Overview
White bass are a member of the temperate bass family and are a migratory pelagic (open-water) ?sh. They are most active during dawn and dusk. They spend most of their lives chasing schools of baitfish including various shad species, which are their favorite food.
White bass commonly called sandbass are distinguishable from striped bass and hybrid striped bass by the singular tooth patch on the tongue.
Scientific Name
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Life Cycle
White bass either spawn in freshwater tributaries, or on top of rocky shoals in a lake or reservoir. Spawning occurs as early as February in the southern United States through late May in some of their northern most range. White bass reproduce when water temperatures are approximately 57.2 degrees Fahrenheit. They do not build nests or form mating pairs. A female white bass will be followed by a group of male bass that will attempt to fertilize her eggs with their milt (sperm) immediately after she extrudes them from her body.
Once the eggs are fertilized, no parental care is given and, adult white bass return to open water to feed. Fertilized white bass eggs will hatch in about two days. Juvenile white bass may grow into adulthood within two years in southern climates, but it usually takes longer to reach adulthood in northern climates.
Food
Juvenile white bass feed on small invertebrates such as small crustaceans and midge larvae. Adult bass are piscivorous, consuming fish species such as shad, silversides and occasionally young sun?sh.
Behavior
White bass are a member of the temperate bass family and are a migratory pelagic (open-water) ?sh. They are most active during dawn and dusk. They spend most of their lives chasing schools of baitfish including various shad species, which are their favorite food.
White bass commonly called sandbass are distinguishable from striped bass and hybrid striped bass by the singular tooth patch on the tongue.
These are a very popular recreational fish species and are managed by state recreational fishing regulations.
Physical Characteristics
The common length for white bass is 12.5 inches with the maximum reported length of 17.7 inches.
Adult white bass commonly weigh around 1 pound. The maximum recorded weight for white bass is 6.8 pounds.
White bass commonly called sandbass 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. Both striped bass and hybrid striped bass have two tooth patches on their tongue.
Habitat
White bass are a member of the temperate bass family and are a migratory pelagic (open-water) ?sh. They are most active during dawn and dusk. They spend most of their lives chasing schools of baitfish including various shad species, which are their favorite food. White bass commonly called sandbass are distinguishable from striped bass and hybrid striped bass by the singular tooth patch on the tongue. These are a very popular recreational fish species and are managed by state recreational fishing regulations.
Geography
White bass are widely distributed throughout North America. In Canada, white bass are found in Quebec, Manitoba and Hudson Bay (Red River). They are also found in the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and the St. Lawrence River, which is on the border of Canada and the United States. 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.