Striped Bass
name: Striped Bass
other names: Striper, Rockfish, Rock, Linesides
The striper is the largest member of the temperate bass family. Body coloration is olive-green to blue-gray on the back, silver to brassy sides and white on the belly. It is easily recognized by the 7 or 8 prominent, black, uninterrupted, horizontal stripes along the sides. The stripes are often interrupted, broken or absent on young fish of less than six inches. The striper is longer and sleeker and has a larger head than its close and similar looking relative.
Striped bass are a favorite target fish for anglers in both salt and freshwater. The species has been widely introduced in numerous lakes, rivers and impoundments throughout the world. Stripers prefer relatively clear water with a good supply of open-water and bait fish bait fish. Being a predator these bass just love snags and obstructions from which they can ambush their pray. Stripers can also be found in open water usually within shoals hunting and chasing down bait fish.
Stripers are voracious feeders and consume any kind of small fish and a variety of invertebrates. Preferred foods for adults mainly consist of any abundant small fish. They will also eat small trout in stocked lakes. Younger fish prefer to feed on amphipods and mayflies. Very small stripers feed on zooplankton. Like other bass, they move in schools, and all members of the school tend to feed at the same time. Heaviest feeding is in early the morning and in evening, but they feed sporadically throughout the day, especially when skies are overcast. Feeding slows when water temperatures drop below 50 degrees, but it does not stop completely.
The males will become mature after only 2 or 3 years but females must live about 4 to 6 years to mature. This is why more and more people are being encouraged to return fish alive as the lager fish tend to be the breeding stock of the future for our sport. Stripers are commonly caught in the 5- to 10-pound range. However they can grow much larger. The freshwater record is 59 pounds and saltwater is over 70 pounds.
For people who have caught this species they will know there is no disputing that the striper is a superstar among freshwater fish. They will hit many types of bait and fight hard. Live shad and eels are excellent baits for catching big stripers. Other popular baits include white or yellow buck tail jigs, spoons, deep-running crank baits and spinner/plastic worm rigs. Popping plugs are best when stripers are schooling at the surface. Stripers will also readily consume fly patterns that imitate the prevailing bait fish.
