The spawn is the best known time for chasing trophy bass when large females move shallow to find nests prepared by eager bucks. During this process, these big sows range from uncharacteristically aggressive to totally impervious. As water temps approach 60º F this ritual begins. In the days or weeks leading up to the spawn, giant females will be gorging themselves instinctually preparing for the arduous task ahead.  Finding areas that contain pre-spawn fish can be magic, although they are often overlooked as anglers focus solely on bedding fish.

Slowly patrolling shallows or known spawning areas is very productive. After determining that an area contains fish preparing to spawn, spend some time observing. Take note of submarine-like swells, fleeing baitfish or other disturbances. For lure choice, a large oversized worm or lizard, hollow-body frogs, hollow-body swimbaits, big thumper spinnerbaits or buzzbaits are all good for starters. These fish are aggressively establishing their nesting territory and will readily attack most any intrusion. Another favorite intruder imitation is a big bream swimbait or fat wake bait fished quickly through the area.

This is also one of the top times to break out the fly rod and throw a mouse fly, oversized frog or broad-bodied baitfish pattern. Frog imitations that are modeled after offshore patterns used for billfish or other large pelagic species are productive. These huge flies require rods larger than those normally used for pursuing bass, but once you hang a hefty sow, the extra backbone provides the needed leverage. It is not uncommon to find eight or more bass to trophy proportions within a few hundred yards. If big fish are not present in the known spawning areas they will be staging in areas nearby, so seek out long primary points, short blunt secondary points and the deep end of submerged tree tops.

Time for Bed

As the pre-spawn period subsides and females begin to lay eggs, they are the easiest to find. I have fished isolated flats riddled with stumps that had fish over 15 pounds that were virtually uncatchable during the daytime. Being able to see these fish and sight-cast to them is an adrenaline pumping experience regardless of whether or not you catch a fish. Finding the right combination of remaining undetected and using a presentation that will provoke the fish is the key. Although a fish may not be caught, it’s not time wasted. Observing the fish on the beds will help determine when they move off and that will be the primary cue for relocating to recovery areas.

The onset of the spawn brings together the two extremes of fishing for largemouth. The excitement of seeing numbers of giant bass is not duplicated any other time. The madness ensues as you see several “bass-of-a-lifetime” and are unable to coax them into taking. It is not uncommon to spend several hours attempting to get a single fish to bite. This is exaggerated on lakes that receive lots of pressure. A go-to presentation when this happens is a variation on the drop-shot. I call it the “pitch shot” because it is nothing more than a drop-shot rig that is flipped instead of fished vertically. Flip the rig past the bed and then move it a smidge at a time until the lure is hovering over the bed, just slightly to one side of the fish. The weight is off the bed and usually wedged in the grass or stuck on the lip that surrounds the bed. Now, I do my best “Avoid the Noid” imitation (the little red guy from the old Domino’s Pizza commercials) by jiggling the lure right in her face and imagining that is taunting her with the signature, “nyah, nyah, you can’t get me” until she angrily swipes at it. I usually use a Culprit 6- or 7.5-inch worm or opt for a lizard to elicit a defensive strike. The lure must be light and flutter slowly when the line is slack. This rig may be brought to life by adding a Recoil Rig made by Secret Weapon Lures.

 This unwillingness to cooperate is usually attributed to two factors. Spawning bass are acutely aware of everything that takes place in and around their chosen bedding site. The quiet approach of a kayak alleviates some concern, but it is not a foolproof approach for slipping in undetected. By scouting during the pre-spawn period, locating nests and marking them, you can return to fish without spooking them inadvertently.

Since most of the water that I fish during the spawn is difficult or impossible for boat anglers to access, I am generally not concerned with revealing the location for someone else’s benefit. Use tomato stakes that are readily available at any garden or home improvement store.  Place reflective tape around the tips so they can be fished at night.  This is especially true in lakes that have an avian predatory threat. Bass will move around much more freely when they aren’t susceptible to death from above. A good method is to scout for bass during the spawn and use the night to catch them. They are much more aggressive, less wary and more prone to taking artificial lures. The cooler night temperatures generally aid in recovery and increase the chances of successfully spawning after being caught.   

Post Partum Blues

Bass’ attitude may be affected by latitude, but by about 68 º F the curtains are drawing to a close. The subsiding spawn signals the end of chances at the big girls for many bass anglers, especially the weekend warriors. For others, it can be more exciting than any other time as anglers vacate the shallows or focus on aggressive buck bass. Spawning fish lose quite a bit of weight after dropping their eggs. Aggressive post-spawn females spend a few to several days gorging themselves. They may be very inactive for a few days, but once they regain their composure it can be their most vulnerable time of the year.

Once there are signs of a waning spawn, begin to shift the focus out to recovery places near secondary points, deep docks, ledges, bluffs or isolated bays with deeper water. Start by working outer points and a few docks that fall off into deeper water with a nothing-to-lose attitude. Search with heavy spinnerbaits and lipless cranks during peak activity periods and crawl creature baits or deadstick worms during off peak periods. A very successful technique is running a lipless crank over the top of grass beds.  When fish are recovering from the spawn or during other periods of inactivity, allow the bait to settle into that grass and rip it free to trigger aggressive reaction strikes from otherwise inactive fish.

Fish may routinely reposition themselves and continue to spawn near banks in these outside areas. The excessive angling pressure in shallow water sometimes disrupts the process and they must continue somewhere else. I have found fish as late as a month after the primary spawn and in water slightly above 70 degrees (surface temp).

Chad Hoover is a passionate and accomplished kayak angler who targets trophy largemouth bass on rivers and lakes just below the Mason-Dixon line. His new book Kayak Bass Fishing - Catch 'em Where Other's Can't  is an informative "must have" for any serious kayak angler.