How To Catch White Bass

Do you want to learn how to catch white bass? White bass has been overlooked by many anglers; however, you can find it all year round and it is a tasty fish.

White bass is aggressive and a hard-fighting fish when caught. In this article, we will discuss the best methods to catch white bass, the fishing gear, baits, and lures, as well as its behaviors to improve your chances of successfully fishing for white bass.

How To Catch White Bass

1. Trolling

Trolling is one of the best ways for anglers use to catch white bass throughout the year. Anglers use multiple rods at different depths to target white bass that is moving in different water columns. When trolling, anglers move the boat slowly over the water with the bait floating at the back of the boat.

When there is a bite, anglers will take control of the fishing line, set the hook, and reel in the fish. Trolling is a popular fishing method used when fishing for many species of fish. It allows you to cover a lot of water and results in catching a variety of fish.

2. Baitcasting

Baitcasting is another fishing method that you can use when fishing for white bass. When baitcasting, you hook the bait and cast it into the water. Cast and retrieve until you get a bite. Baitcasting is an effective and relatively easy fishing method. It is ideal for beginners who are learning how to catch white bass. Baitcasting can be done from a boat or from the shore.

3. Vertical Jigging

Vertical jigging is another fishing method that can be used to catch white bass. It is widely used during the winter to catch white bass. When vertical jigging, you drop the jig to the bottom, let it touch the bottom, and jerk the line vertically. This will pull the jig upward and the white bass will see the jig moving upward and get attracted to it. Spoons and minnows can be used when vertical jigging during the winter.

4. Fly Fishing

Fly fishing is also used by anglers when fishing for white bass. Anglers use different flies, cast them into the water, and retrieve them. Repeat this until you get a bite.

Best Bait For White Bass

1. Minnows

Minnows work well as bait for white bass as it preys on small baitfish.

2. Worms

Worms are also good bait when learning how to catch white bass.

3. Shad

Small shad is also used by anglers when fishing for white bass as they usually target small baitfish.

4. Smelt

Smelt is also an effective bait when learning how to catch white bass.

Best Lures For White Bass

1. Spoons

Spoons, like spinners, work well when fishing for white bass. A flashy spoon used when trolling can prove to be very productive for white bass fishing.

2. Spinners

Spinners work well when learning how to catch white bass as they are designed to look like a darting shad. This will get the attention of the white bass. Spinners with a flashy blade are even more irresistible.

3. Crankbaits

Crankbaits are also a good lure when fishing for white bass. Crankbaits are also used when trolling or baitcasting for white bass.

4. Topwater Lures

Topwater lures are also very effective for catching white bass. If white bass is feeding on baitfish near the surface of the water, topwater lures are ideal in this scenario.

5. Jerkbaits

Jerkbaits are also good lures to use when fishing for white bass in the water columns and closer to the bottom.

6. Swimbaits

Soft plastic swimbaits that mimic a shad works well when learning how to catch white bass.

7. Jigs

Jigs are also very effective when fishing for white bass. They look like minnows and will often get the attention of white bass.

White Bass Tackle Setup

When caught, white bass will put up a serious fight despite its size. Therefore, you want to use a medium action rod with a 6- to 10-pound braided line. A 17-pound fluorocarbon leader is also a good combination with the braided line.

If you fly fish for white bass, a 6wt or 7wt rod will work and allow you to cast small flies very far. Additionally, you will need a full sink line to get the flies quickly down to the fish in deep water.

Best Rig For White Bass

A simple weighted bait rig will work well when fishing for white bass. Add a small casting weight to the fishing line and tie a barrel swivel. Add 2 to 3 feet of light 4- to 6-pound monofilament or fluorocarbon at the other end of the swivel and then tie on a size 8 to 4 bait hook.

Use a minnow rigged through the lips or a worm that is trung halfway onto the hook, starting with the head and the hook point protruding below the band. Cast the rig into the body of water, reel in more slack and just wait for a bite. This is a white bass jig setup that is very productive.

How To Catch White Bass In Rivers

White bass can be found at different water depths. You can catch white bass in rivers all during the year. They move to different water depths during different seasons, but you can catch white bass in rivers. Trolling is one of the fishing methods often used by anglers to catch white bass.

When learning how to catch white bass, you can use baits, such as minnows, smelt, shad, and other baitfish to catch white bass. Lures, like crankbaits and jigs, and flies are also used when fishing for white bass. You can use trolling and baitcasting when fishing for white bass in a river.

How To Catch White Bass From Shore

White bass can be caught from the shore. During spring when white bass is spawning, you can use live bait to catch white bass from the shore. White bass will move to tributaries of rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water for spawning. This makes it easy to target them as they are in shallow waters.

