White Bass (Morone chrysops)

Photo Credit: North American Native Fishes. http://gallery.nanfa.org/main.php

White Bass are silver-white to pale green with slender darker stripping along their sides. The forward dorsal fin is a spinous ray; the posterior dorsal fin is softer. They have notched tails. White bass begin their spawning runs with lengthening daylight (photoperiods) and water temperatures reaching 50 degrees Fehrenheit. During late April & early May they travel from reservoirs, big lakes & rivers to spawning sites miles up tributaries. The females move upstream first. Previous year’s drought may affect current year’s spawn but early Spring rains improve chances. White Bass like to spawn in moving water where females spin and release their eggs in shallow rivers, creeks, and streams (especially where the water is clear over submerged aquatic plants, logs, gravel, or rocks) for males to fertilize. White Bass eat water fleas, zooplankton, tiny crustaceans, worms & minnows.