Although lots of the bass have already dropped their eggs on Toledo Bend, they’ll nonetheless be persuaded to hit what you’re throwing.

Catching bass after spawning season ends can current fairly a problem, however Toledo Bend anglers can even catch a few of their largest bucketmouths all 12 months.

“Generally the post-spawn may be powerful or it may be actually good,” stated Joe Joslin, a Toledo Bend information. “Submit-spawn may be tough to sample fish, however it additionally may be very productive. In post-spawn, fish may be anyplace and nowhere. That’s difficult.”

After big females drop their valuable cargo of roe, shedding a couple of maternity kilos within the course of, many lunkers nonetheless lurk in shallow waters. Some bass keep shallow all 12 months. Spawning doesn’t all occur directly. Simply as completely different individuals reveal various persona traits, particular person bass additionally behave in a different way.

Typically, although, male bass enter the shallows two to a few weeks forward of females to search for spawning spots and to arrange the beds for his or her mates. In Toledo Bend, this often occurs in mid-February to early March, however some bass may search for beds as early as December. Giant feminine bass hover at channel mouths 8 to fifteen ft deep till water warms sufficiently. When temperatures attain about 68 levels, they swim up creek channels till they attain the spawning grounds.

“Males start organising territories, discovering good substrate to scour out nests and defend them towards different males or different species,” stated Bobby Reed, a Louisiana Division of Wildlife and Fisheries district fisheries biologist in Lake Charles. “When the water temperatures hit 68 to 70 levels and females turn into physiologically ripe, they’ll transfer up alongside the shoreline.

“Male bass placed on a present to impress the females. Females choose their males, they usually undergo a sequence of physique postures and minor shade modifications.”

Females stick with the males for 2 to a few hours earlier than releasing their eggs. Then they go away the nests for the 12 months. Males keep on the nests to protect the eggs and fry till they’ll fend for themselves.

“Eggs hatch in eight to 10 days,” Reed stated. “After hatching, fry lay within the backside of the nest for 5 days. At the moment, fry swim up as a gaggle and start feeding on plankton. They keep very near the nest till they’re a few half-inch lengthy. The male stays shut by. When fry attain a few half-inch lengthy, the male runs via them, consuming as many as he can. The remaining fry get the concept that it’s time to maneuver on.”

In Toledo Bend, spawning usually happens in the course of the full moon of April. For the reason that full moon falls within the final week of April this 12 months, a substantial variety of bass in all probability spawned in the course of the full moon within the final week of March.

When spawning, bedding bass in all probability gained’t chase high-speed baits. They strike extra out of anger or protection than starvation. They guard their offspring towards predators and take away any annoying intruders from spawning beds.

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“Throughout spawning season, bass are dangerous about not chasing baits,” stated Larry Nixon, who guided on Toledo Bend earlier than turning professional and changing into a BASS Masters Traditional champion. “In that case, I take advantage of delicate plastics, like a 6-inch straight-tail worm or a tube bait. I do a number of pitching and skipping to get baits again the place I need them. If they’re spawning in 3 to 4 ft of water, slide a wacky worm underneath there and float it actually sluggish. Bass go for it very nicely.”

Hooked via the center, wacky worms current a refined morsel, resembling night time crawlers washed into the water. As a wacky worm sinks, the ends wobble, shimmy and shake. It additionally spirals down like a dying baitfish. The ends fold again and nearly contact one another in an undulating movement. Even when not actively feeding, few bass can resist gobbling such a temptation drifting previous its nostril.

“I take advantage of a 5- to 8-inch straight worm on gentle spinning sort out with only a 1/0 or 2/0 hook via the egg sack,” stated George Cochran, a two-time BASS Masters Traditional champion. “When it hits the water, it floats just a little then barely sinks. Twitch the road.

“I work it round buck brush, the within grass strains and something within the water that may entice a fish. It’s lethal round bushes and fallen bushes. I work it nearly like a topwater bait. Twitch it just a little and cease. It sits there only a second. Twitch it once more. If a bass is within the space, it’ll suck it up. When it’s actually sunny, they may not come as much as hit it, so I let it sink just a little deeper.”

Whereas nearly any shade may entice bass, many Toledo Bend anglers desire shiny colours, resembling orange, white, pink or yellow, to impress sight bites. Different anglers throw junebug or black neon in murky water or shade the tails of inexperienced pumpkin worms with garlic-scented chartreuse dye for clear water. Different scorching colours embody bitter grape or watermelon. Something with a chartreuse tail works nicely when bass feed on bluegills, infamous nest raiders.

