Yellow Bass

The Yellow Bass, also called a barfish, brassy fish, gold bass, striper, streaker, sand bass, rock fish or striped jack, is a freshwater fish native to the southern and midwestern parts of the United States. Similar in shape to a small white or striped bass it can be distinguished from them by its yellowish white belly and the broken pattern of its lowermost two to three side stripes. Yellow bass coloration along their back and sides runs yellow-olive to silvery-yellow. They have 6 to 7 prominent black stripes running horizontally along their sides. The yellow bass has joined dorsal fins; the second and third anal spines are approximately equal and half the length of the head. Their tongue lacks the distinctive tooth patch found in other temperate bass members. Adult yellow bass reach a length of 8 to 11 inches and only occasionally weigh more than 2 pounds.

A 2 pound, 9 ounce yellow bass caught from the Duck River near Waverly, Tennessee, stands as the current IGFA all-tackle sport fishing world record for this species.

Yellow bass are often found in schools. They prefer clear rivers and lakes. Yellow bass feed on zooplankton, insect larvae, aquatic insects and small fish. Recommended artificial lures when fishing for yellow bass are spoons and spinners. Live bait choices for this bass are small minnows such as silversides and threadfin shad. Due to the small size of the yellow bass, most averaging only about half a pound, they are not highly sought by most anglers.

Native populations of the yellow bass were primarily restricted to the Mississippi River and it’s tributaries from Minnesota to Louisiana. The yellow bass has since been introduced as far west as Arizona, as far north as Wisconsin and Iowa, as far south as the Gulf Coast states and as far east as Georgia and Tennessee.

Yellow bass spawn over gravel bars in late April to June, when water temperatures range from 55 to 79 degrees. Spawning usually occurs between one female and from one to several males. Female yellow bass are extremely prolific and may lay more than 500,000 eggs. Since no care is given to the eggs or fry only a few survive. The growth rate of yellow bass is rather slow and with their life span being no more than 6 years this accounts for their small average size.

Yellow bass can also mate with the white bass to form the yellow bass hybrid.