OUTDOORS
The yellow bass (Morone Mississippiensis) or barfish as some people call them is an often misunderstood and sometimes distained little member of the bass family. Uninformed anglers refer to them as ‘trash’ fish, putting them in the same category as carp but once understood and better yet, eaten, yellow bass usually rate pretty high on the angler’s hit list.
My love for catching and eating yellow bass goes back a couple decades when my friend Billy Carter first introduced me to catching them from the Cypress Channel at Caddo Lake. Billy uses one-third sections of minnow on a small case hardened hook with a split shot above and an ultra light spinning rig for his yellow bass fishing but the little scrappers will readily go for small jigs fished close to bottom.
Fork has long been known for ‘big’ yellow bass. Big used in this context is a relative term. While a big white bass might measure 15 or 16 inches in length, a big yellow bass will go 11 inches or possibly a foot. A yellow over 12 inches long is in the same category as a white bass tipping the scales over 2 pounds. But when fished for with light tackle, these little fish are plenty scrappy and when filleted and fried to a golden crispy deliciousness, they are as good eating as any fish in fresh water and yes, although many crappie fans will consider this statement blasphemy.
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