Post spawn river bass fishing

The ever-changing weather and water conditions in the Northeast create a special breed of bass fishermen. To be successful, anglers have to follow changing patterns and always be prepared to adapt and adjust on the fly.

The first step is understanding the phases of our bass fishing seasons and the transition periods that connect them.

Ice Out/Cold Water

Whether a water body fully ices over or not, when the season starts and there is open water to fish, that water is going to be cold.

The depth of a water body plays an outsized role in tactics and timing.

Post spawn bass not biting

In shallow lakes and ponds, which heat up faster than deeper ones, target areas that have slight depth changes in proximity to some combination of hard structure, grass, and hard bottom.
 

In areas with isolated grass, reach for ajerkbait.

Around wood or rock, try a bottom bait like a jig. In deeper lakes, search for humps, high spots, and points in 15 to 30 feet of water. Bass hold in these areas throughout the winter, so you will often find fish, especially smallmouth, set up and willing to feed.

In deeper water, a

when does post spawn end

bass pre-spawn period