The Spring White Bass Run Is Pure Chaos—and the Fishing Is Nonstop

These hard-fighting panfish provide incredible spring fishing!

When the white bass make their spring spawning run, anglers can catch a lot of fish in no time. | Joe Shead

When I arrived at the dam, dozens of anglers were already there. I took it as a good sign. Lots of anglers means lots of fish. Within a minute I saw what I hoped for: someone caught a white bass. I elbowed my way in until I claimed a spot along the riverbank and began pitching my lure for spawning white bass. Within minutes, I caught my first of many that day.

Although crowding can be annoying and lines do get crossed, for the most part, people understand that we're all here for the same reason. Soon, I was chatting with the guys around me like we were old fishing buddies, all of us catching fish after fish.

What Triggers the Spring White Bass Run

What bass leave lakes and reservoirs and run upriver on their spring spawning run. They stack up below dams, providing great fishing. | Joe Shead

White bass are often found in large lakes or reservoirs connected to rivers. In spring, the entire adult population leaves these expansive water bodies and crowds into connecting rivers, making them super concentrated. Fish migrate upstream until a dam blocks further passage.

In my home state of Wisconsin, white bass leave 137,000-acre Lake Winnebago and migrate up the Fox and Wolf Rivers, drawing anglers from across the Midwest for a chance to pick off passing fish as massive schools swim upriver. White bass aren't found in every water, but ask local anglers or bait shops and they can tell you which waters have a white bass run.

Where to Find White Bass During the Run

Catching white bass is a lot of fun, and for many anglers, the trip becomes an annual tradition and a time to get back on the open water after a long winter. | Joe Shead

White bass leave lakes a few weeks after ice-out in northern waters. They spawn when water temperatures reach the 60s. The common adage is white bass spawn when the lilacs bloom. But you can target white bass well before they spawn. As they move upriver during the pre-spawn, look for them to hang out in deep holes, where current is slower and water is warmer. Current breaks, such as bridge pilings, rocks and washboard bottoms along straightaways all provide a little relief from the current.

Early in the season and during cold fronts, look for white bass in deep water. But they will move shallower as things warm up, both seasonally and daily. For example, you might find white bass deep on a cool morning, but if the day is warm, by afternoon, fish may slide shallow to lurk in eddies formed by near-shore rocks, docks or overhanging trees.

Best Lures for White Bass in Current

White bass lures include spinners, jigs and deer hair flies. Live minnows also work well. | Joe Shead

A 3-way rig locally known as a Wolf River Rig is the standard setup in Wisconsin. I'm sure anglers across the country use similar rigs that go by other names. Tie your main line to a three-way swivel. To one dropper, tie on an egg sinker. To the other, tie on a plain hook for a minnow, or a deer-hair fly. The heavy rig cuts the current and gets down to fish. If using a fly, cast up-current and retrieve in short hops to imitate a darting minnow. Some anglers use two or three flies on the rig and when action is good, catching multiple fish at once isn't unusual.

The popular Wolf River Rig consists of a 3-way swivel, a drop sinker and a hook or lure. | Kurt Mazurek

When fish are shallow, spinners work well. Jigs with curly tail grubs work, too. A live minnow pitched on a jig will take plenty of fish, and when white bass are pooled up in shoreline eddies, a minnow fished under a bobber is a lot of fun.

Shore-bound anglers can catch a lot of white bass, particularly below a dam or along quiet eddies where fish stop to rest. | Joe Shead

Why Shore Anglers Catch Just as Many Fish

Although boat anglers have the luxury of mobility, shore-bound anglers catch plenty of fish. During the white bass run, shore anglers do well. Plop down below a dam, where white bass congregate. Or park your lawn chair in a quiet eddy where white bass stop to rest. Even on straight stretches of the river, you can intercept fish as they move upstream.

Why Anglers Show Up Every Year

Look for white bass in deep water early in the run and on cold days. Later in the season, as the water warms, they can be found in eddies around shallow structure. | Joe Shead

The white bass run brings out anglers of all varieties. For some, it's the only time they fish all year, but they know they have a chance to take home plenty of fish. For others, the camaraderie is just as important and the trip is a highly anticipated annual tradition. No matter your reasoning for chasing white bass, expect to encounter a lot of folks and hopefully some cooperative fish. Even if they're not biting, the spring white bass run is a great way to get back on open water after a long winter.