The bream are spawning. The bass are retaliating.

Hey—Keith here.

It's May, and the bass spawn is nearing an end. But that doesn't mean you should stop fishing the shallows. You can still find plenty of action there.

The bream are spawning, and the bass are getting their revenge on all the bream that picked apart their nests while they were guarding fry.

I was recently reminded of this on a bass-fishing lake trip. I was walking and casting, throwing a baby-brush hog along drop-offs. 

I caught two 1.5-pound bass, so I was doing okay, I guess, but then something happened.

I spotted a commotion along a sandbar near the southern end of the lake, which had become central command for spawning bream. I spotted about 30 different bream beds.

The action I saw turned out to be bass in the shallows, feasting on the bream fry. I bit off the brush-hog, tied on a weightless PowerBait Drip Minnow, and ran it across the surface of the bream beds.

On the second cast, I connected with a two-pound bass that was hunting bream and fry.

In fact, I caught four bass along that sandbar, proving the shallows are still something you want to pay attention to, even in May.

If you're ignoring bream beds during late spring and summer, you're missing one of the most consistent and exciting patterns for catching quality bass.

Too many anglers abandon the shallows once the bass spawn concludes, heading straight for deep water structure where the fishing can be tough and unpredictable.

The reality?

Those bream beds are like an all-you-can-eat buffet for predatory bass, and they'll stick around as long as the food source remains.

I get that the appeal of deep summer patterns is strong—the challenge of finding offshore structure, the thrill of dropping that heavy jig into the unknown.

But while you're out there graphing ledges and scanning points, those shoreline bream beds are getting hammered by hungry bass that are much easier to catch.

Even anglers who do recognize this pattern make several critical mistakes:

• They spook the bass by getting too close. 

• They stay too long on unproductive beds. 

• They use the wrong presentation.

Today, I'm going to teach you everything you need to know about targeting bass around bream beds for some of the most explosive action of the year.

BEST LINKS

What I looked at this week

• How to bust 'em on bream beds (Bass Fan)

• The skinny on fishing bluegill beds for bass (Wired2Fish)

• Bream beds fishing for big bass (Bassmaster)

• Bank fishing bluegill beds in Michigan (Arcasting)

• Tips for fishing bass around bluegill beds (Wired2Fish)

Deals of the week

• Tackle Warehouse has its Daiwa Tatula 150 Baitcasting Reel marked down from $179 to $119.

• Bass Pro is offering a Lew’s Custom Speed Spin reel regularly retailing at $109.95 for only $69.95. 

• Fish USA has Berkley Gilly bait on sale for $4.74 – normally $9.49.

DEEP DIVE 

The biology behind the bream bed pattern

This pattern isn't just a fishing coincidence—it's biological warfare.

In nature's perpetual cycle of give-and-take, perhaps the fiercest of freshwater dramas plays out in the adversarial relationship between largemouth bass and the bluegill.

Remember that earlier in the season, those same bluegill were feeding on bass fry and eggs. Bass have long memories when it comes to their natural enemies.

When bluegill move shallow to spawn, bass see it as both an opportunity for an easy meal and a chance for revenge. They're hardwired to hate these panfish, and that hatred translates into aggressive feeding behavior.

Finding prime locations

Bream beds are typically found in protected areas with hard bottoms—the same places bass often spawn weeks earlier. Here's what to look for:

• Sandy or gravel bottoms in 1–4 feet of water

• Protected pockets and coves

• Areas with some nearby deeper water

• Docks, especially ones with brush or structure

• Points and flats adjacent to deeper water

The beds appear as shallow depressions, often in honeycomb clusters. In clear water, they're visible as light-colored circles about the size of a dinner plate.

Not every bed will hold bass, but finding a concentration of beds dramatically increases your chances of locating those wolf packs of marauding largemouth.

The stealth game: approach is everything

Remember that sandbar story I shared? One key to my success was staying well back from the beds. Bass around bream beds are aggressive but can also be extremely wary.

Remember, distance is always your friend, and if you cast before you approach the beds, you have a better chance of hiding your presence.

Make long casts, use natural cover to break up your silhouette, and, whenever possible, position yourself so the sun isn't behind you, casting a shadow over the beds.

Pro tip: Remember to mimic the color of bream in whatever lure you choose to use to take advantage of the animosity between the two fishes. 

Timing is everything

The prime bream bed pattern typically runs from late April through July, depending on your location. Water temperature is the key trigger—when it hits the low to mid-70s, start looking for beds.

The pattern is often strongest during the full and new moon phases when more bream move up to spawn.

Early morning and late evening typically produce the most aggressive topwater bites, while midday can be excellent for deeper beds with finesse presentations.

If you locate several productive bed areas, create a "milk run" where you can rotate through them throughout the day, giving each spot time to reset between visits.