Invasive species are never what you want to see in a waterbody. However, when they are present if there is a positive you can get out of it you try to do that. With the invasion of yellow bass into a few of Iowa’s best fisheries a new species was introduced. At first this was thought of as almost the end of the world to some fishermen. However, while not everyone enjoys this species, the saying is “when life gives you lemons you make lemonade”. This is what the Iowa Department of Natural Resources did.
Yellow bass are an invasive species so they can put very high limits and in most cases actually no limit on these fish. Nobody knew what these guys could do right away. Quickly with research the DNR knew that these fish could take over a waterbody in a hurry. They had heard the stories as they moved up state to state across the US. On the bright side; they were mainly introduced into big bodies of water like Clear Lake and West and East Okoboji. While introducing a new species into a body of water is illegal, these lakes are big enough to sustain a high population.
The big question was: what was the aggressive nature of this species going to do to other species in these waterbodies, especially the panfish. Yellow bass are very aggressive predators and feed on many different prey types in massive schools. I like to think of is as a perch school on steroids when you find them. These schools can be massive in numbers and when they are aggressive they are some of the most fun fish to fight for their size. They school up in big numbers in the winter, early spring, and late fall chasing food. They do not really relate to structure unless that is where the invertebrates or minnows they are chasing around are feeding on.
Angling Opportunities
Yellow bass have produced a great angling opportunity for every skill level. Sometimes you have to try NOT to catch yellow bass when you are on them! A lot of people target them ice fishing including myself. The numbers of fish you can ice in one day can be incredible!!! But you better be ready to work for it because of their aggressive nature they are always roaming. Normally you would need to drill a lot of holes to stay on them consistently. Open water fishing you can also get on good numbers. They love small spoons, tungsten jigs, tube jigs, and basically anything small with some flash to get their attention. If you tip with a waxworm, wiggler, nightcrawler, or small plastic you are in for a fun day. They also will sometimes eat minnows, which tend to be the bigger yellow bass. The guides in Iowa have taken the yellow bass fishing to a whole new level putting hundreds of yellow bass in the livewell on any given day.
I chase yellow bass with my dad and friends quite a bit and it is very fun. We have had some barnburners where all morning or evening it is cast after cast or drop after drop. My personal best day I was with 3 other friends and we ended up catching 385 fish: mostly yellow bass with a few yellow perch, crappies, and bluegills to go along with it. We have had several other days close to one hundred fish and over one hundred. One day by 9am ice fishing I had over 70 fish on the ice just by myself. The opportunity to catch numbers of fish like this does not happen very often.
If you are looking to get the young ones out or just put a lot of fish topside give the idea of chasing some yellow bass a thought. They are a very good tasting fish as well! They are a blast to catch because of the big numbers and how aggressive they can be. There are several good guides I know in the IGL’s and clear lake region that can put you on some days you will not forget anytime soon!!
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