Few times are as divisive for bass anglers as the post-spawn season. Some people love fishing the post-spawn, while others can’t wait to see it end.
The truth is, even if post-spawn bass can be a bit more selective than pre-spawn bass, you can still put tons of big bass in your live well, provided you’re fishing the right lures.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at the deadliest post-spawn bass lures and take a closer look at five of the best options on the market.
The Best Lure Styles for Post-Spawn Bass
The post-spawn bass are a bit more discerning than the early-season bass, who would strike at a wadded-up piece of gum on a hook.
While fish aren’t feeding as voraciously, both males and females can’t resist striking when you throw them the right lure. As a general rule, these five styles are the most effective when targeting post-spawn bass.
- Crankbaits
- Chatterbaits
- Texas-Rigged Soft Plastic Worms
- Spinnerbait
- Top Water Frogs
Crankbaits
Crankbaits are a perennial favorite that’s effective in almost all seasons for catching bass. Shallow diving crankbaits with a tight, subtle action can help you nail monster bass during the pre-spawn season.
After spawning, you’ll want to open it up with a crankbait that has an aggressive and erratic wobble to it, which triggers bites from even the most finicky bass.
After the spawn, reach for shallow squarebill crankbaits, which provide a more deliberate swimming action. Any deep diving crankbait that delivers a broad and exaggerated swimming action is a proven winner when targeting large females in deeper waters.
Chatterbaits
Chatterbaits are effective year-round for bass fishing, and they can be especially effective in post-spawn when other baits seem to go cold. Chatterbaits can be fished at various depths, making them practical for targeting deeper water females as well as the males in shallower water.
For post-spawn fishing, match the hatch as closely as possible by selecting a sunfish, bluegill, or shad color. Choose the color that corresponds most closely to the baitfish in your waters.
You can use chatterbaits effectively in virtually any fishing scenario. But, keep these baits out of the rocks, or you’ll get hung up.
Texas-Rigged Soft Plastic Worms
Soft plastic worms are proven killers in practically all waters, and Texas rigging a soft plastic is the perfect recipe for targeting post-spawn bass. Texas rigging is a style of bait presentation that’s perfect for post-spawn conditions where weeds and brush lead to snags.
This presentation virtually eliminates hangups from weeds and brush, but any bite from a hungry bass will be enough to send the hook through the bait and into the fish’s jaw for a solid hookset.
Flipping, pitching, and drop-shotting are all super effective techniques for bassing on a Texas rig. Throw a Texas warm over rocks, brush, and grass, and watch the bass pile up in your live well.
Spinnerbait
Spinnerbaits are another incredibly effective bass lure that lends itself well to post-spawn fishing. After spawning, when most bass remain in the shallows, spinnerbaits are just the ticket.
While the heavy grass and brush in these areas can spell trouble for other lures, it’s easy to rip a spinnerbait through heavy cover without getting stuck.
Opt for spinnerbaits with blades that are large with a deeply cupped surface. These baits generate the most significant water disturbance, and they’re the key for triggering strikes from even the most finicky bass.
Top Water Frogs
Topwater frogs are one of the most fun baits to throw, and they can pay serious dividends during the late spring and early summer when bass are fresh off the spawn.
These bass are tired from spawning, but they’re also hungry, and a topwater frog during the post-spawn looks like a Big Mac to these bass.
Best Bass Lures for Post-Spawn
Now that we’ve discussed the best styles for post-spawn fishing, let’s take a closer look at the five lures every bass angler needs in their post-spawn tackle box.
13 FISHING Jabber Jaw Hybrid Squarebill Crankbait
The Jabber Jaw from 13 FISHING is one of the most innovative crankbaits on the market, and it has a few characteristics that make it an ideal bait for post-spawn bassing.
These lures come in a broad selection of colorways, come outfitted with premium components, and the bill is designed in a breakthrough way that drives bass nuts.
These baits have a square bill and metal jowls. The bill of the bait can move side to side in the water, and as it clangs off the metal mouth of the bait, it generates a unique cadence that bass can’t seem to resist.
Plus, since the bill can move at will, it creates an erratic swimming action that no other crankbait can replicate.
