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| Bass Articles |
John N. Felsher's Bass Fishing Adventures
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Taking the yawn out of post-spawn
largemouth bass action each spring
largemouth bass action each spring
TOP: Kevin VanDam, a
Bassmaster Classic champion
from Kalamazoo, Mich., fights
a bass he caught in thick
weeds in the shallows of Lake
Amistad near Del Rio, Texas.
BOTTOM: David Vance
shows off a bass he caught on
a Rapala crankbait that
mimics a bluegill while
fishing at Lake Fork near
Quitman, Texas.
Bassmaster Classic champion
from Kalamazoo, Mich., fights
a bass he caught in thick
weeds in the shallows of Lake
Amistad near Del Rio, Texas.
BOTTOM: David Vance
shows off a bass he caught on
a Rapala crankbait that
mimics a bluegill while
fishing at Lake Fork near
Quitman, Texas.
Catching bass after spawning ends can present quite a challenge, but
anglers may catch some of their best stringers all year.
Spawning doesn’t happen all at once. On a big lake, spawning season
might stretch over several weeks as various coves reach prime conditions
at different times. Fish also spawn at different rates. After spawning with
females, males guard their nests until their fry reach about a half-inch long.
Then, the once guardian male runs through his school of offspring, eating
as many fry as he can. The others soon get the message to strike out on
their own.
Some male largemouths may spawn with four or five females in a
season and may stay on the beds until early summer. Since they don’t eat
while bedding, males lose considerable weight. After spawning season,
though, they gorge themselves on anything they can catch. On the other
hand, females spawn once a year. After spawning, females leave the
nests, but they don’t all drop back into deep water. Some bass spend
nearly all of their lives in the shallows.
“Bass don’t necessarily go deep after they spawn; they just scatter,”
said Alton Jones, a professional bass angler from Waco, Texas. “Often,
bass actually stay where they spawn. When I’m looking for post-spawn fish,
the first thing I need to figure out is where these fish spawned. Like deer
and other creatures, they absolutely follow pathways. I look for a creek
channel, roadbed, treeline or something that bass follow to get into
spawning areas and backtrack along the pathway until I eventually intersect
that school of bass.”
After spawning, bass need to rebuild their energy and strength.
Bluegills and other bream species provide an almost unlimited protein
source for bass recovering from the spawning process. Bream also eat
many bass eggs and fry. Even when not feeding, bass may attack bream
with vengeance, gaining a meal and satisfaction against an enemy at the
same time.
“After bass spawn, bluegills spawn in the same area; now, it’s payback
time,” Jones said. “Big bass are going to eat the bluegills while they
spawn. Female bass don’t want to expend a lot of energy because they are
worn out from the spawning process. They just stay in the shallows and
fatten up on bluegills.”
To imitate bluegills, throw shallow-running firetiger or chartreuse
crankbaits or spinnerbaits. Also use crankbaits with blue backs or a bit of
gold and red for extra enticement. Toss these near logs, weeds or other
cover. Try running them parallel to drops or other bass pathways. When
possible, bump structure. After a crankbait hits a log, it bounces back and
slowly rises. After hitting something, allow a spinnerbait to “helicopter” to
the bottom before resuming the retrieve.
During spawning season, salamanders and crawfish join bluegills as
notorious nest raiders. Even if not eating them, bass kill them to protect
their eggs. Therefore, jigs, tubes and lizards that imitate salamanders,
crawfish or similar creatures work extremely well around bedding or
spawning flats. Small red or red and black Rebel crawfish-pattern
crankbaits with bills digging into the mud wobble seductively in the face of
shallow bass. Put lures as close to bass as possible to provoke a reaction
strike.
“During spawning season, I use soft plastics, like a 6-inch straight-tail
worm or a tube bait,” said Larry Nixon, a former Bassmasters Classic
champion from Bee Branch, Ark. “In that case, I do a lot of pitching and
skipping to get baits back where I want them. If they are spawning in three
to four feet of water, slide a wacky worm under there and float it really slow.
Bass go for it very well.”
Hooked through the middle, wacky worms often make subtle morsels
that attract big bass. Resembling nightcrawlers washed into the water,
sinking wacky worm wobble, shake and vibrate. The ends fold back and
almost touch each other in an undulating motion. Dropped next to grass
lines, brush or other structure, wacky worms also spiral down like dying
baitfish or bream. Even a bass resting or not actively pursuing a meal
might find that such a succulent temptation wobbling across its nose proves
irresistible.
