Post-Spawn Patterns

The post-spawn period may not be the easiest time to fish for muskies, but with a few slight adjustments you can still succeed.

- Gregg Thomas

On southern reservoirs, the late spring, post-spawn period from mid April to mid may can be a tough and unusual time to fish. Typically, water temperatures will range from the mid 50s to the mid 60s, the spawn will have just ended, and Muskies will be migrating to their summer haunts — in short, it’s a challenging time for fishermen.

The good thing is Muskies can still be caught. Remember, they have just finished spawning, so they have expended a lot of energy. Two keys I have found to success at this time of year are keeping lures close to structure and adding extra triggers to your retrieve.

In Their Face

Whether one prefers trolling or casting, it is during this season above all others I have found that getting the lure closer to the structure — or actually hitting the structure — is extremely important to putting Muskies in the boat. Muskies don’t want to travel far to eat.

Whether trolling newly-emergent weeds, wood, or bottom, try to get your lures within a foot of the cover or structure. This means a fisherman has to keep a watchful eye on his rods, because getting the lures fouled happens much more often. Whether it is the water temperature or stress of spawning, the mood of the fish can be very sluggish, so small variables can really add up.

A fisherman must trust his electronics and know the running depths of all the lures in his spread given the lengths of line out. To best accomplish this, take a few lures to an area where the bottom is flat and a consistent depth. Then start letting line out and watch the rod tip, and note when the lure start consistently hits bottom. Make a note of line length and diameter, and repeat for all the baits you typically troll. Once finished, an angler will a clear idea of the depth his baits are running.