White Bass

I have fished the river for a few years for Walleyes. My family and I have had a blast learning it, caught some nice fish along the way. My son wants to get out fishing this week. So seeing that white bass is a continuous season, I thought it would be cool to go out and just make sure everything is working prior to May 3rd. My experience catching them is that they are in the same spots as the Walleyes are. If I am out fishing for them before the opener, am I good regulation wise? Might be throwing Cranks, plastics, etc…..

Never been in this situation, want to make sure everything is legal before we go.

Thanks!

If you start catching walleyes instead and you aren’t catching whites, I would move.

I can’t speak for the Croix, but on Pool 4 they school everywhere they go. If you catch one, there are dozens more nearby. They’re also one of the easiest fish to locate using electronics. Early in the year like now I usually find them on current seams or at the tips of points that break the current bringing them food somewhere near spawning locations. Later in the season they seem to relate more to baitfish movements and will wander wherever the best forage is whether it’s rip-rapped shorelines or more basin like areas where they pin schools of shad up toward the surface and smack them.

I can usually catch them tossing shallow diving #5 crank baits on braid. Spot lock in a fishy area and fan cast maybe a dozen to 15 times. I don’t spend long in a spot as they’re usually agressive if nearby.