While postspawn is a great time to post large numbers of fish, it can also be challenging since the fish can be unpredictable. Former Bassmaster Elite Series pro Jay Fuller thinks he's got it figured out. With a few custom baits and some patience you can share his success.
Jay stresses the importance of being flexible with finicky postspawners. "You have to be able to try different things during postspawn. If deep waters don't produce, try sight fishing for shallow cruisers," says Fuller.
He has a number of different baits he likes to coax the keepers to bite, his favorite being a jig he customizes.
"I like to trim the skirt just to shorten it a little and give it more flare when it moves, and I don't match the color of the trailer to the jig. I want to give them something new to look at," says Jay. "This time of year I like to use a Berkley Chigger Craw or a twin-tail grub for a trailer."
When the jig-and-pig doesn't produce for him, his go-to bait for postspawn bass is a Berkley Power Worm, in either the 7- or 10-inch length.
"Another thing that helps is slowing everything down," Fuller adds. "If I slow my presentation down, it gives the fish a longer time to see the bait. This isn't always a good thing, but it usually helps in the postspawn."
Varying the depth at which you fish can also improve results. "With a jig, I like to fish different depths until I find where they're at," he says. "You've got to be flexible and not set on one technique because you don't know exactly what they're doing."
To Fuller, tackle selection is of the utmost importance. He keeps it simple … and light. "I like to use the lightest fluorocarbon I can, given the conditions," he says. "But if I'm fishing in a lot of weeds or cover, I don't want to be stuck with just 10-pound-line. I need something bigger. But I always go as light as I can within reason."
When scaling up to heavy lines, Fuller opts for a Fenwick Techna AV with a medium-heavy action and an Abu Garcia Revo reel.
With a little innovation, out-of-the-box thinking and patience, you can greatly increase your chances of having a successful postspawn. A George Strait lyric sums up Jay Fuller's postspawn tactics nicely; "You've got to have an ace in the hole, a little secret that nobody knows."
