Find those cypress trees in the shallows during the spawn. Focus on areas in protected pockets of creeks or away from the channel in the main water body. Don’t be afraid to cast shallow, you’ll find big fish in water that barely covers their backs.
Pitch a Ned rig right into the beds. Sometimes it requires a little patience but often they’ll bite very quickly.
The 3.25 lb smallie in the attached picture was landed using the aforementioned technique.