Yellow bass look similar to striped bass, however, they are slightly yellow and much smaller than striped bass. On many bodies of water, the yellow bass that you catch will be in the 6 to 9 inch range with some bigger and some smaller depending on the size of the bait you are using.
Habitat
These fish live in natural lakes, reservoirs and the backwaters of large rivers. They can be found in clear water and murky water and around many different types of bottoms. On some waters, yellow bass are very abundant as anglers report catches of 30, 50 or even 100 fish in a day.
Best Baits
Yellow bass are caught with a variety of smaller baits. Anglers use pieces of nightcrawlers or other small worms with good success. Yellow bass eat a lot of smaller minnows and baitfish, so minnows are a great choice as long as you’re not using minnows that are too big for their small mouths.
If you’re using artificial lures, just think crappie fishing and you’ll have a good shot to catch a bunch of yellow bass. Small jigs, spinners, hair jigs and jigging spoons work great for yellow bass.
Best Fishing Rigs
You can use a variety of rigs to target yellow bass. A basic bobber setup or slip bobber will work for most situations. Some anglers enjoy using the drop shot rig or Carolina rig when fishing deeper water. Use your favorite live bait rig with small baits and you’ll have success if you’re in a good yellow bass fishing spot.
Fishing Line Recommendations
Most anglers will use 4 to 8 pound line when targeting yellow bass. If you are fishing heavy cover, you may want to go heavier, but you usually won’t need to.
Rod & Reel Recommendations
We recommend keeping it simple and using light action rods and reels for yellow bass. You can go a little heavier, but you don’t need to.
Eating Yellow Bass
Yellow bass can be hit or miss depending on who you talk to. Some anglers think they taste great and others think they are a trash fish. The people that like them say that they taste better than white bass. To get rid of the stronger fishy taste, you may want to bleed them, then soak them overnight in milk, sprite or whatever you like to soak your fish in. When they are ready to cook, use your favorite batter and fry them up.
