White Bass fishing in MN?

[PakAttack86]

So each year my friend and I venture to South Dakota where the white bass fishing is phenomenal, literally every cast in any glacial Lake results in a big whitie. It's a haul though, and I'm wondering if anyone knows where to go to find this same sort of white bass population in Minnesota? Or within a few hours of the metro.

I keep ggetting Lake Byllsbye, Lake Pepin and the MN River. I'll be sure to try those two lakes but I wonder how good the population really is? Thanks for any info you might share.

[Superduty]

Lake Pepin and the Mississippi river near it have HUGE schools of white bass. Look for the birds and you will find them.

[PakAttack86]

Thanks for the response! Is it true the Wisconsin side is my best bet? The rocky shoreline does remind me of South Dakota, so that's what I'm thinking, any whites on the Minnesota side? Also how has the flooding impacted the lake? I plan on shore fishing, and I'm not sure how many roads may be closed due to high waters.

[JBMasterAngler]

Shorefishing any river system is going to be pretty tough for awhile. Rivers are extremely high, and most access points are completely under water. Lake Pepin is a good choice, and the WI is better in the summer time...schools of them roam around along the sandy bottom, so catching them from shore might be pretty tough. St. Croix River is very good choice. I see people fish under the 94 bridge from shore and catch some, but that's a long walk from where they park. Vermillion River outside of Hastings can be good too, but everything down there is completely under water and unfishable. If the Mississippi ever goes down, you might want to consider the alma fishing barge. It's immediately downstream of the lock and dam #4.

[EBass]

Add St. Croix river to the list for white bass. Watch for the gulls and when they are diving into the minnows the white bass are underneath pushin the minnows to the surface.