bass nearby. They will not have moved far. Typically the males continue to guard the fry until hunger forces them away. Guarding males can be targeted by fishing rearing habitat, characterized by weed beds, tulle stands, or other shallow locations near spawning grounds where fry can hide from predators and can grow. These males will be swimming with the fry, and they will attack lures that mimic bluegill and other predators of their fry. The larger females can be harder to catch, but also will be near the spawning grounds. Instead of being shallow like the males they often move out from the spawning bed, suspending over deeper water until their hunger sends them searching for food. A swimbait or crankbait worked outside of spawning areas can be productive if searching for that post spawn Mama Pesce.
Each June I look forward to fishing the following Pacific Northwest waters, and highly recommend them. The Willamette River in Oregon is a favorite for both numbers and quality of smallmouth bass. June usually finds the smallmouths in peak spawn mode, so look for large expanses of rocky flats like those in the Portland area. The spawn coincides with a proliferation of baitfish, so the smallies are both easy to locate and hungry at the same time, even feeding when most bass are solely concentrating on procreation. Two of the best possible tactics include DropSwimmin and shallow jerkbaits. You can’t miss if you use light line and a spinning rod to swim a dropshot rig consisting of a Basstrix Minnow or Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm with a 1/16 oz or 1/8 oz QuickDrop dropshot weight and a #4 Gamakatsu dropshot hook. A shallow running jerkbait like the Slender Pointer or Pointer 78 SP by LuckyCraft is also money for June smallies on the Willamette. Use natural colors like Aurora Black or Ghost Minnow when the water is clear, or Table Rock Shad when the water is stained.
In western Washington June is a great month for both largemouth and smallmouth bass in Lake Washington near Seattle. Both species will either be spawning or into the post spawn. Largemouths can be located in any of the shallow weedy areas of the lake, and will readily attack Snag Proof frogs (Bobby’s Perfect and Ish’s Phat Frogs).
ISSUE 2 June 2011
If the weather gets dicey you can’t beat a Hildebrandt Spinnerbait like the Tin Roller by Yakima Bait Company in the typically chartreuse and white pattern or in bluegill colors. Remember to fish those spawning areas and nursery areas, which include the shallow weedy bays like Juanita Bay, Portage Bay, Union Bay, and Meydenbauer Bay. The smallmouths are often in the post spawn by June, but this year’s cold spring may find many still on beds. A dropshot rig pitched under docks in the south east end of the lake will get a lot of attention by bodacious bronzebacks still spawning. For those post-spawn smallies you cannot beat a crawfish patterned crankbait like a Poe’s 300 and one of my favorites, a Lee Sisson Woody Diver 2 in Spring Craw.
OntheeastsideofWashingtonI getexcitedabout fishing Potholes Reservoir each June.The
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