“I use a 5- to 8-inch straight worm on light spinning tackle with just a 1/0
or 2/0 hook through the egg sack for wacky worming,” said George
Cochran, a two-time Bassmaster Classic champion from Hot Springs, Ark.
“When fishing a wacky worm, barely twitch the line. Let it sit there a second
and then twitch it again.”
anglers may catch some of their best stringers all year.
Spawning doesn’t happen all at once. On a big lake, spawning season
might stretch over several weeks as various coves reach prime conditions
at different times. Fish also spawn at different rates. After spawning with
females, males guard their nests until their fry reach about a half-inch long.
Then, the once guardian male runs through his school of offspring, eating
as many fry as he can. The others soon get the message to strike out on
their own.
Some male largemouths may spawn with four or five females in a
season and may stay on the beds until early summer. Since they don’t eat
while bedding, males lose considerable weight. After spawning season,
though, they gorge themselves on anything they can catch. On the other
hand, females spawn once a year. After spawning, females leave the
nests, but they don’t all drop back into deep water. Some bass spend
nearly all of their lives in the shallows.
“Bass don’t necessarily go deep after they spawn; they just scatter,”
said Alton Jones, a professional bass angler from Waco, Texas. “Often,
bass actually stay where they spawn. When I’m looking for post-spawn fish,
the first thing I need to figure out is where these fish spawned. Like deer
and other creatures, they absolutely follow pathways. I look for a creek
channel, roadbed, treeline or something that bass follow to get into
spawning areas and backtrack along the pathway until I eventually intersect
that school of bass.”
After spawning, bass need to rebuild their energy and strength.
Bluegills and other bream species provide an almost unlimited protein
source for bass recovering from the spawning process. Bream also eat
many bass eggs and fry. Even when not feeding, bass may attack bream
with vengeance, gaining a meal and satisfaction against an enemy at the
same time.
“After bass spawn, bluegills spawn in the same area; now, it’s payback
time,” Jones said. “Big bass are going to eat the bluegills while they
spawn. Female bass don’t want to expend a lot of energy because they are
worn out from the spawning process. They just stay in the shallows and
fatten up on bluegills.”
To imitate bluegills, throw shallow-running firetiger or chartreuse
crankbaits or spinnerbaits. Also use crankbaits with blue backs or a bit of
gold and red for extra enticement. Toss these near logs, weeds or other
cover. Try running them parallel to drops or other bass pathways. When
possible, bump structure. After a crankbait hits a log, it bounces back and
slowly rises. After hitting something, allow a spinnerbait to “helicopter” to
the bottom before resuming the retrieve.
During spawning season, salamanders and crawfish join bluegills as
notorious nest raiders. Even if not eating them, bass kill them to protect
their eggs. Therefore, jigs, tubes and lizards that imitate salamanders,
crawfish or similar creatures work extremely well around bedding or
spawning flats. Small red or red and black Rebel crawfish-pattern
crankbaits with bills digging into the mud wobble seductively in the face of
shallow bass. Put lures as close to bass as possible to provoke a reaction
strike.
“During spawning season, I use soft plastics, like a 6-inch straight-tail
worm or a tube bait,” said Larry Nixon, a former Bassmasters Classic
champion from Bee Branch, Ark. “In that case, I do a lot of pitching and
skipping to get baits back where I want them. If they are spawning in three
to four feet of water, slide a wacky worm under there and float it really slow.
Bass go for it very well.”
Hooked through the middle, wacky worms often make subtle morsels
that attract big bass. Resembling nightcrawlers washed into the water,
sinking wacky worm wobble, shake and vibrate. The ends fold back and
almost touch each other in an undulating motion. Dropped next to grass
lines, brush or other structure, wacky worms also spiral down like dying
baitfish or bream. Even a bass resting or not actively pursuing a meal
might find that such a succulent temptation wobbling across its nose proves
irresistible.
“I use a 5- to 8-inch straight worm on light spinning tackle with just a 1/0
or 2/0 hook through the egg sack for wacky worming,” said George
Cochran, a two-time Bassmaster Classic champion from Hot Springs, Ark.
“When fishing a wacky worm, barely twitch the line. Let it sit there a second
and then twitch it again.”
