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Every year, anglers are forced to shift gears with the changing of seasons as bass come off bed and transition into the post-spawn period. In the weeks directly following the spawn, fishing can be tough, as bass often move to deeper water, and tend to not feed as actively as during other portions of the year.
However, the post-spawn period is just business as usual for 2020 Bassmaster Classic Champion Hank Cherry. Like most anglers, Cherry has his go-to methods for boating bass during this somewhat trying point of the season.
Where To Find Post-Spawn Bass
When temperatures rise and bass transition from their beds to post-spawn hang-outs, Hank Cherry says that finding fish and capitalizing upon opportunity when it is found is paramount.
“Usually I target pockets and points. A lot of those fish are just laying back when they are done with the spawn, and they are kind of lazy. But, they know in their genes that the bait fish are coming up to spawn,” said Cherry.
Cherry takes a shallow water approach to fishing the post-spawn, opting not to work deep water unless a particular situation calls for him to do so.
“I’m not a guy that’s going to venture out very deep to go look for them, unless I’m in a part of the country where that is necessary. So most of the time, I stay five foot or less all summer long,” Cherry continued.
The Garmin Livescope Factor
Cherry has been a vocal advocate for the use of Garmin Livescope, and speaks often of the role that it plays within his day to day strategy when on the water. According to Cherry, the post-spawn is no exception to this rule, as Livescope continues to put him on pockets of fish, time and time again.
“For isolated fish on docks, Livescope is very important. I can see the cast, as well as what pole they are on. What I have noticed, during the shad spawn when doing some night fishing, is that I can look down these rip-rap points with the Livescope, and really see which points have the shad, and which don’t,” Cherry said.
What To Throw During The Post Spawn
From one angler to the next, opinions differ as to what bait is the most productive to throw during the post-spawn period. However, Hank Cherry feels that the use of certain baits has shown more productivity for him in the past, than that of others. “My two plans of attack are that I either throw a big swimbait to give the bass a lazy buffet, or throw a topwater to try to catch some active ones,” Cherry said.
“I like to throw a little bit of swimbait action. It is something that is a slow, big, easy meal for them, and something they don’t really have to work very hard to catch up to. But, on the reverse end of that, I really like to throw a topwater. Usually, when the bass stop spawning and the shad start spawning, you will have some aggressive packs feeding on those shad,” explained Cherry.
Finding Post Spawn Success
Though many avid bass anglers speak of the post-spawn with dread, with a sound strategy in place, and a healthy dose of resilience, this period can offer opportunity that is equivalent to that found during other points of the year.
By locating pockets of bass on the lake that you fish, letting your electronics assist you in your efforts, and offering the bass that you locate a meal that they cannot turn down, you will be well on your way to warding off the post-spawn lull.
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