As smallmouth spawning draws to a close, slow retrieves with long pauses tempt reluctant bass into biting. Softbaits excel under these conditions.

The postspawn period can be a tricky time to fish for smallmouth bass. After the fish have been aggressively chasing horizontal baits, the switch to vertical baits can be a difficult transition. However, with the right technique, anglers can still find success.

However, you can still have a nice day by deadsticking our way to some nice catches. We approached structure with a slow-moving presentation, casting up to shallow depths and slowly crawling our baits back to the boat. We kept the boat in 10 feet of water, casting up to 6 or 7 feet. Drag his lure directly behind the boat, covering water from 8 to 10 feet.

Once we finished a pass at the 10 foot depth, we moved the boat up to 6 or 7 feet of water and returned the same run, casting up to as shallow as 3 or 4 feet.

Patience Pays Off

Fishing slow but doing it as fast as possible, proper lure selection, boat control, casting angles, and some patience can pay big dividends when fish are off.

In conclusion, the postspawn period can be a tricky time to fish for smallmouth bass. However, with the right technique, anglers can still find success. By approaching structure with a slow moving presentation, casting up to shallow depths and slowly crawling our baits back to the boat, we were able to turn negative fish into biters.  With proper lure selection, boat control, casting angles, and some patience, we were able to have a successful day on the water.