of up to a week of inactivity followed by a period of “binge” feeding that may last a couple of weeks. A fish that has spawned 4 weeks previously will display different feeding and behavior patterns than a fish which has recently spawned.

After spawning the bass begin to migrate from the shallow areas where spawning occurs back to the deeper areas where they spend most of their time. The initial movement will be to the contour break closest to the shallows of the spawning area. There are a number of things which cause the big bass to linger near the spawning area. First, a readily available food supply will entice bass to remain in the areas where spawning occurs. Members of the sunfish family often are bedding during the bass spawning period. Also present are the young of amphibians which are developing in the spring. Add this to the large number of bass fry which are also in the area and there can be a virtual buffet available to temp the post spawn adult bass to linger in the spawning area. The second element which will encourage bass to remain in the spawning area is the availability of cover. Being basically a predatory feeder, abundant cover will provide opportunities for the “hunter” to await the opportunity to ambush his prey. When combined ample food and good cover act as a powerful magnet to keep large bass near the spawning area.

You should look for ways to adapt you fishing techniques to these early season conditions and behaviors to be most effective. There are several things you might do to accomplish this. Since much of the food supply during this period is young amphibians and developing fry from a variety of members of the sunfish family, using smaller sized bait than you would use later in the season will mimic the natural food supply more closely and appeal to the natural inbred instincts of the bass during this period. Using larger sized bait during this time may actually affect your fishing in a negative manner by being different from the food which the bass is programmed to seek by nature.

In addition to size, consideration should be given to the color of the natural food supply when selecting you bait. Most of the available food supply in this post spawn period is some variation of green or chartreuse. Also many will have a touch of orange as a minor color. By combining these color variations you will find your efforts to be more productive than color that are effective at other times of the fishing season. A wide variety of baits which can be rigged to work through cover can be effective in the post spawn period as long as you follow the size and color considerations presented earlier.

As conditions change the bass will begin to migrate into deeper water. This will be triggered by increasing water temperature, the natural preference of the bass for greater water depths than those at which spawning occurs and a change in the bigger basses food preference from those foods found in and close to the spawning area to a preference for shad which are found in the deeper waters of a lake. When this migration occurs it will be an indication that it is time to switch the techniques which are traditionally more effective in summer conditions.

This post has only touched the surface of the vast amount of information available to improve your bass fishing skills. The Complete Bass Fishing Course shares the bass fishing knowledge of the legendary Bill Dance on 12 DVDs along with 12 CDs. Click below to learn how to receive a free lesson DVD.