The heavy chrome lure barely broke the surface and never made it to the bottom before a big fish snatched it.
This happened cast after cast on Lake Washington near Chatham.
“White bass are a whole lot of fun to catch,” said Terry Bates with Big River Guide Service (662-390-3886) of Greenville and a retired fisheries biologist. “If people can find them, they usually catch a bunch of them. They’re really good fighters.”
In their quest for largemouth bass, crappie, and other species, many people overlook, or even hold white bass in contempt. Therefore, white bass get little pressure. Highly prolific, white bass can provide outstanding sport on light tackle. They frequently gather in huge numbers chasing shad.
“White bass will hit anything that imitates a shad,” Bates said. “They hit the same things a largemouth bass will hit. We catch them on crankbaits, blade baits, spinnerbaits, jigs, all kinds of soft-plastic baits. A chrome spoon is a good lure.”
The striped fish can weigh more than six pounds, but most run in the one-to three-pound range. However, these powerhouses can outfight many larger species. William Mulvhill landed the state record white bass, a fish weighing five pounds, six ounces. He caught that lunker while fishing the Grenada Reservoir Spillway near Greenwood.
Anglers often catch the largest white bass of the year as they prepare to spawn in the spring. Before spawning, white bass gorge on shad to put on weight. They typically spawn when water temperatures measure between 62 and 68 degrees, normally from mid-March to late May.
These striped scrappers thrive throughout the Mississippi River system and its tributaries. In the Magnolia State, some of the best fishing occurs in the river between Memphis and Vicksburg.
“White bass love current,” Bates said. “On the Mississippi River, I like to throw a chartreuse crankbait with a red back. Once water gets down low, fish the upstream side of rock dikes in the river. People can catch the stew out of them.”
Any of the old oxbows along the river also hold good white bass numbers. Lake Ferguson near Greenville still connects to the Mississippi River. When the water gets right, it can produce great white bass action. Although it no longer directly connects to the Mississippi River, Lake Washington produces some huge white bass.
“On Lake Washington, I prefer a chartreuse crankbait with a blue back,” Bates recommends. “Sometimes on Lake Washington, we catch white bass around flooded cypress trees just like largemouth. That’s a good time to throw a spinnerbait.”
All “Big Four” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control reservoirs, Arkabutla, Enid, Grenada, and Sardis, in northern Mississippi hold white bass. They can also be found in associated tributaries and tailraces. Other good places include Chotard Lake and Pickwick Lake.
Easy to catch when people find them, white bass make an excellent species for young or novice anglers to catch. Abundant and great fighters, they can turn a dull day spent searching for other species into a memorable event.
