What’s the fish that fights like a saltwater fish eats like a fresh water fish and can be caught in almost every waterway in Louisiana. Bar fish, or white bass of course. The Bar fish can take way your breath and if your not careful a rod in an instant. Hard hitting and a tremendous fighter these fish don’t get the credit they deserve. Bar fish (white bass) is a slab sided, blue gray to silver fish with slate gray dorsal, white belly and pectoral fins. It has 5-7 longitudinal body stripes. White bass are active early spring spawners, with schools of males migrating to spawning areas as much as a month before the females. There is no nest preparation, spawning occurs either near the surface on in midwater. Running water with a gravel or rock bottom is preferred. Females rise to the surface and several males crowd around as the eggs and sperm are released. After release the eggs sink to the bottom and become attached to rocks, hatching in 2-3 days. Growth is rapid, averaging 4 to 6 inches in the first year, 9-10 inches in the second year, and 12-14inches lengths by the end of the third year. Most males mature at 2 years while females mature around year 3. They seldom live past 4 years or attain a size of 3 pounds or more. The current state record for Louisiana is 4.13 lbs caught in 1986. The daily limit in Louisiana is 50 except on Toledo Bend where the limit is 25.

“They are a awesome fish to catch,” says Jimmy Greer of Cenla Guide Service in Alexandria. “They are a very aggressive and schooling fish, where you find one you’ll almost always find others, often catching 10-50 of them in one spot.” according to Greer. “ We offer packages for folks who want to fish for them. Pound for pound they will out fight a largemouth any day.”

One of Greer’s favorite ways to find them is with crank bait on the rocks. :”Just throw it out and wind it in, as long as there is current moving through the rocks, they should be there stacked.” Using chartreuse Bandit Series 200 Greer concentrates on the rocks with water running over them, either from the river or back into the river. “These guys will attack a crank bait and just completely stop it, they just pound it. You might even think you’re hung up until it takes off running. I’m telling you there isn’t a better fighting fish.” Greer said.

“I’ve set off these rocks here above Natchitoches and caught 30 or 40 at a time,” said Natchitoches’ Chris Dowden, “ they are a lot of fun to catch.”

Some other bait used often for these magnificent fish include inline spinners, spoons, and spinner baits, for live bait fishermen try using shiners under corks.

cmegee