“At times, when the river and lake levels are right, a good number of white bass leave the main body of the reservoir and move up the rivers to spawn, but our knowledge about this phenomenon isn’t based on any hard evidence. Few studies have been done. But we do know that in John Redmond Lake a significant number of main-lake white bass attempt to travel up the Neosho River during the spawning season. Many of them are stopped by a massive annual logjam that blocks the entrance to the river, and we think that many of Redmond’s white bass spawn around that logjam as a result.

“When white bass in northeastern Kansas spawn in the river, it’s in current around rocky riffles or riffles created by logjams or some kind of current break,” Kehde confirms. “More and more of our white bass seem to be lake spawners that use rocky shorelines. Favorite spawning sites on the main body of all these reservoirs include riprap causeways, jetties, and dams.

“Nowadays, we spend most of our April and early May outings pursuing the main-lake populations, and normally their actual spawning rituals take place before Mother’s Day. Traditionally, May 5 is a great time to find some heavy-duty spawning action on the main body of the reservoirs of northeastern Kansas. We don’t know if they actually feed during the heat of their spawning rituals. Piscatorial lore says that they don’t, but we’ve caught scores of female and male white bass releasing eggs and milt while we fished the main-lake spawning sites.

“In the rivers and on the main bodies of the reservoirs, we ply the shorelines during the run,” Kehde says. “To wield the light jigs I described, we use medium-action spinning tackle spooled with a lightweight (6- to 8-pound) braided line and a 5-foot fluorocarbon leader, attached by either a J-knot or a Seaguar knot. We use the same jigs on the main lake that we use in the river. When the wind blows, however, we sometimes have to use 1/4-ounce Blakemore Road Runners, Cotton Cordell Spots, Gay Blades, and Worden Rooster Tails.

“In Kansas waterways, chartreuse is the most productive color. When using a jig, a slow and steady retrieve is allowing the jig to glide and swim as if it’s in a suspended state—at times, occasionally creating a delicate triple twitch [similar to working a jerkbait in cold water for largemouth bass] as the jig slowly swims or glides along and tempts a white bass to strike. This twitch is also similar to the way we twitch a jigworm in cold water; a series of delicate S-curves radiate along the line from the rod tip to the lake’s surface.

“When using the 1/4-ounce lures, the retrieve is quicker than that of the jig, perhaps because the wind forces an angler to fish faster, but a slow-to-moderate retrieve is best. And like the delicate twitch of the jig, a periodic pause in the retrieve or a significant pop of the rod tip with your wrist pays substantial dividends on some outings.

“Windswept shorelines can be key,” Kehde says, “as white bass are following forage fish that stay in contact with the warmest water possible. A windsock is often necessary. It allows us to move slowly along a shoreline, being propelled by the wind, and we also control the boat with the bowmounted electric trolling motor. Moving slowly with the wind also keeps the bow out of our lines, which otherwise would prevent us from executing a proper retrieve. Moreover, when we deploy a windsock, we can often use a small jig rather than a 1/4-ounce Road Runner, Rooster Tail, Gay Blade, or Spot. Often a small jig is a much better lure than a 1/4-ounce lure.”