For the past month, you’ve likely enjoyed catching aggressive, pre-spawn bass—largemouths, smallmouths, or both—roaming the shallows and feeding aggressively prior to their spawning activities. But by mid-May, things are about to turn, if they haven’t already.

Once water temperatures rise to the point that males are constructing nests and nudging females onto them, bass switch from an aggressive nature to a defensive posture. No longer are they willing to chase and attack lures fished swiftly over their heads. Now, they hunker down near bottom in nesting sites, suspicious of anything passing nearby. They will, however, still bite—rather than strike—if you put a lure on their noses.

The key is to switch from horizontal triggering techniques like spinnerbaits, crankbaits, chatterbaits or swimming jigs, to vertical tempting techniques like tube jigs, wacky-rigged stickbaits, or possibly hair jigs or Ned rigs. The idea is to cast just past a nesting site, retrieve the lure near-surface until it’s right over the fish, and then let it seductively flutter down and settle onto the nest. And let it sit there.

Chances are that bass aren’t going to pound it upon arrival, however. But they will nose over and examine the offending intruder. Then they might eat it, if they’re still aggressive enough to feed.

If they’re wary, they may simply ignore it. Or they may slowly shift near and inhale the bait just enough to lip it, rather than eat it. With the lure dangling outside their lips, they may then carry it over a few feet outside the nesting area, spit it out and return to the nest. Set the hook, and you might feel the lure slip out between the fish’s gums.

It’s a cat-and-mouse game. Some bass just plain aren’t going to bite, period, no matter what you do. Others can be coaxed or teased into tentatively biting.

Ideally, you can still catch bass near the end of their pre-spawn activities with these adjustments. Once bass actually begin and complete spawning, including the post-spawn when the male defends the nest and newly hatched fry, it’s best not to mess with them.

Bass in southern states often spawn in waves over a period of months, and bass seasons remain open to harvesting them at this time. But in northern states, the spawning period is usually compressed into a relatively short interval—kind of a one-shot deal. Traditionally, bass seasons remained closed at this time, protecting bass during the spawning cycle to ensure successful spawns. Today, some of these states have changed their regulations to allow catch-and-release fishing during the spawn. At the very least, immediately release bass so they can return to the nest and carry out their spawning responsibilities. Better yet, leave them alone, and focus instead on fishing for other species like walleyes or pike, or for spawned-out female bass roaming the adjacent shallow flats.

For more insight and tips for fishing throughout the year, check out the articles in every issue of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.