White bass fer supper

[TubeDude]

Thanks Pat! #2 WB (sand bass where I'm from in OK) are a riot on ultralight / light tackle.  So a follow-up question - do you think (or know through other sources) if older age classes (3+ years) are significantly thinned by anglers or do they simply die out due to lack of food nutrition during those "lean" periods you mention after the young if the year get too big to eat?

I suspect that selective angler harvest is one of the main contributing factors to the seeming lack of larger white bass in the ecosystem.   Lack of food is probably not the issue.  The larger they grow, the wider the food base they can utilize...being able to eat larger prey items than smaller white bass.  Most of the whites I have caught over 12 inches have been thick and healthy...often with small fish remnants in their innards.

Most folks who keep white bass tend to keep the larger ones and (sometimes) releasing the smaller ones.  So, the bigger they get the more likely that they will be removed from the population if caught by anglers.  And with all of the angling pressure these days... especially when they are schooled up and vulnerable beneath the new ice...the harvest is even greater.

It's kind of a case of a downward spiral in population by size.  The larger they get, the fewer  in the overall population.  And the more likely they are to be harvested when caught.

It is not possible to focus strictly on larger white bass by changing up your tackle or presentations.  On the same large blade bait you will catch this year's 4" fish...or 3  year old footlongs.  And on the flip side, you will catch plenty of larger whities on some pretty small lures.  See the pics.