The White Bass Challenge
by Delana Oaks
Early Sunday morning on the Maumee River, Ohio
I started a week early offering an all expense paid road trip to various friends who might accept the challenge. I had no luck finding someone. By Friday I had almost given up and ask my brother-in-law Tom who said YES! So the planning began with river updates, map searches, reviewing articles looking for the right spot. Then late afternoon I receive a phone call, Tom has to work on Saturday. I was crushed.
I slept in on Saturday bummed out about not finding someone. I juggled the idea of going by myself. I called Dad and ask him if it would be safe? He said it was my decision but it should be ok. I started throwing everything together and I was on the road by 9:00. I stopped at my favorite bait shop (Angler’s) in Englewood, Ohio. I bought some Bass and Crappie minnows.
I arrived about 11:30 and there were very few empty parking places. I walked along the bank to find a place to squeeze in. In less than five minutes I hooked a white bass. I was using a small 3/8 oz slip-shot about 12 inches above a minnow with no bobber. I introduced myself to the guys next me Joe, David and Dot (short for Dotson) who were all local Toledo anglers. David asked if I would please save a few for him?
It was slow progress for the next few hours. I watched people bringing them in left and right then Joe told me I needed to use some “Shiners” and gave me some of his. He called my minnows “Chubs” and said “They wont bite them chubs”. Then Dot showed me how his pole was set-up. “This is one way to catch em …just one way”. “It’s up to you” he says, so I re-rigged my line. I switched to a 7/8 oz weight with two #4 hooks tied 18 inches apart above the weight. I cast out about 40-50 feet and let the current carry it until it grabs about 20 feet south of where I was standing (basically tight line fishing).
I started hammering them. I haven’t caught fish like this in 20 years. When I was a kid, my family used to catch 150 to 200 crappies in one day fishing at Brookville Lake, Indiana. We had some serious fish fries and also stocked our pond with fish from our catch. This was a normal thing during the spawning period. Now, I can fish all day and catch maybe 25 crappies on a good day.
I forgot to pack a few really important things for this trip. I didn’t bring a cutting board and I had no bowls to soak the fish and I also forgot my camera. I quit about 6:00 and went to 
Meijer to buy some supplies. I bought a small throwaway camera, two throwaway foil pans, and a cheap cutting board. I rented a room and started cleaning fish. I filleted fish until way after midnight. I set my alarm for 5:00 am and I was at the Maumee Bait and Tackle by 6:00 am to buy more shiners.
The excitement started all over again. I used two stringers this time to make it easier to carry all the fish to the truck. I kept them on ice in a big Coleman cooler and my brother Clayton helped me fillet the ones I brought home on Sunday. The water was muddy with a temperature of 54 ° and the river was up 5 feet above normal. White Bass move in after the Walleye taper off. There has been Ten days of heavy rain and the locals say the bass haven’t peaked yet. The rain has pushed them back so there will be several more weeks of “Catch all you want White Bass”.
