White bass fer supper

[PACMEN]

Kind of fergot how good they are.
Saved a few from the short excursion to Ut. Lake on Sat.
Would be nice if they were a bit larger. Have to go thru the work of filleting the little buggers.
(that's why I had quit keeping them)
Most of our fish'n is fer trout that is why they seemed a treat.( I like where they live.) The few we keep are most times smoked.

[Mooseman75]

I agree they are a tasty treat. We love doing fish tacos as they seem to make perfect portion sizes as well as being tasty. But when you you have 4 growing boys and invited FIL plus myself, my wife will cook it but that is as far as she goes she doesn't eat it. But I need a lot and I hate fileting especially as it's hard on my arthritic wrists. But for a one in a while treat WB sure do hit mark.

[Springbuck1]

Man, for a while there, I got GOOD at fileting white bass, like a minute per fish. That helps, but I sure like it better when they are running 11", rather than 9".

[doitall5000]

Thought you might like gumbo with shrimp and White bass very good.

[Coldfooter]

shrimp are bait lol

[MWScott72]

The size on UL WB seems bigger to me this year. The average we have caught are pushing 11" and there have been several pushing 12". Hope this trend continues.

Anyone (TubeDude) know why the WB are so small in UL? Overpopulated? Lack of sufficient food? Shorter growing season? All or none of the above? Back home in OK, WB average 14-15", but I understand the lakes have more food and the growing season is longer. Sure would be nice if they could reach that size in UL!

[TubeDude]

The size on UL WB seems bigger to me this year.  The average we have caught are pushing 11" and there have been several pushing 12".  Hope this trend continues.

Anyone (TubeDude) know why the WB are so small in UL?  Overpopulated?  Lack of sufficient food?  Shorter growing season?  All or none of the above?  Back home in OK, WB average 14-15", but I understand the lakes have more food and the growing season is longer.  Sure would be nice if they could reach that size in UL!

You have pretty much answered your own question.  It's a combination of food, habitat and weather.  I too have caught lots of whities (sand bass or sandies in some areas) in warmer climes.  Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico all have lakes where white bass can regularly exceed 16 to 18 inches and over 2 pounds.  In virtually all the lakes where I have caught larger white bass there has been a healthy population of threadfin shad and/or other small forage species.  And the growing season is usually year round.

In Utah Lake the white bass spawn in May and the young grow quickly on a diet of midge larvae and then on the newly hatched young of all other species in the lake.  They feed especially heavily on their own young as they get bigger.   But by late fall, whitettes are 4" to 5" long and too big for larger white bass to eat.  Ditto for the young of crappies, bluegill and carp.  So there is an upcoming period of several months when they have to rely on a diet of midge larvae, leeches and any other aquatic invertebrates they can find.  The minimal diet keeps them alive but does not contribute much to growth.

The decent sized 10-11 inch fish showing up now are probably about 3 years old.  Those that survive into next year should be some hefty 12 - 13 inchers.  I have caught a lot that size from Utah Lake over the years.  And I have seen a few over 14"...but not many.

[MWScott72]

Thanks Pat! #2 WB (sand bass where I'm from in OK) are a riot on ultralight / light tackle. So a follow-up question - do you think (or know through other sources) if older age classes (3+ years) are significantly thinned by anglers or do they simply die out due to lack of food nutrition during those "lean" periods you mention after the young if the year get too big to eat?

[RockyRaab2]

My first experience with White Bass was from the Rio Grande at Laredo, Texas. During the spawning run, it was literally impossible to make a cast of more than 50 feet and get the lure back without at least a strike and 90% of the time a hookup. They seemed to be all 12" clones of each other. An hour was all my arms lasted, they fought so hard in the current.

(Back then, it was safe to stand on the bank of the Rio - or be in Laredo. Today, no.)

[TubeDude]

Thanks Pat! #2 WB (sand bass where I'm from in OK) are a riot on ultralight / light tackle.  So a follow-up question - do you think (or know through other sources) if older age classes (3+ years) are significantly thinned by anglers or do they simply die out due to lack of food nutrition during those "lean" periods you mention after the young if the year get too big to eat?

I suspect that selective angler harvest is one of the main contributing factors to the seeming lack of larger white bass in the ecosystem.   Lack of food is probably not the issue.  The larger they grow, the wider the food base they can utilize...being able to eat larger prey items than smaller white bass.  Most of the whites I have caught over 12 inches have been thick and healthy...often with small fish remnants in their innards.

Most folks who keep white bass tend to keep the larger ones and (sometimes) releasing the smaller ones.  So, the bigger they get the more likely that they will be removed from the population if caught by anglers.  And with all of the angling pressure these days... especially when they are schooled up and vulnerable beneath the new ice...the harvest is even greater.

It's kind of a case of a downward spiral in population by size.  The larger they get, the fewer  in the overall population.  And the more likely they are to be harvested when caught.

It is not possible to focus strictly on larger white bass by changing up your tackle or presentations.  On the same large blade bait you will catch this year's 4" fish...or 3  year old footlongs.  And on the flip side, you will catch plenty of larger whities on some pretty small lures.  See the pics.

[PACMEN]

The size on UL WB seems bigger to me this year.  The average we have caught are pushing 11" and there have been several pushing 12".  Hope this trend continues.

Anyone (TubeDude) know why the WB are so small in UL?  Overpopulated?  Lack of sufficient food?  Shorter growing season?  All or none of the above?  Back home in OK, WB average 14-15", but I understand the lakes have more food and the growing season is longer.  Sure would be nice if they could reach that size in UL!

I'd like to catch 14"-15" white bass.  They are good fightin little buggers.

[MWScott72]

Hmmm...bigger WB would sure be fun. Maybe we should stay at no creel limit, but limit to 3-5 fish 11+ for awhile and see what happens? I say all this hypothetically, of course. I don't know the magic number, but bigger fish tugging on the end of your line would be fun...especially a fish that is so prolific.