The Good and Bad Yellow Bass

The Good and Bad Yellow Bass

By Todd Reed

What: Yellow Bass are an invasive species in some lakes around Iowa.  They are not meant for lakes but have found their way into some, and typically means the lake will not survive.  Yellow Bass are in the same family as the white bass and striped bass, scrappy fighters and wonderful to eat. If caught in a lake in Iowa, you should keep the fish, as most lakes do not do well with them in the ecosystem.  NEVER transport yellow bass to a different body of water, not only is it illegal but you will end up hurting the body of water, they are a nuisance and should be treated as such. Yellow Bass grow at an alarming rate. Yellow Bass reach an average of 4-inches in the first year, 7-inches in length the second year, 9-inches the third and 10-inches at the end of the fourth year of life.  Yellow Bass typically spawn in their third year of life, or 8-9 inches in length. They can be detrimental to lakes because of their high spawning rates and the high appetite that can wipe out food chains for other species.

Why: Fishing for yellow bass, especially under the ice is a very fun and exciting species to fish.  Yellow bass are known to school up in large groups and use each other to create a feeding frenzy.  It is an awesome fish to go after if you have a small group of friends, as more people using augers and their electronics to find the fish, the more you can stay on top of the moving school to relocate and keep catching them.  These fish do not relate to brush, or dropoffs, but are always on the constant search for food, making them very mobile. To be a successful angler hoping to catch these yellows you must do the same. Moving often is key to staying with these nomads and keeping your rod bent!

Where: Yellow bass, once again are an invasive species in the lakes of Iowa, they are not supposed to be there.  Larger bodies of water such as East Lake Okoboji, Five Island Lake and Clear Lake all seem to handle the Yellow Bass population well, but they are the small minority.  These waters all hold large populations of yellow bass, with Five Island Lake being the most populated per acre. Whereas Clear Lake and East Okoboji hold some giant Yellow Bass.  According to the Iowa DNR website (iowadnr.gov) lakes over 100 acres that have a yellow bass population include; all of the Okoboji Chain of lakes including Spirit Lake, Clear Lake, Lost Island Lake, 3-Mile Lake, Lake Manawa, North Twin Lake, Brinker Lake, Little Wall Lake, Lake Cornelia, and Five Island Lake.  There are many other smaller lakes and most interior rivers and the Mississippi River Pools also hold Yellow Bass. As you can see from the list, odds are you don’t live too far away from a lake that has this species.

How:  Yellow Bass are a favorite target of mine through the ice, but they are definitely the most work of any fish during the wintertime too.  Anglers who use a sit and wait approach will not do as well as the anglers constantly on the move. It is vital that you stay moving while searching down school of yellows, they are always moving so you as an angler must move with them.  A team approach of four or more anglers makes this much easier, using multiple auger and electronics to track them down and find which way they are moving is ideal. When it comes to rods and reels, I prefer a long 36” Jason Mitchell Meat Stick with two or three pound line on a Quantum reel.  The rod must have a good backbone for setting and guiding the fish up the hole. A high quality reel is needed because it will have a drag system designed to take the runs of a yellow bass. A long rod is handy because I am always moving, and rarely sitting down to fish while searching for yellows.  A longer rod allows me to stand up comfortably and set the hook on the fish. Typically I am using small spoons tipped with bait, but jigs are good for those days that the spoons won’t hook them. I always start with spoons and move to a jig if I miss a few bites. This is the fish telling you they like the bait, but it is too big, drop down a jig and wham, they will kill it.  Drill, move, fish, drill, move, fish is the pattern for these fish, but don’t be surprised if you are tired at the end of the day, but at least you will have some fish to clean.

If you love fishing for Yellow Bass you should consider joining the largest ice fishing event in Iowa, which is centered on catching yellow bass.  Kevan Paul and folks at Clear Lake Bait and Tackle in Clear Lake, Iowa hold this event. In February of 2019 at this event anglers walked away with over $35,000 in prizes once the weigh-ins were finished.  The top placing team that weighed in the maximum number of 30 yellow bass took home a prize package worth around $1,500. This years event is scheduled to payout over $50,000 worth of prizes with the maximum number of 300 teams registered.  It is a fun event that includes a banquet on Saturday night with a lot of door prizes and fun for all levels of anglers. Check Clear Lake Bait and Tackle out to get entered into the 2020 event.

Be safe out there as the ice melts, it is time once again to put safety at the forefront and use precautions each time out.  Enjoy running down the Yellow Bass, and be sure to try your favorite fish recipe with their thick fillets of meat.