Top tactics for chasing silver bass

Ask any die-hard panfish angler what’s on their catch bucket list, and they will likely say it’s a 16-plus inch specimen. Although rare, the chance of catching one in Ontario exists. What if I told you an 18-plus incher was possible in Ontario? Well, kind of. Silver bass are a pseudopanfish that can offer a lot of sport and angling opportunity, occasionally reaching three pounds, and 18 inches in length. They can be caught using a variety of panfish and bass techniques and aren’t hard on the eyes in photos. Perhaps the biggest reason these fish aren’t targeted more is because they are not well understood. While not panfish, and not bass, silver bass belong to the temperate bass family, along with striped bass, white perch, and hybrids called wipers. Silver bass are sometimes called white bass, but should not be confused with their cousin, the white perch, which frequent Ontario waters. Silver hot spots include the Niagara and Detroit rivers, and Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Silvers, like their big cousin the striped bass (not in Ontario) are carnivores that eat a variety of baitfish including shiners, smelt, shad, alewife, and small panfish. Locating silvers is perhaps what keeps them a mystery, but a happy surprise on the water for many years now. Catching them trolling, jigging, and casting is “accidentally” possible through three of our four seasons. When to target them Spring is by far the best time to target silvers because they are easiest to locate during their massive migration towards Great Lakes tributaries and other outflows. When the water temperature approaches 5˚C, hordes of baitfish run upstream, and silvers aren’t far behind. When the timing is right, it isn’t uncommon to see schools of 50 or more chasing a fish being reeled in, with catches of 100 in a day possible even from shore. This silver invasion can start as early as April in areas like the Detroit River or as late as early June on the Niagara River and usually lasts until temperatures exceed the mid-60s. After that, silvers become harder to find, especially from shore, but not impossible. I first experienced silver bass on a cloudy, warm spring morning while bank fishing the Upper Niagara River. Learning that the trout I had been catching seemingly vanished after a recent heat wave, I came to a rock jetty area that broke the fast river current