Post-Spawn Bass Lures: 3 Deadly Ways To Land Huge Fish

Post-spawn bass lures can be tricky to decide on. During this time, Bass recover after spawning and might act funky. For example, females with a hormone change might sit complacently on an abandoned bed or suspend motionless over cover.

But, once that period ends, they’re dangerous to their forage. For this reason,  I like to keep a few specific lures handy that imitate bluegill.

Whether fishing heavy grass, weed lines, or overhang, there are a few presentations that’ll fire them up.

1.) Bluegill Swim Baits

There’s no question – bass hates bluegill, especially in post-spawn. Whether for food, bed defense, or just due to bad blood, bass eat them year-round

As red crank-baits are effective in pre-spawn, bluegill imitations call out those heavy hitters in the post. For this reason, my lure rotation all consists of pumpkin green, blue, and yellow, and can be fished either through or near the grass.

Grass Fishing With Swim Baits

It makes sense to cast where both bass and blue gill can be found. I like to throw a weedless swimbait like a Live Target Bluegill. The weight and compact build are perfect for twitching and popping along grass lines and through the light cover. Giving it that pop allows it to drop deeper into thick grass beds, and stand it out from other bluegills.

Post Spawn Bass Lures: Open Water

The Savage Gear 3D Blue Gill swim bait has a perfect action and profile, and it silhouettes perfectly along the outside of the dark cover. It’s perfect for working the outside of grassy points and weed lines before you go it with heavier setups ie Texas Rigs and Big Swim Jigs. With short twitches, you can achieve a similar side-to-side action to a glide bait.

2.) Post-Spawn Bass Lures:  Swim Jigs

It’s not always easy getting a moving bait into heavy vegetation and around brush piles and fallen trees. But, the bass is often found in those deepest areas. For this application, I use a California Swim Jig by Dirty Jigs in 1/2 oz. This thing can get through any of these obstacles.

I’ll throw it on a 40-50 lb braided line ( no leader) and a 7ft 2 medium-heavy action rod. As the jig runs through thick grass and gets held up, I’ll rip it hard and free it. Like a crankbait deflecting off a stump, this action is what set those fish off.

Swim Jig Trailers

It’s important to pair your swim jig with the right trailer. For 3/8 – 1/2 oz jigs, I almost exclusively use a 3.8 Rage Swimmer. For a more accurate bluegill presentation, you can throw on a craw trailer or Rage Tail.

3.) Post-Spawn Bass Lures: Flipping Jigs

A big misunderstanding is that a jig always has to resemble a craw. As a post-spawn bass lure,  I keep a set of darker colored jigs ( bluegill colored) ready for flipping heavy cover,  and to be honest, whenever I’m flipping in the grass.

For those fish that’ll transition to shallow cover, boat docks, and pilings, I’ll use a 3/8 oz flipping jig and target those shaded pockets. Having a bluegill pattern still fires up those aggressive fish. For trailers, I’ll go with a standard rage craw in pumpkin green.

Final Thoughts

It’s not too late to still fire up that bass on a bluegill pattern baits. Some lures are perfect year-round like swim jigs. If bluegills are abundant on your home water during the warmer season, I would recommend using a swim jig or small swim bait in darker color patterns as a primary search bait.

Keep it near grass, mostly. Target bluegill spawning beds, and rocky bottoms, and experiment with different baits until you find that right rotation that works for you.