# White Bass on Ice



## njsimonson

Earlier in the ice fishing season (which I am boycotting now due to three pitiful outings, and my lack of free time during my "break" from school) my friends reported C&Ring some nice silvers through the ice.

I know that catching white bass through the ice is hit-and-miss at best, but has anyone else had this experience this year? Has anyone landed any big ones anywhere? The silvers coming out of the holes on Ashtabula were not numerous, but were good-sized, like 15" or so.

Any luck elsewhere?

(Note: Silver bass is slang for white bass around the Valley City area.)


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## nodakoutdoors.com

Nick,

Come with us tomorrow...I think we can change your perspective on ice fishing.


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## njsimonson

Chris,

Yeah, part of the reason I can't do much ice fishing over my supposed "break" is because I've been covering a lot of my brother's shifts at the hotel he works at (he went to AZ to play golf), and waiting tables at the adjacent diner. Plus I've been working at the law firm and in municipal court, where I will be next week. But, the money makes up some for the lack of fishing.

Maybe I'll get out to Devils Lake next weekend, and try some there when I head back to school. I'm sure you'd get me fired up again. I'd like to try the Pipe with you guys sometime.

Tight lines!


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## rockinmichigan

I was going to start a new thread about white bass but I think I'll just jump in this thread and ask away. Okay guys, I got a situation for you guys, and let me know if this sounds normal to you on white bass. Last year I fished as typical from spring to fall, and I'd say specifically from May to September I had quite a bit of luck with catching white bass. Here's the weird thing, or at least I think its wierd, I was targetting catfish and bullheads, fishing from shore, casting about 70 yards out, and I'm guessing about 15 or 20 foot of water. Fishing for cats and bullies I was fishing at night and from the bottom. My question is this, do schools of white bass usually hang out that low or is that just right for them, and do they usually hang out that far from the top no matter how shallow or deep the water is?


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## njsimonson

Almost all the white bass I have ever caught have come within 5 feet of the surface. I pick the occasional silver up when trolling, but those are usually younger fish and not very big.

I have never experienced much of a night bite for silvers, most of the time it was a nice 2 hour window, from just before sundown until night set in, then they were gone.

I had one incredible summer on Ashtabula, where me, my dad, my brother or me or some buddies would go out and just catch and release 'em by the hundreds in an hour or so. Also did well below Baldhill Dam back in the day, but...those days are gone now.


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## WhakGreenie03

i ended up catching a whopper white bass out of there. It was 3lbs 10 oz. i didnt even know that it was a whopper till i came home and looked it up. Caught that at sunstroms followed by 6 nice walleyes and a couple snot rockets. All at sundown on christmas break


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## rockinmichigan

Do you guys happen to know what the state record there in North Dakota is? I'll have to look it up for Michigan. I read online somewhere that they can get up to a foot and a half long, which I thought was unbelievable because most of the bigger ones I've caught were in the 6-8 inch range. I do like catching them though, they definately tug on the line pretty good.


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## njsimonson

Rock -

Oh yeah, they get that big. I've caught lots of them in the 14-18" range.

State Record is 4 lbs. 8 oz, takes a 3-pounder to get in the whopper club.


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## rockinmichigan

To be honest, I think at first glance that sheephead and white bass look alike. Takes me a second look sometimes to tell the difference. Not too hard to tell, sometimes first glance tells me its a sheephead but its really a white bass. I've caught so many sheephead over the years, and a ton of white bass the last couple years, you'd think I could tell the difference right off the crack of the bat, with the hump on the sheephead's back and the sharper dorsal fin on a white bass.


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