>

The males become sexually mature at the end of their first year and the females reaching sexual maturity after year two.

Body Profile

White Bass are generally thicker, stouter fish compared to their striper and white bass parents. Bass are known for their fighting ability and white bass are no different. They are strong fish that grow large in comparison to the striped and white bass, which is another reason that they are so popular among anglers as a sport fish.

Their size, also makes them a natural predator, and wipers are known to wander to deeper waters to forage for stray bait fish that find their way out of their normal routines. Some will argue that this assists in maintaining the natural balance of the ecosystem, while others will put forth the argument that competition for forage, especially with reference to the Largemouth Bass, is made more difficult by the more aggressive wiper.

We’ve mentioned that the wiper is generally a stockier, stouter hybrid, however, with this comes a shorter length and a greater birth. Coloring is very similar to that of the striped bass as well as the White Bass. White bass resemble small striped bass with faint lateral stripes with the exception of the striped bass being a much larger fish.

However, other than size, White Bass can be differentiated by tooth patches on the tongue. The white bass has one tooth patch while the striped bass has two patches. The White Bass’s head is fairly small and pointed and the first and second dorsal fins are entirely separate. The first dorsal fin has nine spines with the second dorsal fin has one spine with 13 to 15 soft rays. The anal fin is stronger with three progressively lengthening spines and 11 to 13 soft rays.

The back is bluish grey with the sides being silver with six to ten faint longitudinal stripes. The dorsal, caudal and anal fins range from white to muddy with the pectoral and pelvic fins are usually clear, although the latter may have light iridescent blue margins.

Size

White Bass average between a half and two pounds with the record white bass being six pounds, 13 ounces and was caught in Virginia. The maximum size to date is 18 inches with the average white bass being just under a foot at 11 inches.

Their growth rates vary in that the white bass in the south grow at faster rates that those in the north, with the northern White Bass living longer as a consequence. However, with a top age of five years, there is not a big difference between long lived and short lived white bass.

Sexual Maturity

The males become sexually mature at the end of their first year and the females reaching sexual maturity after year two. The average length of sexually mature males at the end of year one is nine inches, with the average length of females reaching 13 inches.

The small size of these bass often has them overlooked by many anglers. However, they are great fighters and offer up a great fight making them fun to catch for both experienced and novice anglers of all ages. This is also a great bass for young children as their size helps them prepare for large fish species and gives them a taste of great fighting fish.