White Bass question

[FishingJoe]

If I wanted to take a couple kids out for White Bass, where would I go and what would be the best wasy to fish them? Live in the Flint area, so I have to plan these things out before driving that far. Thanks:confused:

[Handlining Rules]

joe,

me and two buddies caught about 75 last night along the basf wall in wyandotte......all on jigs tipped with minnows....it is a long haul but there are a ton a silver bass in there,,,hope this helps...good luck

[YPSIFLY]

I have never used bait for them, but jigs and spinners are deadly. Chartreuse, white, and yellow have worked best for me. I like to fish both with a steady retrieve, try fishing the jigs the same way you do spinners.

Can't help you with the "where" as I'm not familliar with LSC. Good luck.

[CoWalSki]

Joe,
Went to the Trench on 5/23/03. Fished below the Stacks in where the bay starts. Fished the current break using a bobber with a minnow about 4' down in 6'-8' of water. Others were using mostly jigs and spinners and hit an occasional WB. We anchored about 1:30 PM and started catching fish almost immediately. Here's what we were doing..... cast the rig out, let it sit, then pop it a couple of times like you would pop a top water bass popper and stop, then repeat. This seemd to trigger the WB into biting. Funny thing was that no one aound us picked up on what we were doing. Ended up filleting 44 WB only because we ran out of minnows and maxed out my live well. A good trip for a buddy and my 12 year old son. It's an easy rig for the kids to handle.
Also caught a bird ( white with a black head) that flew into my line trying to get a minnow. He wasn't legal size ( according to the other boats) so he went back into the air.

Good luck and hope the kids have fun.

[Ed Michrina]

Last year on the river I would see lrg. flocks of Seagulls hovering over schools of silver bass. Every time I trolled by the gulls all lines would hit. Might be a good way to find them if you have a boat.

[Handlining Rules]

hey guys im just wondering if these things are good to eat?? ive never tried one and sure am catching enough....was thinking about keeping a few for bear bait....

[Ed Michrina]

we kept a few once. when you clean them they bleed like a trout. We attempted to bbq with them. I didn't care for it. I think they would be great smoked.

[CoWalSki]

Andy....... the WB is pretty close to eating crappie. Not quite as good as walleye or bluegill, but palatable. Make sure you cut out the lateral line running down the fillet. Lay the fillet skin side down, then angle your knife 45 degrees away from the lateral line and cut down the entire length of the fillet. Do this on both sides of the lateral line. This gets rid of the "fat" containing the fishy taste. My family is a bunch of fish eaters and they have no complaints. I usually season a couple of beaten eggs with Natures Seasonings, salt & pepper. Wash the fillets in the egg, then dip in Wondera Flour (Pillsbury) and toss them in some hot Crisco. Doesn't take long for a platter of them to disappear. With the high numbers that you can catch, you'll have plenty of "bodies" left after the filleting to feed to the bears. Ed mentioned about them bleeding.... Next trip I'm taking a cooler with ice, bleed out the fish, then toss on ice. I think this will further improve the flavor and keep the meat fresh. Take care.....

[Ed Michrina]

CoWalski, First off Welcome to the best site on the internet. Glad to have ya. Second I just may try those silver bass one more time. I enjoy Catching them They are a Good looking Fish.

[FishingJoe]

Thanks for the help guys. The kids are anxious to get out there - hopefully this week. In regard to the edibility question, I've eaten a few that I've caught accidently and they are not too bad. I like to season them with lemon pepper, just like stripers (to whom they are related.) And they are a blast to catch. A word of warning though - they don't freeze well, so keep what you can eat and release the rest. ;)

[andy capp]

Where do you access the basf wall? Is that the pier sidewalk at the end of southfield?

[leapin lunker]

Coming from Indiana, we caught lots of white bass. Some very large ones out of the Ohio River where they sometimes cross breed with Stripers. They call them Wipers and boy do they fight. The key to white bass tasting good is to keep them cold. Do not stringer them or livewell them. If you target them, take along a cooler with ice and just place them in there. This will drastically reduce the blood in the lateral line and elsewhere in the meat. The ice cold causes the blood to draw back into the body cavity in an effort to stave off freezing. Clean them at once when you get them home, and cook them that night or day. Once a day or two old they tend to get mushy.

Bon Appetite.

[Handlining Rules]

Andy.....

motoring out of wyandotte municiple, it is the steel wall to your right.....it is pretty long and usually holds a variety of fish....my buddie caught a 4 foot sturgeon out of there last week.

[andy capp]

Can you fish from shore there?

[Handlining Rules]

Unfortunately, you can't. BASF has it all fenced in with warning signs about trespassing.

[Percha Man]

there is a wall in ecorse on jefferson near mud island that is good for the white bass. Expect company.