Statewide fishing forecast, hot spots and tactics for the white bass run.
Story and Photography by Matt Williams

You can have those Broadway musicals and other black tie affairs. When it comes to stage productions, I’d much rather punch my ticket to a lazy Texas river system during the height of the white bass spawning run.
Trust me. You won’t see any shiny shoes or starched shirts in these arenas. What you will see are boatloads of smiling faces plus plenty of ball caps and knee-high rubber boots. You might even see a toboggan or two. That’s because curtain time usually falls on one of nature’s greatest shows while it’s still chilly outside, long before the spring green-up.
In a round-about way, the white bass spawning run is to freshwater fishing crowds what the September dove season is for Texas hunters. For many casual anglers it marks the first opportunity of the year to wet a hook, ultimately bringing an end to nasty dose of cabin fever that has been building for the past few months.
I’m thankful to not be a member of the casual crowd. Fishing is a game that never ends in this corner. I fish for whatever is biting 12 months a year. Come February, I always make a point to set aside a day or two to get in on the white bass run.
When it comes to fun fishing, this is one game that drips with good opportunity. I say that for several reasons.
For starters, white bass are aggressive by nature and tend to travel in large groups. Where you find one, there are likely to be others. Possibly hundreds.

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