This bait is available in 14 different colorways, and it weighs in at 9/16-ounce, which places it at a depth of three to five feet, which is typically ideal for post-spawn males hanging in the shallows.
Pros
- Excellent color options
- Innovative bill design creates an erratic swimming action
- VMC hooks and split rings
Cons
- Only comes in one size
- Paint looks fantastic, but chips easily
Z-Man Jack Hammer Chatterbait
There are chatterbaits, and then there are the chatterbait. The Z-Man Jack Hammer is the end-all-be-all chatterbait, designed by seasoned pro Brett Hite.
This bait produces an erratic motion, while the streamlined blade and jighead easily bounce off of sticky structure, which looks natural while allowing you to skip through areas you’d regularly get snagged in.
The blade sits so low on the bait that it can bounce off of the head, which delivers a deep chatter sound that adds further interest to the bait.
A heavy wire Gamakatsu flipping hook is optimized to deliver a perfect hookset, so you lose less fish. A double wire trailer keeper secures the trailer of your choice and ensures a natural presentation that even the most passive post-spawn bass can’t seem to resist.
Pros
- Comes in 14 colors and four sizes
- Premium Gamakatsu hooks and components
- Unbeatable action in the water
Cons
- Ridiculously expensive
YUM Dinger Classic Worm
YUM Dingers are responsible for some of the biggest bass caught every year, and pro anglers rely on these soft plastics to deliver the bite when no one else seems to be catching.
These baits result from years of R&D, and while they may not look like an engineering marvel, there’s a lot of tech inside this humble worm.
Two of the best techniques for post-spawn bassing with soft plastics are to Texas or wacky rig the bait. Either way, the Dinger offers the lifelike presentation and action that even heavily pressured bass are going to strike at.
Dingers are available in three different sizes and two dozen colors and counting. These baits also feature YUM’s cutting-edge Live Prey Technology, which impregnates the bait with salt and a shad-enzyme fish attractant that drives the bass nuts.
Pros
- Available in 24 colors
- LPT treatment makes them irresistible to bass
- Can be rigged in tons of different ways
Cons
- Worm only—you’ll need to supply your own hooks and weights
- Can get beat-up quickly by toothy bass
Strike King Finesse KVD Spinnerbait
The brainchild of years of development between Strike King and Kevin Van Dam, the Finesse KVD spinnerbait is the only spinner you’ll need to work the bass into a frenzy after spawning.
The KVD spinnerbait boasts a streamlined presentation that lends itself to a lot of different techniques, and its low profile helps you avoid snags when fishing through heavy cover.
The blades are slim, but both large enough to create a commotion that any hungry bass will want to take a closer look at.
This lure is available in ten different colors, and each lure has a matched Perfect Skirt that’s longer through the middle, eliminating the need for a trailer. With a solid selection of different realistic colors, you should have no trouble matching the hatch to the baitfish in your waters.
The half-ounce size is our go-to for post-spawn fishing, but the ⅜-ounce version proves useful for targeting males hanging in the shallows.
Pros
- Beautifully finished
- Perfect Skirt eliminates the need for a trailer
- Ideal for all post-spawn fishing techniques
Cons
- Might require some tuning out of the package
Booyah Baits Pad Crashers
Males clinging to the surface might be able to turn their noses at other baits they see throughout the day, but a topwater frog seems to turn the trick, even when other baits can’t.
Pad Crashers from Booyah Baits are our top choice for these types of lures, and this three-pack includes one of each style so that you can try all three.
These frogs feature a soft, collapsible body that hides twin 3/0 hooks (2/0 on the Pad Crasher Jr.) When a hungry bass chomps on one, the hook points reveal themselves and provide ample opportunity for a solid hookset.
You can snag these lures in more than ten different colors and two sizes. The original comes in at a half-ounce while the Junior model weighs a quarter-ounce. The popping version also has a cupped mouth and allows you to fish the bait like a traditional popper/chugger or fish it like a frog.
Pros
- Includes all three styles
- Smart body design improves hookup ratio
- Durable finish stands up to multiple seasons of abuse
Cons
- Skirt is unnaturally long and should be trimmed
