Minnow Lures
Use vibrating, spinning lures in waters that are not clear to attract the white bass' attention. Thread a small spinner onto your hook, approximately 6 inches above a minnow lure. Cast your line against the current and tip your rod so the spinner spins out during cast and retrieval.
Crank Baits and Poppers
Boat anglers fishing from 15 to 40 feet deep offshore can troll a silver spoon, spinner, crank bait or small plug along the bottom of the water to attract white bass. Imitate a vulnerable fish by using slow stop-and-go retrieve. To execute this technique, stop and pull your line in repeated succession to agitate the water and confuse a bass into striking. Add a streamer fly on a foot-long trailer line just forward of the lure for greater success. Crank bait colors include white, shad and crayfish.
Top-Water Plugs
Top-water plugs that make a loud noise or are able to agitate the water are most successful during the early morning or late afternoon. These are typically the only two times during the day when schools of white bass surface-feed. Be sure to use an erratic retrieve rather than a straight one to antagonize a strike.
Winter Bait Techniques
Fish low tides from below a dam during winter months with a small 1/8-oz. white or yellow jig or a small minnow hooked through both lips. Use the dead-drift technique with a minnow and bobber. Cast your line, allow it to drift and then quickly pull the line from the water for the retrieve.
