I have been looking for them off and on all summer and have never seen more than just a few at a time and only up for 10 seconds or so. I have not seen morning whites at all. I have mostly been in the Cedar Ridge area.
White bass will hit many different kinds of baits. Some of them include:
inline spinners
small plastic grubs
top water baits
top waters with a jig about 1' behind them
spoons
jigs
crankbaits (both lipped and lipless)
minnow type baits
It all depends in what part of the water column they happen to be situated. They can be found anywhere from the bottom to the surface depending on season and time of day.
I have been a few times to Stockton and Truman. I picked the wrong days for my trips though. I covered the Fairfield to Dam area 6 times looking for any surface action and only found one bunch. A pontoon boat ran right through them and that was all she wrote.
Phil,
If your friend hasn't bought yet, now is getting about the time. In this part of the country if it is not gone by July 4 boat dealers expect to winter it. They will soon be willing to sell for less because they have to pay interest all winter long on something which is going down in value.
BTW: I was by that boat dealership in Republic and they still have Princrafts on the lot.
A friend of mine by the name of Steve Holland used to live and teach in Forsyth. He caught lots of big bass on Taneycomo at night in the summer. I doubt that much has changed.
While he is out looking, if he will take the time to look at Bennington and Prince Craft closely, he will find that they are far superior the most of the other brands offered in this area. Also, I recommend that he put the largest motor that will legally fit on the boat.