Before it's over, Lake Corpus Christi's spawning whites generally swim way upriver to just below the dam at Choke Canyon, I'm told. In general, white bass are an open-water fish that feed in schools sometimes numbering in the hundreds. They spend most of their time chasing schools of threadfin and small gizzard shad. They can be caught day or night. Some biologists believe a secondary run occurs in mid-spring, perhaps because of a pecking order.
Smaller males migrate upriver first, followed by females days or weeks later.
These voracious feeders are even more aggressive during the spawn, when limited water and food spurs intense competition. They tend to move upstream in waves, pausing only to rest and feed. Often, that's when they are caught. By the way, even though I missed the major run down here, I caught my share of white bass during my vacation. Canyon Lake, near New Braunfels, holds a healthy population of them and my friend Bill Caldwell always needs fillets for his annual fish fry.