My post-spawn tackle box includes soft plastics that I can fish either Texas-rigged or Carolina-rigged, spinnerbaits, some shallow-running crankbaits and lipless baits like Rat-L-Traps (which I can fish shallow or in deeper water) and some topwater baits. All of them can produce bass now, and you should have them along on a post-spawn outing.

Here’s some direction on when and where to fish which lures. As you read what follows, think about the known areas you plan to fish this month. If you can relate certain specific spots to the general information that follows, you’ll be ready to catch bass.

Soft plastics are great choices for any of the situations/locations mentioned already, even for suspended fish. For those fish, you can rig a soft-plastic jerkbait and fish it in and around trees on the surface. You also can let the baits sink on the outsides of the trees and coax fish out of the flooded limbs to strike. One advantage to these baits is that you can fish them at practically any speed, so they’re as versatile as it gets for post-spawn bass.

Of course, spinnerbaits can be fished in much the same way, so if you prefer them, try them. Pitching them into little cuts of shoreline weeds and rocks can be very productive, as can fishing them around flooded timber. The latter involves positioning your boat so that you can cast the lure beyond your intended target and move it through the structure, pausing when it bumps a limb or tree trunk to let it fall in a wobbly manner before continuing your retrieve.

You can actually spend more time thoroughly fishing waters like Gardner Lake than you can a big reservoir like La Cygne.

The points mentioned earlier are great places for trying crankbaits, which you can use to cover a lot of water effectively. If you get a short-strike or miss a bass, slow down and work the area again more slowly with a Texas-rigged worm or a soft jerkbait. If the point is rocky, you also might want to try a “creature” or crawdad imitation rigged on a stand-up jighead. Bass love crawdads, and crawdads love rocks. Baits like this one work in these kinds of spots.

I like to fish all the way around a point with a worm or crawdad imitation, starting at the back on one side and working out to the tip of the point and back down the other side. A really effective approach is to position your boat so you can just reach the shoreline with a cast. Let the bait slowly fall down the point. Bass often hit baits on the drop in spots like this, so watch your line on the drop for any unnatural twitches.

Set the hook when you see one. You often won’t feel these bass strike. Sometimes you’ll suddenly notice the line either stop or start moving off. Set the hook when you see this, too.

I prefer natural colors with the worms and crawdad imitations, and with the crankbaits and spinnerbaits. The only exceptions are windy days when the water has churned up a bit, or after heavy rains when it’s going to be off color. During these times, I tend to stick with the spinnerbaits or crankbaits, and I’ll go with chartreuse or other bright colors.