Vigra ee 
rae he 
Rt 
THE WHITE BASS. ROCCUS CHRYSOPS. 
THE WHITE BASS AND THE YELLOW BASS. 
Subtle. Has he bit? Has he bit? 
Face. And swallowed too, my Subtle, I have given him line, and now he plays i’ faith. 
Subtle. And shall we twitch him? 
Face. Through both the gills. ™ 
Ben. Jonson, The Alchemist, 1611, Act. ii, Sc. 1. 
HE White Bass, or Striped Lake Bass, Roccus chrysops, is often con- 
founded with the Striped Bass, which it closely resembles. It may 
easily be distinguished by the presence of thirteen, instead of eleven, soft 
rays in the anal fin, as well as by the greater size of its scales, of which 
there are about fifty-five rows, instead of sixty or more. 
It is most abundant in the Great Lake region, although it has a wide 
distribution in the Ohio and upper tributaries of the Mississippi, and is 
found in many streams farther south. It frequents chiefly the lakes and 
ponds and the deeper parts of the rivers. It feeds upon minnows and the 
like, usually taking the hook readily, and is considered gamy by the 
angler. Asa food-fish it ranks high, being little inferior to the black- 
bass. Its usual weight is from one to three pounds. The White Bass is 
said to be an excellent fish for cultivation in artificial ponds. Like most 
of its relatives, this species spawn in late spring. 
««Tt is often taken in the Ohio River,’’ writes Jordan, ‘‘ and frequents 
chiefly deep or still waters, seldom ascending small streams. 