Salamanders and crawfish additionally rank among the many worst egg-stealers in Toledo Bend. Subsequently, jigs, tubes and lizards that imitate salamanders, crawfish or comparable creatures work extraordinarily nicely for attractive bedding or post-spawn bass. Small pink or pink/black Insurgent crawfish-pattern crankbaits, with payments digging into the mud, wobble seductively within the face of shallow bass. Put lures as near bass as attainable to impress response strikes.

Whereas many individuals take into account it a deep-water bait, a drop-shot rig tipped with a lizard or curly tail grub aggravates the stuffing out of bedding bass like a small child tweaking the nostril of the neighborhood bully. A drop-shot rig merely consists of a delicate plastic bait tied about 12 to 36 inches above a bell sinker like an previous catfish bait rig. It makes a reverse Carolina rig. Toss the rig past a bass gap, and let the lure dangle over the mattress till a bass smashes it.

“Decide the quantity of line it’s worthwhile to preserve the bait within the strike zone,” defined Wealthy Tauber, a California bass professional. “This offers you the power to shake or vibrate the worm any manner you need. The fantastic thing about it’s to have the ability to go away the bait in a single space or preserve lures over a mattress. If a fish strikes and misses it, you’ll be able to nonetheless rattle that line, and the worm shakes in his face. The bass bounces proper again on it.”

Male bass might spawn with 4 or 5 females and will stay on the beds till June, shedding appreciable weight and power. By then, physiologically spent and hungry, males begin to gorge themselves on something they’ll catch. Anglers can catch post-spawn males alongside weed strains, close to logs or different construction on spinnerbaits, crankbaits, topwaters or different conventional temptations.

Alternatively, after a single rendezvous, females go away the nesting space to the guardian males and return to deeper water to get better. The spawning course of saps them of power and vitality. As a result of females go away the beds and males gained’t eat, many individuals nearly hand over on catching post-spawn bass. Nonetheless, not all females drop into 30 ft of water. Some nonetheless stay pretty shallow in acquainted territory. Anglers simply want to seek out them.

“Bass don’t essentially go deep after they spawn; they simply scatter,” stated Alton Jones, an expert angler with six BASS Masters Traditional appearances. “Generally we make the error of assuming that bass have already moved from their spawning waters once they end spawning. Typically, bass truly keep the place they spawn.

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“Once I’m searching for post-spawn fish, the very first thing I would like to determine is the place did these fish spawn. Like deer and different creatures, they completely comply with pathways. I search for a creek channel, roadbed, treeline or one thing that bass comply with to get into spawning areas and backtrack alongside the pathway till I ultimately intersect that college of bass. Following these underwater highways will provide help to catch bass all 12 months lengthy.”

After the spawn ends, recovering bass must rebuild their vitality and power. Bluegills and different bream species present an nearly limitless protein supply. Furthermore, bream savagely raid bass nests. Many bass assault bream with a vengeance, gaining a meal and satisfaction towards an enemy on the identical time.

“After bass spawn, bluegills spawn in the identical space,” Jones stated. “It’s payback time. Now, the massive bass are going to eat the bluegills whereas they spawn. Feminine bass don’t wish to expend a number of vitality as a result of they’re worn out from the spawning course of. They only keep within the shallows and fatten up on bluegills.”

To mimic bluegills, throw shallow-running firetiger or chartreuse crankbaits. Additionally use crankbaits with blue backs or splashed with a little bit of gold or pink for additional enticement. Toss these close to logs, weeds or different cowl. Strive working them parallel to drops or different bass pathways. When attainable, bump construction. After a crankbait hits a log, it bounces again and slowly rises. Bass typically can’t resist smashing such a “helpless” morsel.

“At Toledo Bend, bream are the prime forage for largemouth bass,” Nixon stated. “Bluegills are additionally the No. 1 predators of bass eggs and fry. Giant bass hate them and kill them every time they’ll. That’s why a gold crankbait with a pink stomach is the No. 1 shade to throw at Toledo Bend. The darker the water, the darker or brighter the bait to throw.”

Moreover crankbaits, buzz baits work very nicely when tempting post-spawn bass, particularly throughout calm, cloudy days. Buzz baits work greatest in grassy flats. A buzz bait can even find bass simply over lengthy stretches of shallow water even when fish don’t strike it. Simply the noise may provoke lunkers into motion. Many anglers on Toledo Bend desire a white buzz bait with a chartreuse head and gold blades.

“On the south finish of the lake, nearly the entire post-spawn fishing takes place across the grass,” Joslin stated. “I like to begin with a Stanley titanium buzz bait for the primary hour or two within the morning, however bass might hit a buzz bait all day.

