How to catch white bass??

We saw several bunches working a shallow point. I thought anything on the surface would work,…but it did not. We casted small spinner baits and small rapalas. Both caught some but we only managed 12 in an hour despite almost always casting in feeding schools. Changed colors,…never did see what they were chasing to “match the hatch”. Any suggestions ? Being a hard core walleye guy,…fishing the surface was “unfamiliar territory for me. (BTW,…leeches worked on some nice walleyes in 13 FOW) Thanks.

throw a shiny crank bait in there and pretend you don’t want to catch them. You’ll get sick of them in a hurry. If I see them when I’m fishing a wing dam in the summer. As soon as the boil gets anywhere near my bait I hook up.

I’ve noticed the same thing. As an avid flyfisherman, I thought top water White Bass fishing on the river would be great. I got a few fish to swirl behind my flies but no takers. I finally went to a weighted streamer fly…..the fly fishing equivalent of a hair jig. That was the ticket and I had pretty steady action as long as I stayed with the school. I’ve also had good luck throwing a fly called a Clouser Minnow (which would be even more like a hair jig) and swimming it across the face of a wingdam in the fall, that worked well for Whites.

Now I used to hammer the White Bass on Cedar Lake (near Star Prairie, WI) with top water flies so I know it works. Why it doesn’t work on the river I don’t know. Maybe it’s a matter of water clarity. I’ve also noticed that the Smallies on Pool 2 aren’t to excited about top waters but will jump all over a jig or crankbait. Again, maybe it’s the muddy water.

Rootski

Try any in-line spinner (ex. mepps) and it should be lights out.

I’d try and troll by those same points with Swedish Pimples or Kastmasters.

Ultra-lite Rod/Reel, light line, a bobber with a small minnow a foot or so under the surface.

Then get ready to hold on

1/8″ oz jig and a super-doo work pretty good I must say.

jig and 3 inch gulp minnow always seem to catch them for me or just use a jig and a white trister tail.

In the spring white paddle tails on a jig tear them up. Lately a hair jigs raced just under the surface matches the minnows they are chasing. A mepps spinner with the minnow body on it worked well to.

Ill try to get a photo up tomorrow. We have been hammering some huge white bass on pool 2 lately. Up to 17″s.

Thanks for the tips! I’ll give them a try this weekend.