Fishing For White Bass

A beginners guide to catching white bass

Nov 15, 2024

Tips For White Bass Fishing

Basic White Bass Fishing Tackle
White Bass Fishing Video
White Bass Lures For Beginners
Top 3 Tips For Beginners
White Bass Tackle For Intermediate Anglers
Additional Baits For Intermediate Anglers
Top Tips For Intermediate Anglers
World Record White Bass

White Bass

Beginners

White Bass fishing for beginners and novice anglers, with tips which can be used while fishing from a boat, or while fishing from the bank.

Basic White Bass Tackle For Beginners

Rod. Start with a 5'-6" to 6', medium action rod, although most any rod that can handle a 5# to 6# fish will do.

Reel. Level wind and spinning reels work well for the vast majority of white bass fishing conditions.

Line. Begin with 8# to 12# monofilament line.

Method. Cast to likely areas using small baitfish-imitating lures.

White Bass fishing basics video.

Basic Baits For Beginners

Spinners. Small spinners are a simple way to start. Rooster Tail spinners or similar work well. Sharp hooks are always important, check them often.

3 Important Tips For Beginners

Tip 1. White Bass migrate up rivers, which feed into the lake, for an annual spawn run. Migration from the lake into the rivers begins in very early Spring. By late Spring or early summer they migrate back into the main lake. During their time in the main lake, white bass follow schools of baitfish and will vary their depth according to the food source and water conditions. Usually they can be found between 15' and 35'.

Tip 2. Once you catch a white bass, it is highly likely there is a sizeable school in the area. Fishing from shore, or from a boat are both popular ways to fish for white bass.

Tip 3. Use good knots and re-tie anytime the knot or line has been nicked or frayed. Always use sharp hooks, if they are dull replace or sharpen them

Intermediate Anglers

White Bass Tackle For Intermediate Anglers

Rods. For longer casts, choose a 6' or longer, medium action rod, preferably with a fast-action tip. Shimano, Bass Pro Shops, G. Loomis, Fenwick, Lew's and Abu Garcia, among others, all make a variety of quality rods in varying price ranges.

Reels. Possibly upgrade to a higher quality spinning reel. Shimano, Abu Garcia, Lew's Mach, Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris Series and Daiwa are all good choices, and there are many others. Accurate casts are crucial to success.

Line. Use 20# braided line to fill the reel and add a 6' to 8' monofilament or fluorocarbon tip. Use an alberto or albright knot to join lines. Monofilament line is least expensive and offers some stretch, to help land bigger fish. Often, lighter lines will produce more bites from the larger fish in the school.

Basic Baits For Intermediate Anglers

In addition to spinners, learning to use the following baits can improve your chances for success.

Crankbaits. Small bodied crankbaits that imitate baitfish, especially flashy versions, are ideal lures for catching white bass.

Underspins. Small jigheads with a blade attached work well for white bass. Dress the underspin jighead with white, or light colored plastic trailers to imitate baitfish.

Jigs. Jigheads in 3/16 oz to 3/8 oz size, dressed with a wide variety of plastics to appear like baitfish work well for both casting and trolling. Hair jigs offer another option.

Small Spoons. Use a flashy spoon to cast and retrieve, troll, or vertical jig to reach white bass.

Techniques. Try casting and retrieving, without a bobber, and slowly reel the bait back to you. From a boat, slow-troll crankbaits or underspins, varying the speed until you identify the most productive speed. Start at about 3 miles per hour and experiment with faster or slower rates.

5 Important Tips For Intermediate Anglers

Know The Fish. Study the life cycle of white bass, their annual migrations, daily movements, and food sources available in the lake you plan to fish. Our focus here is to assist beginner and intermediate anglers. For those wishing to take the next step, there are a multitude of options for growing your knowledge of fishing for white bass.

Remote Areas. Find secluded areas that get little fishing pressure. Sections of the lake with no shoreline access are a good place to fish from a boat. White Bass in this area often grow to larger sizes.

Focus On Finding The Fish. White Bass move up and down in the water column in search of the best available water temperatures, availability of food, and a variety of other factors. Begin the day fishing shallow, medium and deep water in search of the best depth for the day. Fish finders can be very helpful in locating schools of white bass. Once you locate fish, concentrate on that depth and similar locations.

Keep Bait Selection Simple. White Bass are not as picky as we tend to think. Stick to basic colors as long as they are biting, then experiment with brighter color options. Depending on water clarity contrast may be an issue dictating dark or flashy colors.

Use Multiple Baits. Once you locate an area holding bluegill, also try a variety of prepared baits or live bait, to see which entices more bites. For each bait vary the speed and action of the retrieve to determine the best approach for getting bites

Time On The Water. Experience is the best teacher. Spend time locating the fish and experimenting with a wide variety of lures and techniques.

Have Fun. Fishing for white bass can be very rewarding. Be diligent, but enjoy the process. Fishing is a life-long journey, and you can learn something new every day you spend on the lake!

White Bass Sunfish

World record: 6.3 pounds

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired bass tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".