White bass are a very popular recreational fish species. Juvenile white bass may grow into adulthood within two years in southern climates but it usually takes longer to reach adulthood in northern climates. Once the eggs are fertilized, adult white bass will normally return to deeper water.įertilized white bass eggs will hatch in about two days. A female white bass will be followed by a group of male bass that will attempt to fertilize her eggs with their milt immediately after she extrudes them from her body. They do not build nests or form mating pairs. Spawning normally occurs in February or early spring in the southern United States and in May in the northern United States. White bass may spawn in freshwater tributaries or on top of rocky shoals in a lake or reservoir. White bass are most active during dawn and dusk. They spend most of their lives chasing schools of shad, which are their favorite food. White bass are a migratory open‐water fish. White bass are a member of the temperate bass family, which includes the striped bass, yellow bass, and white perch. Adult bass are piscivorous, consuming fish species such as shad, silversides and occasionally young sunfish. White bass will normally reproduce when water temperatures are approximately 14 degrees Celsius (57.2 degrees Fahrenheit).ĭIET: Juvenile white bass feed on small invertebrates such as small crustaceans and midge larvae. White bass do not like muddy water or areas with a lot of plants. HABITAT: White bass occur in lakes, ponds, and the pools of small to large rivers. In the U.S., white bass range from the Mississippi River Basin down to Louisiana and into the Rio Grande River in Texas and New Mexico. Lawrence River, which is on the border of Canada and the United States. They are also found in the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and the St. In Canada, white bass are found in Quebec, Manitoba and Hudson Bay (Red River). RANGE: White bass are widely distributed throughout North America. SIZE: The common length for white bass is 31.8 cm (12.5 inches) with the maximum reported length of 45 cm (17.7 inches).
Both striped bass and hybrid striped bass have two tooth patches on their tongue.
White bass are distinguishable from striped bass and hybrid striped bass (cross between a white bass x striped bass) by the singular tooth patch on the tongue. The maximum recorded weight for white bass is 3.1 kg (6.8 lbs.) The maximum recorded age for a white bass is 9 years