White bass, walleye on run

April is prime time for anglers to catch walleye and white bass moving to spawning areas.

Spring’s warming water temperatures put fish on the move. Missouri Department of Conservation biologists have some tips for anglers seeking to catch walleye and white bass making their spawning runs up the tributary streams of reservoirs in the Ozarks.

Walleye spawn earlier than most sport fish, but they’re not always easy to catch. They traditionally moved up rivers to rocky areas to spawn. They’ll also spawn near dams with rock riprap or on rocky points. They’re not interested in feeding during runs, making them harder to catch.

“The best opportunities for anglers to catch a walleye this time of year is to target them after dark when these fish move into the shallows to spawn,” said Eric Dennis, a department fisheries management biologist. “Females will come in lay their eggs and leave the area within a few days, while the males will hang out for a couple of weeks for the opportunity to spawn.”

White bass are a hard-fighting fish that are aggressive feeders during their spring spawning run. Given the right water temperature, they will run far up tributary streams. A white jig or small crank bait are good lure choices to catch them.

White bass spawn in large numbers. When anglers find them, the fishing action can be fast and exciting.

“A lot of the larger creeks that flow into reservoirs of the Ozarks have white bass runs in the spring,” said Chris Brooke, also a department fisheries management biologist. “By boat, you may need to push up the creeks as far as you can to get to the fish when they’re running good. There’s also some potential to catch white bass from shore by fishing places on public land where the creeks come into the lake.”

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