Post-spawn largemouth present challenge

In Southeast Missouri and southern Illinois, May marks the end of the spawning season for largemouth bass.

This month, you can still find bass in the spawn through the middle of the month on the lower, clearer, cooler end of the lake near the dam. In the upper, warmer, dirtier end, the bass will be in post-spawn transition.

By the end of the month, the entire population will be transitioning from the spawning areas to their summer locations. If you are bass fishing this month, you most likely will be dealing with post-spawn fish.

Post-spawn is considered by most bass fishermen to be the toughest time to catch quality sized largemouths. I tend to agree, however it is also one of the most beautiful and rewarding times of the year to be on the water. With the right mindset and information, you can still have a great day of fishing.

To catch post-spawn bass, you must first find them. The location of bass this month actually depends on the sex of the fish. Males remain in the shallow spawning areas, guarding eggs and frye. They are easier to catch than females, but they are smaller than their mates. Males usually are around 2 pounds, whereas the females will average around 4 pounds.

If you want to catch bigger fish, you are in for a challenge. Females are on the move this month, transitioning to their summer locations. They are also inactive. To get a bite, you must place a lure in their very small strike zone and keep it there for a longer period of time. I start in the spawning area and work my way out to the first break I find in about 8 feet of water, fishing the available cover as I go. How long the females stay in this 4- to 8-foot zone will depend on the available cover they have to hold up on while they recover from the spawn. In lakes with shallow cover (laydowns, stumps, vegetation and buck brush) like Kinkaid, Egypt and Rend, you can most likely find good fish in the shallow 4-foot range all month. In flood-control lakes like Wappappello, Clearwater and Kentucky/Barkley, the female bass may move out to the 8 foot break very shortly after they spawn. If you encounter high water, consider yourself fortunate and fish the newly flooded cover, this should keep both sexes shallow until it subsides.

To locate bass this month, I use baits I can fish quickly for a few bites to determine the general depths and cover the bass are using. These baits are Bandit 100 and 200 series crankbaits in bluegill colors like firetiger and chartreuse/blue. Lunker Lure buzzbaits, Jewel 3/8-ounce Finesse Flipping Jig with an Eakins craw, and Southern Pro pitching tubes in green pumpkin.

I use Falcon Cara rods, paired with Shimano reels(either the Curado for Horizontal presentations or the Castaic for flipping and pitching, both are high speed 6.2-1 retrievals). This month I use 10- (for crankbaits) and 20-pound (others) test Fluorocarbon P-line for most techniques. It has low stretch, low visibility below water and has high visibility above water.

After I locate a few fish, I slow way down and switch to my key bait for the post spawn, the senko. Believe me this simple cigar shaped piece of plastic really shines in the post-spawn. It is easy to use: Simply rig it weightless on a 3/0-4/0 wide gap hook. Then pitch or cast it near cover or the break line and let it sink to the bottom on semi-slack line. After it hits bottom, lightly lift it up and let it settle again. Don't overwork this bait, just let it fall. Bites are usually detected by a twitch in your line.

I hook senkos in one of two ways. If the cover is sparse, I bend the senko in half and simply hook it through the middle (wacky style) leaving the point and most of the hook exposed. It looks awkward but it provides the best action and hook set. If I'm fishing cover I hook it Texas style. I usually fish a senko on 10-pound fluorocarbon line with spinning tackle.

Remember this is finesse fishing, stay alert and watch your line. Bites are subtle even by big fish, often nothing more than a slight twitch in the line at the water level as the senko falls to the bottom. When you see the twitch, set the hook and hang on. You will often catch really big females this way, but carefully work the fish -- remember, you have 10-pound line.

May is a great month to enjoy time on the water. If you like a challenge, try fishing for post-spawn largemouth bass. Just remember to focus on water from 4 to 8 feet deep between the spawning flats and the main lake. Find them with your search baits, then slow way down and finesse the big ones. Above all, have a great time.

David Bortner is a tournament angler who competes in the Wal-mart BFL and Missouri Bass Federation events.