Three Things to Know When Fishing Post-Spawn with Jason Christie
5y • Mason Prince • Major League Lessons
Fred, Jackson Roumbanis explore the flexibility of scat baits
14h • Major League Lessons
Glide baits: Neat, on the rocks or with a splash of water?
2d • Sean Ostruszka • Major League Lessons
Wiggins keeps the big walking topwater plugs handy in late fall and early winter
1w • Major League Lessons
Advanced dock fishing strategies with Berhorst
1m • Jody White • Major League Lessons
Three techniques for the cutting-edge of forward-facing sonar 
2m • Jody White • Invitationals
Ashley keeps a Texas-rigged worm handy as early fall backup to topwaters, swim jigs
2m • Bass Pro Tour
Carson looks for points, current breaks when walking the bank for smallmouth
2m • Bass Pro Tour
1 BAIT/5 REASONS: Buck highlights the ChatterBait’s versatility
4m • Bass Pro Tour
1 BAIT/5 REASONS: Why Cooper sticks with a stickbait
4m • Bass Pro Tour
1 BAIT/5 REASONS: Why Stefan favors a “hybrid” glide/jerk/slash bait created for live sonar
5m • Bass Pro Tour
1 BAIT/5 REASONS: Why a finesse worm is one of Drew Gill’s go-to baits 90% of the year
6m • Bass Pro Tour
Murray has rethought his C-rig leader length to better match the buoyancy of his baits
6m • Bass Pro Tour
Getting a feel for sight-fishing the old-fashioned way with Keith Carson
7m • Tyler Brinks • Bass Pro Tour
Shryock has a new favorite bait for skipping into hard-to-reach places (and fish like it, too)
10m • Major League Lessons

Three Things to Know When Fishing Post-Spawn with Jason Christie

Image for Three Things to Know When Fishing Post-Spawn with Jason Christie
MLF pro Jason Christie gives three tips on how to successfully fish post-spawn. Photo by Garrick Dixon
May 7, 2019 • Mason Prince • Major League Lessons

TULSA, Okla. – As the temperature starts to warm and we begin the gradual shift from spring to summer, many lakes across the country begin to enter their post-spawn period. For some anglers, this change signals the beginning of the end of quality fishing in their minds. However, MLF pro Jason Christie showed just how fruitful post-spawn fishing can be during last week’s Bass Pro Tour Stage Five event on Smith Lake.

Christie was able to catch, weigh and release 87 bass during four days of competition, which earned him a fourth-place finish. I spoke with Christie to get some helpful tips on how to successfully fish during post-spawn.

Technology is Your Friend

“The most important thing is to have the right electronics on your boat and use them,” Christie pointed out. “A lot of people have the right electronics on their boat but don’t know how to use them. Me personally, and a lot of the professional anglers, we don’t even make a cast on a deep spot until you see them on your electronics. It saves us so much time.”

Getting to the Groups

“Over the years, when you hear the term ‘post-spawn’ people automatically assume the fishing is tough and the fish are finicky,” Christie said. “I think post-spawn is some of the best fishing you can find. Now is the time that these fish group up and they get offshore. You can have some of the best fishing you’ve had during post-spawn periods.

“This past week at Stage Five I was able to catch about 75 fish off of one spot on the lake. It’s all about finding those key areas, and a good area to start looking is the mouth of some of these bigger pockets and creeks. Once these fish spawn, they will start to move out of those pockets and try to get to open water as they get ready for summer.”

Switch Up Your Baits

“Having an array of baits is so important when fishing post-spawn,” Christie advised. “There’s hardly ever a day when you fish post-spawn that you have one bait that you’ll use all day. I like to have a deep-diving crankbait and I’ll use that to find the fish. Then, I’ll make the switch to a big worm, a football jig, or a swimbait to really catch them.

“It’s funny because you will sit there and catch five to 10 fish on a crankbait and you think, ‘Oh I caught them all, they’re all gone.’ Then, you pick up a worm or a different bait and you’ll catch five or 10 more. The fish can get conditioned to the bait so if you keep switching baits, you’ll keep catching fish.”

Christie and the rest of the pros on the MLF Bass Pro Tour return to action on May 17 from Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri for Berkley Stage Six Presented by True Timber.