Fishing.Info - White Bass

Common name(s): silver bass, white lake-bass, stripe, striper, sand bass, barfish.

Scientific name: Morone chrysops

Description: The white bass looks similar to a shortened version of its larger relative, the striped bass. It has an overall silvery color with steel-blue iridescence and a milk-white belly. The 2 dorsal fins are well separated and the spiny dorsal fin has 9 spines. There are 5-7 dark, lateral lines on the sides and back. Closely resembles the white perch. Lower jaw protrudes.

White bass prefer lakes and resevoirs, but can be found in rivers as well. Although white bass may live up to 10 years, few live beyond three to four years. Females grow slightly faster and probably live longer than males. The average size is one pound with fish over two pounds considered large.

Spawning: Male white bass migrate upstream in large schools to a dam or other barrier in early spring, followed shortly by schools of females. Spawning occurs in moving water over gravel shoals or a hard bottom. Large females may lay as many as 242,000 to 933,000 adhesive eggs that stick to rocks and gravel. Spawning takes place during daylight. The parents provide no care and move to deeper water soon afterwards. As the eggs hatch, the young fish remain in shallow water for a while before migrating to deeper areas.

Angling: White bass have an aggressive nature and are hard hitting, fierce fighting fish. However, this aggression combined with their schooling tendency make them one of the easiest fish to catch. Like the striper, white bass move in schools and feed most heavily around dawn or dusk. They are easy to catch during feeding frenzies or spring spawning runs.

White bass are carnivorous, eating microscopic crustaceans, insect larvae, and other fish. Larger foods become more important as the fish grow. One of the reasons white bass prefer clear water is that they appear to be visual feeders, using their sense of sight instead of smell to locate prey. Also, the mature fish form schools, which also requires visual cues.

The white bass offers good sport if you use ultra-light tackle. Streamer flies, flashy spinning lures. Because they are an active predator, they will take most suitably sized natural baits or artifical lures.

White bass is an excellent eating fish, with firm white flesh that is appealing fresh or smoked.