The White & Yellow Bass - Fishing in Illinois

The White & Yellow Bass
Whenever the intriguing words “The bass are hitting” are casually mentioned at a local
sportshop, tavern, barbershop or wherever fishermen are congregated, many
sportsmen normally think of the largemouth or smallmouth bass. Around the big river
towns, the speaker might be questioned and asked to be more specific - what bass?
The truth of the matter is, the gentlemen might be referring to the white bass or yellow
bass rather than the largemouth or smallmouth bass. If the former is the case, this
fellow is probably a member of the devoted clan of “striper and streaker” fishermen who
have experienced many enjoyable hours catching these sporty fishes.
Contrary to popular opinion, the white and yellow bass are the only members of the true
bass family, serranidae, found in Illinois waters. The majority of the members of this
family are marine such as the groups, jewfishes and the famous striped bass of the
Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Although the largemouth and smallmouth are called “bass”,
they are actually members of the sunfish family, centrarchidae, and are cousins of the
bluegill and crappies.
Identification
Due to the similarity of habitat and appearance, these two fishes are often confused by
anglers.
Yellow Bass
The yellow bass’s anal fin has three
spines and ten soft rays with the second
and third, spine nearly equal in length.
The dorsal fins are joined at the bases.
The base of the tongue is toothless.
The color is mainly a bright yellow with
dark lateral streaks which are usually
broken above the anal fin. The anal fin
of the white bass also has three spines
but eleven to thirteen soft rays. On this
fin the second spine is much shorter than the third spine. The dorsal fins are entirely
separated and the base of the tongue has teeth.
White Bass
The color of the white bass is silvery
with brownish or grayish streaks on the
sides which are seldom broken.

Distribution
The white and yellow bass are both commonly found in the larger rivers, such as the
Illinois and Mississippi River, their backwaters and adjoining bottomland lakes and
major tributaries. Both species are also found in some of the natural lakes in
northeastern Illinois. Only the white bass is found in the Fox Chain O’Lakes. The
yellow bass is also found in many of our farm ponds, city water supply lakes, large
artificial impoundments and natural lakes as a result of natural entry, experimental
stocking or stocking by the public. The white bass, while not as widely distributed
throughout the state as the yellow bass, is also commonly found in the Great Lakes.
White Bass
Yellow Bass

Common Names
As is typical of most fishes, they have been given many different names, depending on
the locale and the fishermen’s fancy. The yellow bass’s scientific name is Roccus
Mississippiensis, but his most common nickname is streaker. This fish is also called the
black-striped bass, gold bass, and barfish. The white bass is known throughout the
scientific world as Roccus Chrysops. His popular nicknames are striper, silver bass,
striped bass and occasionally, streaker.
Life History
Spawning of the yellow bass usually takes place in April or early May. The very small
eggs are deposited over gravel bars, rocky reefs or underwater brush and weeds in
shallow water. These fish generally mature in the third year when they are seven to
nine inches long, but faster growing fish may mature in the second year.
The white bass begins spawning in May or early June when the water temperature is
around 61 degrees F. About one-half of one million eggs are deposited over rocks and
sand and gravel bars near shore, rather than in a nest like the bluegill or largemouth
bass. White bass in large lakes often move upstream to spawn in shallow moving
water. This fish matures in the second or third year to a length of 10-12 inches.
The white bass is a great traveler. For example, one tagged by fishery scientists at
Lake Chautauqua near Havana, Illinois, was caught by an angler in the Spoon River
eight days later, 30 miles from the point of release. Another white bass tagged in Lake
Pekin, Minnesota, was caught several months later 140 miles down stream from the
tagging site.
Foods
The first foods eaten by young yellow bass soon after hatching are microscopic
organisms called plankton, such as minute crustaceans, small insects, and their larvae.
As the fishes become older and larger, their chief food items are small fishes,
crustaceans, large aquatic insects and their larvae.
Young white bass also live primarily upon these small insects and their larvae, and tiny
crustaceans. As they become older, other fishes such as the yellow perch, bluegill,
gizzard shad, and freshwater drum become the most important items in their diet. Other
foods eaten are crayfish and larger insects.
Growth
Fisheries scientists can age both the white and yellow bass by counting the number of
annuli or growth rings on the fish scales. This method is similar to a forester aging a
tree by the growth rings, except a fish’s scale must be magnified to identify the yearly
growth marks. Contrary to the belief that fish live for many years, fishery biologists have
proven by extensive collecting and aging of these fish scales that both species are
relatively short-lived. Very few yellow bass live longer than five years. The majority of
white bass have died before they are four years old. Anglers should realize this fact

