Patterns For Lake of the Ozarks Post-Spawn Bass

[John Neporadny Jr.]

Postspawn bass at Lake of the Ozarks need some rest to recuperate from the rigors of spawning but these famished fish also need to eat to build up their strength again.

Although it seems as if postspawn bass should be inactive while recovering from the spawn, hunger pains turn these fish into aggressive feeders.  Early in the postspawn, male bass are also extremely belligerent when they are guarding fry and will attack anything that gets near their hatchlings.

May is a prime time to take advantage of the aggressiveness of postspawn bass on Lake of the Ozarks.  The latest spawners on my home waters of Lake of the Ozarks are usually finished by mid-May.

Topwater lures are most effective during the postspawn since these surface baits imitate an easy meal for bass. In the clear waters on the lower arm of the lake, I like to throw a Zara Spook early and late in the day around boat docks in the spawning pockets immediately after bass come off the beds.

The Heddon Zara Spook is my all-time favorite topwater lure for tempting postspawn bass to explode on the surface.

The walk of a Zara Spook as it sashays across the surface is simply irresistible to a recuperating bass looking for an easy meal.   Twitching the rod tip and reeling at the same time causes the Spook to glide from side-to-side—a retrieve commonly called walking the dog.

I use the original size Zara Spook in the baby bass or flitter shad hues for my postspawn topwater fishing on Lake of the Ozarks.  I have found that 14-pound test monofilament works best for the walking the dog retrieve.

A 1/8- or 1/4- ounce shaky head jig tipped with either a finesse worm, creature bait or beaver-style bait also triggers strikes from postspawn bass hanging under the boat docks. 

During the early postspawn stage, I also look for bluegill beds where avenging bass get even with the sunfish that were constantly harassing bass previously on the nests.  I flip around the sunfish beds with small jigs and plastic chunks or Texas-rigged 5-inch plastic worms in bluegill hues or work Rebel Pop-Rs or Smithwick Devil’s Horse prop baits over the nest to catch bass feeding on the nesting bluegill.

By late May, I start keying on secondary and main lake points where postspawn bass hang around the docks or close to the drop-offs.  I still catch those fish on Zara Spooks or Rebel Pop-Rs early and late in the day.  The shaky head with a creature bait or beaver-style bait also works great for pitching into the dock wells and the front ends of the boathouses. 

The postspawn on the upper Osage arm of the lake usually begins in early May.  Zara Spooks and topwater poppers draw strikes from bass on main and secondary points.  When current flows across main channel points throughout the month, try jigs and spinnerbaits in flooded brush or along boat docks.

For information on lodging and other facilities at the Lake of the Ozarks or to receive a free vacation guide, call the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-FUN-LAKE or visit the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitors Bureau web site at funlake.com.  

For copies of John Neporadny’s THE Lake of the Ozarks Fishing Guide  call 573/365-4296 or visit www.jnoutdoors.com.

 

[Ketchup]

Great info John.  Tho im not a LOZ fisherman, your article can and does work on our other lakes. The topwater bite is a favorite way to catch them after leaving the beds. Again great article, like many of your others. 

[zipstick]

Agreed with your ideas and patterns, but the absolute best bait to use for postspawn bass is a white fluke skipped behind docks. First, this is the easiest bait to skip way back under wires.  Second, bass eat the heck out of it, and last, with a single hook, it doesn't put out eyes of cut gills nearly as often as a topwater. The only downside is the cost, so I like to shop hard and I usually find them for $2 a bag if I am vigilant.