White Bass Fishing "Instinct Secrets"

While the term bass fishing is often used to lump the entire sport into one category, it is important to remember that there are several different species of bass, some more prominent in one particular region than another, and each have different habits requiring different fishing techniques. Fishing whites, for example, is quite different from fishing for striped or black bass.

White bass are a small species of the bass population, usually not weighing more than three to four pounds at largest. Also known as sandies, these fish also have a short lifespan of only three to four years; however, they are very active during their lifetime. They are a schooling fish, so where you find one, you'll find many. This is true not only during spawning season but year round, even as these fish migrate up rivers and streams between January and May during their spawning runs. You'll note that, especially during this time of the year, bass fishing can be particularly productive. That's because these fish are hunger driven and feed like crazy during their runs, making frequent stops for food. This means good fishing by boat as well as along shorelines.

White bass (Latin name Morone Chrysops) are closely related to the larger striped bass species, and the two variations are often bred to form the hybrid stripe, which is a bit larger but active in schools like the whites. All three species are silvery white in color and have dark horizontal lines decorating their sides from gill to tail. What they lack in production of sizeable catches it makes up for in quantity, as there are literally hundreds of thousands of them in any given area where white bass can be caught. When not in migration, target larger lakes that have more room for enormous schools of such fish.

One of the most popular states for white bass fishing is Texas, especially in the spring. What is great about this state is that it has several climates that are conducive to bass fishing year round. If you are looking for a good catch as early as December, try far south Texas, where the waters warm early and the natural cycle of the season is thrown off by the extreme warmth of the climate. Here, you'll find that anglers who are hunkering for a trip to the lake mid-winter can go fishing when northern lakes are still dead. As the season drags on and spring blooms, waters to the north also begin to warm, with temperatures in most Texas lakes reaching the mid 60's in early to mid March, making for a good, long fishing season. In fact, with the right tools and foreknowledge, you can find some of the greatest numbers of bass in the dead of winter.