The white bass is widely distributed across North America, with its native range extending throughout the United States, particularly in the Midwest. It thrives in various habitats, including large reservoirs and rivers. Notably, the white bass population is abundant in Pennsylvania, the area around Lake Erie, and Oklahoma. Over the years, they have been introduced to different water bodies across the country, including rivers that flow into the Mississippi.
The white bass showcases an exquisite blend of colors. Its main body color ranges from silver-white to pale green, complemented by a dark back, white sides, and belly. Narrow dark stripes run lengthwise on its sides, adding to its unique appearance. This fish boasts large, rough scales and is characterized by having two dorsal fins. The anterior dorsal fin, known as the spinous ray, is harder and displays a spiny appearance, while the posterior dorsal fin, called the soft-ray, is comparatively softer. The white bass typically grows to a length of 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm), although some individuals can reach sizes of 17 inches (43 cm) or more.
Anglers have had exciting encounters with white bass, leading to remarkable catches. The record size for white bass caught on fishing tackle stands at an impressive 6 pounds 13 ounces (3.1 kg). This record has been shared by fish caught in Orange Lake, Orange, Virginia, in 1989, and in the Amite River, Louisiana, in 2010. These notable catches highlight the potential for an exhilarating fishing experience when targeting white bass.
White bass are carnivorous and exhibit specific feeding preferences. Their diet primarily consists of four main taxa: calanoid copepods, cyclopoid copepods, daphnia, and leptodora. These visual feeders readily bite at live bait such as worms and minnows when not startled. Interestingly, while some larger individuals may feed on other fish, there is a general trend toward consuming fewer fish as the summer season progresses. Fish that accumulate lipids during the summer months have a better chance of surviving cold winters. In certain regions, such as South Dakota, white bass and walleye display diet overlap, which decreases as both species grow in length throughout the summer and fall seasons.
White bass exhibit interesting behaviors and have a distinct preference for certain habitats. They are found in high densities in the upstream segment of rivers, which often becomes the most degraded portion due to the coexistence of various fish species. These resilient fish adapt to different environments, thriving in both moving water in tributary streams and windswept lake shores during their spawning season. They can also locate their home spawning ground even if it is moved to a different part of the same lake. After spawning, the parents move to deeper water, leaving the young fish in shallower areas until they gradually transition to deeper waters.
The white bass has a defined spawning season that typically occurs from mid-March to late May. The optimal water temperatures for successful spawning range from 12 to 20 °C (54 to 68 °F). During this period, females release a significant number of eggs, ranging from 242,000 to 933,000. These eggs adhere to the surfaces of objects such as plants, submerged logs, gravel, or rocks in clear and relatively shallow water. It is worth noting that the white bass demonstrates an intriguing mating behavior. Male individuals locate a female and bump against her abdominal area to initiate the spawning process. As the female rises closer to the water's surface, she begins spinning and releasing eggs, which multiple males can fertilize.
White bass have been successfully hybridized with striped bass, resulting in a fascinating hybrid species known as hybrid striped bass or wiper. These hybrids, also referred to as whiterock bass, sunshine bass, palmetto bass, or Cherokee bass, have been introduced and stocked in numerous freshwater areas across the United States. The hybridization has added further diversity to the bass family and provided anglers with exciting opportunities to target these unique fish.