Baitfish and other small fish like smelt and shad can be used to catch white bass from the shore. You can also use lures and flies to target white bass from the shore. Topwater lures, crankbaits, jerkbaits, and spoons are used when fishing for white bass.

How To Catch White Bass In Lakes

You will need a boat or kayak to fish for white bass in a lake. The large white bass will be found further inshore. Trolling works well when fishing for white bass on a lake. After locating schools of white bass, use crankbaits, spoons, or spinners for casting. Topwater lures can also be used if they are closer to the surface feeding on baitfish.

How To Catch White Bass In Creeks

The best time to go fishing for white bass in creeks is when they are spawning. White bass spawn in shallow water, most often in tributaries close to the main bodies of water. This presents a great opportunity to catch them as the tributaries are shallow and not deep. Baitcasting works and baits and lures are effective when fishing for white bass in creeks.

How To Catch White Bass In The Summer

Summer is an ideal time to catch white bass. White bass moves back to the main bodies of water from the tributaries after spawning. At this time, their appetite is off the charts, and will go after anything to eat. They will go after schools of baitfish like shad, minnows, smelt, and other baitfish.

This is a good opportunity for anglers who are learning how to catch white bass. Target white bass during the summer in water depths of 14 to 28 feet but will move even deeper in the water column as summer continues. Lures and flies can also be used to target white bass during the summer

How To Catch White Bass In Winter

Fishing for white bass during winter is more challenging. They tend to gather in large schools at the bottom of deep water and tend to be stationary. This situation makes it harder for them to bite and the challenge for the angler is to find them and get your baits as close as possible to entice bites. A fish finder is the best option to help you target white bass 30 feet or more in the water column.

To find them that deep in the water column during the winter, you will have to cover a lot of water to find schools of white bass. Vertical jigging is also an effective fishing method to use when fishing during the winter.

How To Catch White Bass In The Fall

During the fall white bass will move into more shallow water as the temperature drops, driving baitfish before them. White bass puts on a lot of weight during the fall, thanks to the abundance of baitfish to feed on. This time of the year will yield large white bass.

White bass is fat and aggressive during the fall and having moved to shallower waters, they are more vulnerable and will go after different lures like jigs, spoons, crankbaits, and jerkbaits.

How To Catch White Bass In Autumn

White bass will migrate to shallow water in the range from 10 to 14 feet, or even less along hard rocky bottoms off the ends of islands and rocky points. This presents a good opportunity for anglers to catch a lot of white bass.

White Bass Fishing Tips

1. White bass spawn during the spring. White bass moves to small tributaries during the spring to spawn when the water temperature reaches between 54 to 68 degrees.

2. You can use baits, lures, and flies when fishing for white bass.

3. When caught, white bass will fight aggressively and hard. Despite its small size, white bass has a lot of strength and will put up one heck of a fight; be ready.

4. White bass is a schooling fish that can be found in large schools in different water columns. When learning how to catch white bass, use fish finders to locate large schools of white bass.

5. White bass can be consistently caught all year round, in all seasons.

6. White bass spawn during spring. They move to small tributaries for spawning which is a great opportunity for anglers fishing for white bass.

7. Fishing for white bass is more challenging as they move into deeper water, sometimes 30 feet or more, during the winter. They congregate in stationary schools and tend to be very reluctant to bite.

8. The best time of the day to go fishing for white bass is in the morning. They tend to look for deeper water to escape the sunlight.

9. A fish finder is important when locating white bass. However, closer to the surface, you can keep your eyes open for diving birds or activities on the surface of the water like boils.

10. White bass only feed on baitfish above them or at their level. When learning how to catch white bass, this information can be very helpful as it allows you to make your presentation at the level that you find the white bass.

11. Vertical jigging can also be used when fishing for white bass, especially during the winter.

12. Medium action rods are the favorite of anglers but any variety of fishing rods and reels will work when fishing for white bass.

13. Night fishing for white bass is also productive. The lights will attract the white bass as they fish on baitfish. Use live minnows when fishing for white bass during the night.

14. Flashy lures like jigs, spoons, or spinners can prove irresistible for white bass.

The Bottom Line

White bass is an aggressive and hard-fighting fish found throughout the year. Most fishing methods can be used when learning how to catch white bass. In this article, we shared information about fishing methods, baits, lures, how to set up a white bass rig, as well as tips to catch more white bass.

If you go fishing for largemouth bass, spotted bass, smallmouth bass, or black sea bass, you can read how to catch largemouth bass, how to catch spotted bass, how to catch smallmouth bass, how to catch yellow bass, and how to catch black sea bass to get some tips on how to improve your chances of taking more largemouth bass home.