Anyone know when the yellow bass first showed up in Lake Palestine ? I have fished it since 82 , caught my
first yellows this past sunday. Any Ideas how they got there ?

thanks

MO

I heard 2 years ago. They're also all over the neches river full of eggs

They’re native to east texas

Originally native to Brazos river basin, they were introduced at some point over the past 10 or so years. Probably inadvertently by bait traders or live well. Prior to that there were no records of occurrence. As a relative of the white bass it is hypothothised that the yellow bass carried a virus or infection the palestine white bass population had no immunity to. The big kill was summer of 2018. Don't think anyone knows exactly what or how many. With reduced whites, the yellows started filling that nich and quickly reproduced. Since whites are bigger and more agressive, they should rebound quickly, and be disease resistance. Both species co-exist in all the Trinity and Brazos watershed lakes, with white bass being dominant. At least that's the theory.

They eat well, not as pronounced of a lateral blood line. Just 1/2 the size.

Enjoy...

I caught them as a boy in 1956-1960 in the water supply canal from Lake Houston to the water purification plant in Galena Park, TX. My understanding is that they are native to east Texas and Louisiana, where they call them bar fish. In 1995 there was a ton of them in Richland Chambers Reservoir when I went there to scope out the white bass fishing. The yellows were so plentiful they schooled on the surface in large schools like white bass do. Whites were in there with them, but you couldn't keep the yellows off your line. This was in July. Subsequently, I heard there was a huge fish kill in September of that year thought to be caused by low oxygen content. Apparently that killed most of them off. They indeed are great eating fish when you catch some big enough to eat.

Have fished Palestine for the last 30 years and never caught a yellow bass. Caught plenty on Lake Fork and the people who eat them will swear they are much better tasting than crappie!

I agree - they are better than crappie.

They’re much better eating than sandbass, but that’s a bold statement saying they’re better than crappie, regarding their range, most Texas lakes east of 35 have them, and they’re native to most drainages in the eastern half of the US. I don’t think they’re present in lewisville, ray roberts, or texoma and if they are they’re scarce because I haven’t caught any up creeks with sandbass. Hubbard, cedar creek, lavon, pines, Wright Patman, Richland chambers, caddo, and many other east texas lakes are silly full with the things. As a matter of fact they’re more prevelant than sandbass in many of the Far East Texas lake like caddo and pines. Benbrook is as far west as I have managed to catch them. If you find some that are big enough keep them, they actually do fry up well.

Fished Palestine 15 years before catching one the year after the white bass kill. Last year found some huge schools in the early summer where we usually catch whites. Also caught some last year that raiding crappie spawning beds. This year the jumbo whites are back and haven’t caught any yellow bass yet.