SEASONAL CHANGES

Spawning

White bass spawn in spring when the water temperature rises to at least 55° F. to 60° F. (13° C to 15° C). Males, smaller than the females, migrate to the spawning grounds first and wait for the females. When environmental conditions are good, the females school together and move onto shoals or into estuaries where spawning will take place. Males and females swim near the surface, releasing eggs and sperm simultaneously. Eggs are fertilized as they sink and adhere to rocks or vegetation at bottom.

This activity usually occurs during the day, near shore, in water three to six feet deep, with gravel, sand, rubble, or rock bottom. A few fish take advantage of night, however, for their spawning ritual. The female deposits an average of 550000 eggs, although it's possible that some deposit close to a million eggs. Spawning may last from five to ten days. The spent adults return to deeper water, giving no parental care to their spawn.

If water temperature remains around 60° F.(15° C), eggs will incubate in 46 hours. Once hatched, the young feed on plankton, aquatic insects, and crayfish. They grow rapidly. By the fall of their first year, they may reach five to six inches in length.

Click to Listen!