On the move

Each year — usually sometime in late winter or early spring — the pin drops on Texas rivers that feed major reservoirs and the white bass spawning run sparks to life.

It’s a great time to be around the water. An even grander time to be a fun fisherman with a ringside seat to what is widely regarded as one of freshwater fishing’s greatest shows.

The winding, twisting riverine settings known for banner white bass fishing are plentiful in Texas. Among the most storied are the Sabine River above Toledo Bend, Trinity River above Lake Livingston, Neches River above Lake Palestine, Angelina River above Sam Rayburn and the Colorado River above Lake Buchanan.

Spawning runs also happen on select creeks, rivers and tributaries that feed lakes LBJ, Lewisville, Limestone, Ray Hubbard, Belton, Cedar Creek, Somerville, Granger, Cooper, Marble Falls Wright-Patman and a host of others.

White bass — sometimes called sand bass — are among the first freshwater fish to feel the itch to spawn. The urge spurs armies of the silver-sided fish to stampede upstream from major impoundments, often in giant schools. It is not uncommon for fish to travel for miles to do their thing on major river systems.

The males are always the first to make the move, followed by larger females. The fish will often gather around deep holes, still-water eddies, channel bends, sandbars or in the mouths of creek channels and sloughs to await Mother Nature’s final cue to perpetuate the species. They gravitate to shallower areas with sand or gravel bottoms in two-to-eight feet of water to spawn.

The action can be outstanding when big pulses of white bass begin showing up. The fish are prone to stack in large groups, and they are eager eaters when the dinner bell rings. Get on the right spot and 25fish limits are possible in as many casts. Even bank fishermen with good access can find plenty of takers on some rivers during the height of the run.

It’s impossible to say for sure when the meat of this year’s spawning run will happen from one waterway to the next. A few reports of decent fishing on the Sabine, Angelina and Neches rivers began trickling in during mid-January, but the action waned once the weather turned off chilly and cold rains fell.

Things have been pretty quiet since, but it won’t be long until the pace picks back up with some rivers swollen and reservoirs on the rise. That’s the word from Jane Gallenbach of Tenaha.

Gallenbach recently retired after two decades of guiding trips on the Sabine, but still runs a riverside camp called River Ridge (riveridgetx.com). She has seen a kazillion white bass come and go over the years.

“Two weeks ago everybody was catching and it gave a lot of them false hopes,” Gallenbach said. “Then it got cold, the river came up and the fish shut off. It seems to happen that way every year. There may still be some fish here, but I look for the main run to happen around Valentine’s Day like it always does. The current is ripping and it will get them on the move. It’ll get the catfish on move, too.”

Lake Palestine fishing guide Rick Vandergriff says reports have been spotty along the upper Neches, as well. He says the number of vehicles at the boat ramp parking lot where State Highway 31 crosses the Neches near Chandler is always a good indicator of when the spawning run kicks in.

“I’ve already seen them lining up,” he said. “The fish are beginning to show up, but it’s not anything like it will be in a week or two.”

So it goes for rivers across the state. The white bass are coming. They always do.

Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by email, mattwillwrite4u@yahoo.com.