Farther North

Some of the biggest white bass (also called “silvers”) in northern states persist in the lakes of the Dakotas, in the Winnipeg River of Manitoba, in select portions of the Great Lakes, and in the Mississippi River. Joe Jackson, a Clam Corporation employee, is a white-bass enthusiast from Minnesota who primarily works the Mississippi River in and around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

“Before the run, white bass are hunkered down in wintering holes in the pools and in the main channel of the river. We catch them through the ice all winter using jigging spoons like the Acme Kastmaster, the Hopkins Smoothie, or the Northland Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon on 4-pound mono in pools 25 to 28 feet deep.

“Right at ice-out, which generally takes place around the middle of April, white bass are already starting to move into shallower water. As soon as the water starts to warm into the high 40°F range, ‘silvers’ respond pretty well, but become most active after the water broaches 50°F, which generally happens in May. White bass spawn in late May up here, most years.

“In the Mississippi, current is more of a factor than wind in determining location,” Jackson says. “In lakes, wind-drive patterns often rule because baitfish follow the wind. But the shad ultimately determine location. When the water hits 50°F, shad and other baitfish start moving around and white bass follow. At that point, I’m a junkie for crankbaits. Rat-L-Traps and other fast-moving baits that cast a mile can cover a lot of water fast. They’re feeding up, during the run, which is actually a prespawn peak, and it all begins at that magic 50°F mark.

“Another good bait is the new smaller version of the Rapala X-Rap. White bass are one of the first fish of the year to react to a topwater, too. When they’re hitting a Heddon Zara Puppy up here, it doesn’t get any better than that, and whites start ripping topwaters in the 40°F range, making it another great way to locate a school.

“You have to hunt for them a bit because the shad are always moving. Just watch the surface, looking for baitfish activity. When the river hits 50°F, the hunt is mostly on shallow flats, starting at 8 feet and searching right up to the bank. When the river floods, white bass go right into the trees, where it’s tough to get a lure to them. But high muddy water doesn’t slow the bite up here at all.

“I use both baitcasting and spinning tackle with 8-pound-test mono,” Jackson says. “You could use much lighter line, but I don’t because I hate retying. You could get away with 10-pound, actually. White bass don’t seem to be line-shy. Whites are so easy, you can catch just as many on a flyrod as on anything else. Poppers and streamers are just as effective as cranks and other topwaters.

“The fishing from the Ford Dam down to Hastings, Minnesota, is phenomenal. White bass are big, here. A 3-pounder is pretty common, and 19-inchers happen every so often. Few people target them, because the walleyes are so huge and numerous on the Mississippi. A good day is 75 white bass. I know that’s an understatement, but I don’t want to exaggerate. Even a 50-fish day is one heck of a good time.

“And you’re going to be sporting scars. Silvers are the hardest fish anywhere to unhook without getting cut. They’re like smallmouths, only more aggressive. If white bass jumped, they’d be the most prized fighter in freshwater. They don’t ever give up.”