Outdoors: May is for white bass
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By Mike Cyze | Saturday, May 10, 2008 |
It's that time of year that many anglers have waited for with great anticipation.
It’s the season for white bass fishing.
White bass can be caught in numerous locations on rivers, but one of the best spots is rock strewn bottom areas that have enough depth for the fish to use. Also in the spring, you can find white bass cruising the tailwater areas of rivers that have dams.
In the Quad-Cities, white bass can be caught off numerous wingdams that are located along the main channel area and also in some side sloughs.
These rocky structures known as wingdams can hold very large schools of white bass or they can hold none. The key to being consistent when fishing these areas is to be able to identify the best probable fish holding structures in the area of the river that you intend to fish. Being able to make this identification is not always simple.
There are many things to consider when making your choice: Current rate, wind direction and the location of the wingdam in the river are examples of what it takes to put the total game plan for success together.
When searching for a wingdam — what I like to call “High Success Ratio” white bass fishing — you have to keep in mind that they come in all shapes and sizes. Some might extend out 25 feet into the river, while others might go out as far as 300 feet.
In low-water conditions and during normal pool conditions, I have had my best success when fishing the longer wingdams. From years of experience, I have learned that the white’s seem to cruise parallel to the wingdam, traveling in large schools.
Another important factor is that these fish will use different depths at different times of the day. In the early-morning hours and in low light conditions, you will find the fish cruising up higher on the structure and in more shallow water as compared to sunny days and midday, when the white bass use the deeper depths near the structure.
River current also is important.
Faster currents usually force the white bass toward the inner half of the wingdam, where there usually is less current for the fish.
If you find the wind is coming up river against the current, you can expect to find the fish deeper against the upstream side of the wingdam. This holds true no matter what that light condition. Also remember that when the wind is coming up river, wingdams are much harder to spot, so use caution when running your boat. Never run inside the main channel markers at any speed other than very slow.
A key method to catching white bass is the jig and minnow rig. When you use this setup, make it a point to always start with the lightest jig you can cast and move up in jig weight.
A trick that works well for white bass is to trim the tail of your jig shorter if you are using some type of hair jig. By making the tail shorter, you will increase your hook set ratio. Just trim it so that it extends just beyond the hook’s bend.
Another method is using a blade bait. Small blade baits such as the Sonar or Cicada are excellent. When using a blade bait, stick to the smaller sizes.
My all-time favorites are plastics. The plastic shad bodies that are available at most tackle stores are excellent for white bass fishing. Stick to colors that match the natural forage population of the river.
When choosing plastic shad bodies, use the ribbon tail ones over the paddle tail bodies.
E-mail your fishing and hunting
questions to Mike Cyze at
lastcast13@yahoo.com
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