White Bass Fishing

The white bass belong to the true bass family and are not remotely related to the North American black bass that belong to the sunfish family.  The white bass species is common in lakes and streams throughout the United States.  They are commonly referred to as sand bass, striper, silver bass, barfish and stripe.

White bass are freshwater fish although there some true bass species that are anadramous by nature.  The white bass have silvery dark gray or black shading on the back and has a distinctly white belly.  Stripes run horizontally on the sides. Adult white bass are quite similar to juvenile striped bass. To tell the difference, white bass have a single tooth patch while striped bass have two.On average, a white bass has a length from 10 to 16 inches and weighs from 1 to 4 lbs. The word record for the species is 6 lbs. 13 ounces and was caught in Virginia.White bass spawn in early spring. They migrate upstream to spawn and prefer their turf as parents can locate their native spawning ground.  Males migrate earlier than females. During the spawning season large female white bass are capable of releasing a million eggs.

Fishing Tips for White Bass

White bass swim in schools. They are carnivorous and feed near the surface. They eat insects and other crustaceans but their favorite is gizzard shads.  It is a fact that where there are shads, white bass are usually within “striking” distance.  Note that gulls and other fish-eating birds also surface feed on small fish so there’s a high probability that  where gulls feed, a school of white bass is there too.Adult white bass prefer to swim in deep open water by day and in shallow water by night.  They are easy to catch as they are voracious feeders and will eagerly strike lures and flies once the water reaches their ideal temperature of 65° to 75° Fahrenheit.The best time to fish for white bass is during the spring spawning run. After spawning the parents will leave their eggs to hatch on their own so they could revert back to their feeding frenzy. These fish will bite at anything that moves!  White bass are “visual” eaters as they use their sight and not their sense of smell to locate their prey.  The more colorful and interesting the lure or fly, the more they will be attracted to bite.If you catch a surface-feeding bass, make the most of it and keep on fishing. White bass are not really surface eaters but they do so for a short time early in the morning and late afternoon usually in late summer to early fall.The best time to fish for white bass is during the daytime from late fall to early spring and late evening till dawn during summer.
Tackle and Gear

It does not matter what technique you use to land a white bass. You can try casting, fly fishing, plugging or jiggling. The fish will bite.  You can use a pole with a nylon string and a hook baited with a minnow at one end and the fish will bite. However for the sake of true angling a light to medium action spinning rod and bait-casting gear will bode well.

Fly rods are also recommended as white bass “do” surface feeding.  Choose a fly that closely resembles its natural food.  For your reel, choose one that complements your rod. Make sure the reel move smoothly as even a smallish white bass can put up a strong tug-of-war with an angler.

Where are the White Bass?

Though white bass is native in the Midwest, rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs in North America have been stocked with white bass.

In Texas white bass are found in Canyon Lake, Lake Georgetown, Lake Lyndon B. Johnson and Lake Travis to name a few.

The white bass is the official state fish of Oklahoma and it has a huge population in Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Hugo Lake, Hulah Lake, Kaw Lake and more.

The Great Lakes of Huron, Erie, Michigan, Superior and Ontario are also teeming with white bass too.