Charles Dickens opens his classic A Tale of Two Cities with one of the most memorable lines in English literature: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . “

He was of course writing about the era of the French Revolution -- but his words can be very aptly applied to bass fishing during the annual post-spawn period in Kansas.

Without question, the post-spawn is one of the best times for catching fish. But it’s also the worst time for catching truly large bass. For one thing, the biggest bass -- the females -- are recovering from the stress of the annual spawn. For another, even those large bass that do bite are, in many cases, going to look flat-out emaciated as a result of that stress.

The biggest post-spawn bass I’ve ever caught weighed just a shade over 5 pounds. She had no belly, and looked sick, really. She wasn’t, of course: She was just worn out from her species’ annual rite of spring.

So how in the world could this be the best of times? The simple answer is that on those lakes with good numbers of bass in the 12-inch-plus range, the odds will be in your favor. Plenty of bass are in the mix in these waters, and you’re going to have a chance to enjoy some excellent action using a variety of baits and techniques.

So don’t let the post-spawn get you down. Do a little homework and keep an open mind, and there’s no reason that you can’t boat plenty of bass now.

Let’s start with that homework. It involves putting together a list of the Sunflower State’s bass waters that offer the kinds of bass quantities that will help put the odds in your favor. There are more of them than you might think, and they come in all sizes.

Fortunately for many Kansas anglers, the top three reservoirs are within easy reach of the greater Kansas City and Wichita areas. El Dorado is only a short drive north up I-35 from Wichita, and it’s got good numbers of bass and plenty of great spots from which to fish for them. The Kansas City area provides easy access -- about an hour’s drive, sometimes less -- to the other two larger state impoundments with good bass numbers -- Hillsdale and La Cygne.

The former is southwest of town, just south of I-35; the latter is due south along U.S. 69 Highway. Either lake will offer you some good action with post-spawn largemouths this month. Hillsdale’s slightly larger, but both should provide you with a chance to get away from other anglers and spend some time working on the resident largemouths.

Many bass fanatics consistently think of and focus on reservoirs no matter the time of year or the sort of activity that the bass are (or aren’t) into then. And there’s nothing wrong with that, especially for those who don’t mind looking at other, smaller options. Kansas offers a wide variety of those in the form of state-managed waters and community-managed lakes.

Among the best of the state fishing lakes for post-spawn bass fishing is Butler SFL, which isn’t too far from El Dorado in southern Butler County. Other good bets among state lakes are Brown, Clarke and Lyon SFLs.