“One other superior bait for post-spawn bass is a 1/8-ounce chartreuse/white spinnerbait. I pull it proper over the tops of the grass. If bass don’t hit a buzz bait, I retrieve it with what I name ‘waking,’ simply barely submerged to make a wake disrupt the floor.”

Spinnerbaits work higher than different lures on windy days. When stiff spring breezes whip the large lake, many anglers run to protected coves. Whereas anglers ought to by no means threat their lives on the possibly treacherous lake throughout sturdy storms, a stout breeze may put extra post-spawn fish into a ship.

In early spring, bass typically collect on the breezy aspect of the principle lake or main coves as a result of winds stack the warmest water towards these shorelines. The northern finish of a lake or cove usually warms quickest as a result of south winds blow water that manner. Throughout the spring, anglers who discover the warmest water continuously discover probably the most energetic bass.

“Within the post-spawn interval, wind performs a significant component,” Nixon stated. “Useless-calm post-spawn days are the toughest instances to get bass to strike. I search for windy areas, and fish into the wind. Wind blows bait round and strikes water. It camouflages lures and offers issues a distinct look. Waking a big-bladed spinnerbait via grass on Toledo Bend is a superb technique to catch post-spawn bass. Typically, I search for the roughest water I can discover, and wake a giant spinnerbait via cowl. Bass come chasing out of canopy to bust it. Generally, I jerk a spinnerbait all through the grass or rip it out of canopy to set off a strike.”

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As spring warms, grass grows thicker on Toledo Bend. Bass search grass for shelter, meals and oxygen. Early within the morning, tempt them with topwater baits resembling Zara Spooks, Tiny Torpedoes, Pop-Rs, Spit’N Photographs, Chug Bugs or Frenzy Poppers. Black/gold Rattlin’ Rogues, Rapalas or different minnow imitations additionally produce strikes across the grassy edges the place minnows and different forage species cover.

“Toledo Bend is an especially good topwater or buzz bait lake in post-spawn,” Nixon stated. “Grass grows near the floor, and bass turn into very aggressive, particularly within the morning or on windy days.

“One other good post-spawn bait is a minnow bait. Minnow baits resemble pure meals for bass. When bass are in 5 to 7 ft of water, hit the grass with a floating minnow to get that response strike.”

Anglers can use topwaters over submerged grass or subsequent to grass strains, however typically bass burrow too deeply into thick grass. Tender plastics, like floating jerkbaits, weightless lizards rigged Texas-style or comparable baits, slide simply via thick vegetation.

“Typically, a floating jerkbait backs up away from bass,” Nixon stated. “They suppose it’s working from them and that will get them mad. Pause it, they usually eat it when it begins floating as much as the floor.”

As temperatures heat, some bass search deeper waters. Primary-lake factors supply entry to each shallow and deep water. Bass might transfer into the shallows at night time or early within the morning and retreat again to the depths by mid-day. When bass go deep, tempt them with a Carolina rig earlier than grass grows too thick.

“In post-spawn, I fish weedy transition areas near deep water the place bass have entry to shallow or deep water,” Joslin stated. “Fish may be as shallow as 2 ft or as deep as 18 ft. After the banks have been pounded to dying in late spring, I often fish main-lake factors, submerged islands and grassy humps. Throughout the post-spawn, it’s exhausting to beat a Carolina rig tipped with a French fry or a ReAction Gator Pup. I fish watermelon pink, watermelon, watermelon blue or junebug, throwing shallow and dealing down the purpose into deeper water.”

Generally, bass droop close to factors. For these fish, throw deep-running or lipless crankbaits in shad/black, chartreuse/blue, crawfish/pink, blue/chrome or chartreuse/chrome. Strive Norman DD-14s, DD-22s, Excalibur Fats-Free Shads, Bomber Mannequin As, Flat As, Insurgent deep crawfish or 1/2- to three/4-ounce Rat-L-Traps.

All through Toledo Bend, anglers can discover high quality post-spawn motion in the event that they discover the proper mixture of depth, oxygen, meals and canopy. Scorching lunker honeyholes embody the factors in Housen Bay or channels in Six-Mile Creek. McGee’s Flats and the 1215 space additionally produce wonderful catches. Discover an space and work it totally.

“The important thing to post-spawn fishing on Toledo Bend is to determine a small space,” Nixon defined. “Normally, it’s proper close to the spawning grounds, however out just a little bit earlier than bass go into summer time patterns.”

For reserving journeys with Joe Joslin, name (337) 463-3848.