Category:White Bass

White Bass
White bass, a mostly silver fish with a white belly and five to eight narrow, darkish (gray to black) stripes, are commonly found in the Great Lakes and many other rivers, streams, and lakes throughout the Midwest United States. This type of bass makes its habitat in clear water, usually within twenty feet of the surface because they travel in schools, which means they rely on visual cues and because they appear to be visual feeders, and so rely on their vision to see their prey instead of using their sense of smell.

White bass typically weigh between one to four pounds, are 10-15 inches long—the world record being 6 lbs. 7 oz. These fish are very skittish and are frightened easily. They move in schools, and when not frightened will readily bite at minnows, sometimes even driving the smaller prey to the surface.

White bass spawn from mid-April to late May when water temperatures range between 58° and 64°F. They prefer to spawn below dams, near hydroelectric plants in the warmer water, in rifles or other upstream barriers, and over gravel or rubble bottoms as they do not build a nest. These fish will even spawn near windswept shores.

White bass are best caught during the spawning runs using fly-fishing methods with ultra-light tackle, flashy spinners, streamer flies, or live minnows. Some fishermen report that white bass, on occasion, have an oily, musty-tasting flesh. Usually, this type of bass has firm, white flesh that is delicious baked, fried, or smoked.


 * Names:

Scientific classification
 * Kingdom:	Animalia
 * Phylum:	Chordata
 * Class:	Actinopterygii
 * Order:	Perciformes
 * Family:	Moronidae
 * Genus:	Morone
 * Species:	M. chrysops


 * Binomial name: Morone chrysops
 * Average Weight: 1-4 lbs.
 * World record: 6 lbs. 7 oz.
 * Life span: about 7 years if not caught before then
 * Other names it goes by: sand bass, silver bass, linesides, white lake-bass, striped bass
 * Average Length: 9-15 inches

Where they live: Midwest United States in freshwater lakes and rivers, particularly; Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Saint Clair, from the states of Virginia to Oklahoma

State Fish: Oklahoma

What they eat: They eat small fish (minnows, gizzard and threadfin shad), crayfish, microscopic crustaceans, and insect larvae early in the morning or late in the evening. They swim in a compact school and drive the smaller fish to the surface. How it can be identified: -usually gold or silver eyes -back is colored light/dark greenish-silver, sides are usually yellowish-green to silver, belly is silvery white -sides have 5-8 horizontal dark stripes -has nine spines in first dorsal fin -two dorsal fins with higher spinous and lower soft-rayed portions separated -usually 10-15 inches in length and weighs 1-4  lbs.

Life Cycle: -fish migrates upstream or near the warm water of power plants or below water dams, in riffles or other upstream barriers to their native spawning ground -does not build a nest -eggs are heavy and sticky and are broadcast over gravel or rubble and will cling to the bottom or to plants -eggs hatch in two days, with no parents to protect them -baby fish eat insects, insect larva, small fish, and crustaceans -as they grow, they feed mostly on yellow perch and other small fish -they are mature at age three, seldom living beyond seven years