T
he smallmouth bass is arguably the most
confusing and frustrating of all of the bass
species. They are notorious for being “here
one day, gone the next”, but they do leave clues as to when and where they are going and in my
opinion are easier to locate in the warmer months
during post-spawn, summer and the early fall periods
of the year. My experience with smallmouth bass
across the seasons has helped me develop a simple
approach to locating and catching smallmouth in the
warmer months.
POST-SPAWN
Post-spawn smallmouth, like largemouth can be a challenge to locate and catch. I like to “think backwards” and go to the exact same locations as I do in the pre-spawn, just outside of typical spawning areas. The first deep drop or first piece of deep cover adjacent to a spawning area will nearly always produce for me right after the spawn. I recall areas where I have caught spawning bass, areas that look like they would hold beds and then move to the first deeper water – often very close to the spawning locations.
If it is a new lake to you or you have limited spawning experience, look for evidence of spawning activity like fry, baitfish and old beds on shallow flats before moving to deeper water. The biggest
difference between pre-spawn and post-spawn is that I will typically fish a little deeper as they tend to move out more after their annual spawn and prepare to head to their deeper summer locations. Rocky banks with deep water access are prime locations. Another key for me is locating grass as smallmouth will begin to patrol deep weedlines in search of baitfish as a source of food.
POST-SPAWN TECHNIQUES
When it comes to post-spawn smallmouth I could easily fish this whole period with three bait categories; a topwater, a drop-shot and a wacky-rig. Topwater fishing for smallmouth is a great way to locate schools of fish that begin to group after the spawning period. A fast moving bait like a Lucky Craft Sammy or Megabass Giant Dog-X is a good choice to quickly locate feeding post-spawn smallies.
On the finesse side, a drop-shot rigged with a Strike King Dream Shot or 4.5” straight tail Roboworm is the perfect way to catch smallmouth in the post- spawn and beyond. A wacky-rigged Gary Yamamoto Senko works well for fishing shallow targets as well as deeper holes for bass that are often in a neutral or negative mood from the stress of spawning. I like to add an Eco Pro Tungsten Nail’em weight in one side of the Senko and will heat the weight up with a lighter prior to inserting it into the bait for better durability.
Post-spawn Movement
SUMMER 2015
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