White Bass - Spring Run!

Early spring, is the time of year, you will see fishermen in sneakers, knee boots and waders run, skip and jump to their favorite tributary streams when the white bass run kicks into" High" gear. They all know how much fun the white bass run is and how easy it is to catch these hard fighting white bass! Light tackle is recommended and practically any lure you throw will do the trick!

Dogwood blooming, morels pushing out of leaf litter and white bass spawning up feeder streams of Ozark impoundments are strong signs of Spring, and also signs of the "white bass run!"

You can sometimes find Whites in the mouths or lower stream channels as early as January and February particularly during stretches of unseasonably warm sunny weather. However, when the air temperatures drop back down the "whites" will retreat back to deeper, warmer lake water temporarily ending the fishing excitement.

The peak of the spawn is usually sometime in March,depending on the weather, though some over eager anglers start fishing for whites earlier to catch the first schools of fish on their way upstream to spawn.

The peak of the spawning run will occur when water temps consistently reach the 60 to 65 degree F. range. When the dogwoods reach full bloom is also a way some fishermen determine the peak of the run! I thought that was just a good story, but that story proved to be true every year that I intentionally compared the timing of both the temperature and the dogwoods blooming!

The best white bass opportunity is usually from mid March far into April. Longer days and a rising water temperature triggers the spawning run! A water temperature of 55 degrees triggers the run.

You can catch them on practically any lure, casting, and trolling is the best methods of catching these hard fighting white bass! I love to catch them on an ultra light , using small bright colored jigs. You can even have a blast with a fly rod!

Fishing can be better after the spawn than during. At peak spawning time, white bass are focused on reproduction and not on feeding. Once the spawn is over, the fish are hungry and often more eager to bite as they migrate back downstream! The next window of white bass action happens during summer when white bass school on the surface.

Whites should be filleted and the strip of strong-tasting red meat removed from each fillet. That red meat is the reason a lot of people won't eat white bass! Take that red meat out! The blood vein or red meat makes the meat have even a stronger taste than cat fish!

So get out there and catch them white bass when they are making their spring run and you will have the experience of a life time! Keep those hooks wet and we will see ya out there , soon!