In my experience they get on the feed big time. Most of the waters I've fished close for a period for spawning (rightly so) but I've had seasons where they spawn so late they're only just finished by the time the lake opens. I've had, and seen others have, absolutely massive hits during this period. They just go mental and feed their heads off. Food is a huge part of their recovery process, they need it. They start growing the following years eggs almost immediately so they need the grub to fuel this process.