Nice size lake!
The Morone chrysops (Rafinesque, 1820)or White bass breed in the spring (usually May) when the water temperature rises to 16�C (86.4� F). Adults form schools (sometimes of only one sex) and meet other schools at their spawning areas in tributaries of river or lakes, or choppy water near shorelines. The homing ability of white bass brings many individuals back to the same breeding site year after year. The spawning takes place over a hard bottom of sand, gravel, or rubble. Several males, usually three, escort the female and they swim fast back and forth over the site while the fish release their eggs and sperm. The fertilized eggs sink to the bottom and stick to the gravel or sand. A given population will spawn for 5-10 days before returning to deeper water. A single female can produce an incredible number of eggs, anywhere from 250,000 to almost a million! Embryos develop very quickly and hatch in 2-3 days, depending on the water temperature. New hatched embryos stay in the spawning area for several days while they begin to develop fin rays and a functional digestive system.
Spawning Habits (short version) - Male white bass migrate upstream in large schools to a dam or other barrier in early spring, followed shortly by schools of females. Spawning occurs in moving water over gravel shoals or a hard bottom. Large females may lay as many as half a million adhesive eggs that stick to rocks and gravel. If no water current is present white bass have been known to spawn on wind-swept sandy beaches. After spawning, they abandon their eggs and provide no parental care. Fry hatch in only two to three days.
