How much does a white bass weigh?
Upload a photo of your catch, or use the tools below, to estimate its weight.
About the white bass
Typical adult length: 10–16 in (about 0.7–2.8 lb)
- Lifespan
- Typically lives 4 to 6 years.
- Habitat
- Lives in large lakes, reservoirs, and rivers, often schooling in open water.
- Diet
- Feeds mainly on shad and other small baitfish.
- Baits & techniques
- Small jigs, spoons, and crankbaits worked through surface-feeding schools work well.
- Best season
- Spring spawning runs up tributaries are a classic time to target them.
- Best time of day
- Early morning and evening surface feeds are often the most productive.
- White bass often feed in large schools, sometimes visibly chasing baitfish to the surface.
- They make spring spawning runs upstream, similar to some salmon and striper populations.
- White bass are closely related to striped bass and can hybridize with them.
White Bass length-to-weight chart
10 inches up to record size (24 in), using the standard length-to-weight formula for this species.
| Length (in) | Estimated weight (lb) |
|---|---|
| 10 | 0.7 |
| 12 | 1.2 |
| 14 | 1.9 |
| 16 | 2.8 |
| 18 | 4.0 |
| 20 | 5.5 |
| 22 | 7.3 |
| 24 | 9.5 |
Estimating weight without a scale
Length-to-weight formulas like the one above assume a typical white bass shape for a given length - fisheries biologists call this the cube law. Real fish vary: a well-fed fish ahead of spawning season can weigh noticeably more than a lean fish of the same length, and body shape varies fish to fish.
Adding girth (the distance around the fish at its widest point) meaningfully improves the estimate, because it captures how deep-bodied this particular fish actually is instead of assuming average proportions for the species - use the calculator above and fill in girth if you can measure it.
Either way, treat the result as a solid estimate, not a certified weight - see our terms for why these numbers shouldn't be used for tournaments, regulations, or sales.