# White bass



## Star1pup (Aug 3, 2004)

I guess white bass can be included as a panfish. I hear a lot of anglers saying that white bass are a trash fish, but I have had a lot of fun catching them. I caught plenty on Atwood Lake and even fished for them with a guide on Kentucky Lake. They don't taste as good as a crappie, but they sure fight harder. Lots of fun if you find a "jump" and have a small white jig on your line.


----------



## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

I think its mostly the Lake Erie walleye fisherman who complain about the white bass. I know of some guys who burning thru 10 dozen worms to get there 24 walleye, with the "junk fish" consuming the rest of their worms...


----------



## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

the term trash fish comes from walleye fishing on lake erie. nobody I know keeps white bass when there is walleye to be had. anything that's called trash fish are released to go bother someone elce. I personally hate the white perch sheep heads and white bass when im after eyes.

we use to go all the way to tenn. just to catch white bass on dale hollow. I was taught to keep them alive if I could or put them on ice as soon as possible. then when you clean them to turn the fillet over and trim all the red meat off the back side of the fillet. so I have cleaned them this way for many yrs. and they are pretty tasty to me. but I want nothing but eyes when im trolling erie. now I like to see others catch steel head just because of the fight. but if my son don't want it we just release our steel head. I have fished lake Michigan for salmon and trout then I fished Manistee lake in the fall and have caught my share of trout and salmon so its no big deal for me to catch one. if its my turn to catch the next eye and it is a steel head I just hold the rod up in the air and say who wants to catch a steel head. most of the time one of the kids get it. but with trash fish we just want to get it in asap and get the line back in the water.
sherman


----------



## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Yea lol erie eye guys gave white bass the bad name. Ill admit to. After driveing two hours and fighting the waves,the white bass get old fast up there. 

But when im fishibg inland. I always have mt eyes out for schools of white bass. They do fight good for there size... thats onather thing. On erie a 12" whitebass is big. On hoover or alum 12" is considered small


----------



## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Growing up on the Ohio River we also called white bass trash fish. There would be times when fishing the Racine Dam that they would be everywhere and you could catch until your arm fell off. We would catch them and cut them up for catfish bait.


----------



## Cajunsaugeye (Apr 9, 2013)

Saugfisher,don't you have that backwards?The white bass on Erie are MUCH bigger than ones around here!


----------



## KTkiff (Jul 30, 2004)

Cajunsaugeye said:


> Saugfisher,don't you have that backwards?The white bass on Erie are MUCH bigger than ones around here!


I agree I thought I read that wrong.


----------

