Morone chrysops
white bass

Morone chrysops (white bass) can be seen in many parts of North America. Its range extends from southern Canada to northeastern Mexico following a path roughly between the Mississippi River system and the Appalachian Mountains. Notable abundance of the species is located primarily in the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River drainages. Historically, it was found only in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River drainages, but it has been widely introduced outside of these areas. (Etnier and Starnes, 2001; Quist et al., 2002)

White bass are principally found in large bodies of water (i.e., deep lakes and unmuddied rivers). Reservoir systems have been shown to house higher populations compared to natural lakes and rivers. This species prefers areas of open water with little turbidity and where the substrate is clean and unvegetated. Lower abundances of white bass have shown to be in direct correlation with increasing amounts of vegetation. ("Aquatic Habitat Assessment", 2005; Etnier and Starnes, 2001; Quist et al., 2002; Walden, 1964)

The maximum length of Morone chrysops is about 46 cm (18 inches) and the maximum weight reaches around 3.2 kg (7 pounds). White bass are silvery gray fish with the belly and breast region being lighter (silver to white) and the dorsal region silver to black in color. They exhibit numerous narrow, uninterrupted, dark colored lines along their sides which are sometimes incomplete below the lateral line. They have a protruding lower mandible and the mouth extends to the middle of the eye. White bass have been recorded to be around 212 mm total length at one year, 364 mm at two years, 401 mm at three, and 426 mm at four. Females become larger than males on average. (Etnier and Starnes, 2001)

Characteristics that enable more precise identification of the species include a lateral line count of 51 to 60 scales. Dorsal fin rays number 12 to 14 anal fin rays 11 to 13. This species has 20 to 25 gill rakers and its pectoral fins have 15 to 17 fin rays. Near the tip of the tongue, white bass have a noticeable tooth patch that lies in one fused or two barely separate areas of the tongue. (Etnier and Starnes, 2001)

White bass eggs hatch about two days after fertilization. The young larvae quickly begin to show the schooling behavior seen in adults. (Etnier and Starnes, 2001; Walden, 1964)

Morone chrysops exhibits rapid growth in conjunction with high natural mortality, resulting in a relatively short life. Although maturity is fairly similar in northern and southern populations, lifespan is not. Northern fish, on average, live longer than southern fish. Typically, southern white bass live about 4 years while northern white bass can live 8 years. Some white bass have reached 14 years of age. (Etnier and Starnes, 2001; Guy, Schultz, and Colvin, 2002; Willis, Paukert, and Blackwell, 2002)

White bass are social, they can be found traveling in dense schools in areas of open water. Schools of white bass can be seen near the surface ravenously feeding during certain times of the day, while at other times schools are found at depths in excess of 30 feet. Schools are made up of individuals of about the same age, with larger schools containing more younger fish. (Etnier and Starnes, 2001; Gilbert and Williams, 2002; Walden, 1964)

Home Range

No information on home range size was found but fish have been documented traveling large distances. A tagged fish was once recovered in Missouri that had traveled over 40 miles. White bass in Lake Erie have been documented traveling throughout the entire lake. (Walden, 1964)

White bass use their lateral line systems to detect water movement and rely on vision and sensing chemical cues. Little is known about interspecific communication in this species. (Etnier and Starnes, 2001)

Larval white bass feed mostly on zooplankton, especially Daphnia species. As development proceeds, juveniles begin feeding on macro-invertebrates, such as chironomid larvae (Chironomidae), mayfly larvae (Ephemeroptera), dragonfly larvae (Odonata), damselfly larvae (Zygoptera), bugs (Hemiptera), amphipods (Amphipoda), and crayfish (Cambaridae). Adults, or fish over 350 mm, become highly piscivorous and begin feeding upon fish. Common prey includes, fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), johnny darters (Etheostoma nigrum), gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense), young sunfish (Centrarchidae), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), saugers (Stizostedion canadense), freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), carp (Cyprinus carpio), bullhead species (Ameiurus), and others. When feeding, schools of white bass prey upon schools of feeder fish (various shad and minnow), causing the small, feeder fish to splash wildly at the surface as they try to escape. Anglers calle this the "jumps." Up to 4 peaks in daily feeding activity can occur, but this varies seasonally. (Etnier and Starnes, 2001; Guy, Schultz, and Colvin, 2002)

White bass are easily preyed upon by many carnivorous fish species, including other white bass. (Schultz, 2004)

White bass are important as intermediate predators in the ecosystems in which they live, they are food for larger fish and other predators.

There are no known adverse effects of Morone chrysops on humans.

There is renewed angling interest in white bass. Their vigor when hooked has led to increasing popularity. They are also a popular food for consumption. (Etnier and Starnes, 2001; Guy, Schultz, and Colvin, 2002; Willis, Paukert, and Blackwell, 2002)

Not listed on any conservation lists, white bass are abundant where they occur. Unlike other species that may have minimum size limits and creel limits, many states do not impose size or creel limits for white bass caught inside their waterways. Of the states that do impose creel limits, they are typically very liberal. One potential problem with white bass populations is high variation of recruitment from year to year. The problem seems to revolve around the amount of precipitation for that year, but this has not been confirmed. (Etnier and Starnes, 2001)