and fish for these species when they are most abundant because they may die-off by
the following year. In the tables listed below, approximate growth rates of the yellow
and white bass are given for the midwestern states.
Yellow Bass
Age in years: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Length in inches: 3.1 5.8 7.9 9.3 9.9 10.2
Weight in ounces: 0.2 1.6 4.3 7.1 8.2 9.7
White Bass
Age in years: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Length in inches: 5.8 10.2 12.2 14.3 14.8 15.4
Weight in ounces: 2.0 8.3 14.0 23.0 27.0 28.5
Stocking
The Division of Fisheries does not propagate white and yellow bass in its hatcheries
because neither species is well suited to most artificial lakes and ponds in Illinois and
because they are able to maintain populations with natural reproduction in waters where
they are suited.
White bass have been experimentally stocked in some big impoundments, such as
Lake Springfield and Lake Decatur, but without success. Preferring the deeper waters
of our rivers and large lakes, such as the Mississippi and Great Lakes, the white bass is
out of place in small ponds and lakes.
In artificial impoundments the environment is often unsuitable for maintaining a good
yellow bass population; in some cases the number of yellow bass become insignificant
while in others too many are produced and the result is stunted fish. Consequently, the
Department of Conservation does not attempt to develop them in man-made lakes and
ponds.
Value
The white and the yellow bass are both sporty fishes, especially when taken on a fly rod
or light spinning tackle. They make long determined runs to test the angler’s ability,
rather than put up an aerial battle. They are also fine eating when pan or deep-fat fried.
The firm white meat is flaky and very tasty. In some sections of Illinois, white and
yellow bass make up a very important part of the sport catch. A creel census conducted
on the Mississippi River during the summers of 1956 and 1957 showed the white bass
ranged from the fifth to seventh most abundant fish in the angler’s catch. At Lake
Chautauqua near Havana, Illinois, the yellow bass made up over 30 percent of the total
angler’s catch in 1950. The white bass is not only an important sport fish in certain

areas, but is a very important commercial species in several of the Great Lakes.
Canadian and American commercial fishermen catch millions of pounds of white bass
each year for the market.
Angling
The majority of yellow bass caught are taken on live baits such as minnows, garden
worms and night crawlers. Cut baits are also very good at times. Occasionally spinnerbaits
or spinner fly combinations and small plugs are productive when trolled near the
bottom. When the fish are in shallow water, spinners, spoons, flys and poppers are
effective. These fish generally travel in schools, and once located, they are easily
caught by still-fishing with the above natural baits. Best fishing usually occurs in the
spring and early summer around brushy areas and submerged weed beds. During the
heat of summer, fishing is usually poor but picks up after the water cools in the fall.
In Illinois, a favorite spot where white bass are sought is in fast water below the locks
and dams on the big rivers. This sporty fish is pursued by fishermen equipped with
cane pole, bait, fly and spinning equipment. Fishing is best in the spring, with minnows
being the number one bait. During the summer months, experienced anglers keep their
eyes peeled for the telltale signs of schooled white bass feeding near the surface during
the early morning or late afternoon. The frenzied activity of these feeding fish causes
the water to swirl or boil. At such times, they may be taken on almost any spinner-bait
combination, small spoons, streamers, small plugs or large dry flies. The main thing to
remember at this time is to keep the bait on or near the surface of the water. During the
day, these fish are generally caught in the deeper waters, from six to ten inches from
the bottom, using a spinner-bait or spinner-fly combination or still fishing with minnows.
It is surprising but also regrettable that these two fine game fishes are not better known
and more sought by Illinois anglers. Although the yellow bass is widely distributed
throughout the state and the white bass has been taken commercially for many years
from the Great Lakes, it has not been until the last ten to twenty years that the white
bass has gained angling fame. When the large man-made lakes were constructed in
the southern states such as Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Missouri, white bass
were established and produced tremendous fishing which quickly and permanently
captured the angler’s hearts. An interesting point to mention is that in many cases, after
these big broods gave the anglers such phenomenal fishing, the white bass virtually
disappeared until another large brood was successfully produced.