05-22-2014, 09:10 PM
[#0000FF]The first low water year of 2012 messed up the food supply of the white bass and reduced their spawning and feeding habitat. A lot of them were skinny going into the winter and did not survive until spring. There was a bit hit to the population.
Plenty survived and found enough food to eat, and there was a decent spawn last year...even in the lower water levels. But it takes a while for the numbers and sizes to come back up.
There are more reports this spring of people catching white bass again, but most are still a bit smaller than we would like. Average is about 9 to 10 inches with lots of smaller ones and only a few in the 12 inch or larger size.
White bass are like perch...they eat their own young and if they have a poor spawn they don't have a lot to eat...except baby carp before they get too big for a white bass to swallow. And carp grow fast.
With low white bass numbers the fish have had to live off midge larvae, leeches and other invertebrates. But, they are surviving. And once this year's crop of baby white bass emerge they will be dining well again. Hope to see more footlongs by the end of the year.
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[signature]
Plenty survived and found enough food to eat, and there was a decent spawn last year...even in the lower water levels. But it takes a while for the numbers and sizes to come back up.
There are more reports this spring of people catching white bass again, but most are still a bit smaller than we would like. Average is about 9 to 10 inches with lots of smaller ones and only a few in the 12 inch or larger size.
White bass are like perch...they eat their own young and if they have a poor spawn they don't have a lot to eat...except baby carp before they get too big for a white bass to swallow. And carp grow fast.
With low white bass numbers the fish have had to live off midge larvae, leeches and other invertebrates. But, they are surviving. And once this year's crop of baby white bass emerge they will be dining well again. Hope to see more footlongs by the end of the year.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]