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Introduction
The striped bass (morone saxatilis) is a popular North American fish sought after by anglers. They are a true bass and a member of the temperate bass family. Although they are native to the Atlantic coast, the striped bass have an intersting story behind them as to how they have found their way throughout most of North America.
The U.S. Fish Commission carried striper fry to the West Coast beginning in 1879. After the building of the Wilson Dam and the Pinopolis Lock in 1941, many spawning stripers that had entered the lakes through the Santee and Cooper rivers were trapped.
The striped bass goes by many other names as well, such as: striper, rock, rockfish, striped sea bass, striper bass, linesider, squid hound, greenhead.
Distribution
Today, "stripers" as they are often called, are found along both the Pacific and Atlantic coastlines, and thrive in large bodies of water ranging from the East coast to the South coast to California.
It is said that the first freshwater stripers were caught by anglers intending to hook largemouth bass. Large stripers weighing over fifty pounds are commonly caught in freshwater lakes.
Habitat
Striped bass inhabit the same general waters as largemouth bass, except stripers prefer rocky bottomed lakes and open water. They are often found in deep, clear impoundments with water temperatures in the mid-70's.
Behaviour and Reproduction
In the spring, when river temperatures reach 55ºF, the bass begin to swim upstream. Spawning begins when water temperatures reach about 60ºF-67ºF. Stripers do not build nests; instead, several small males escort a larger female to an area where eggs and milt mix in a flurry of thrashing males. The floating fertilized eggs must be kept afloat by the river current for thirty to seventy hours. The eggs are semi-buoyant, but if the water temperatures are outside of the spawning range, the eggs will sink and die.
Only a small fraction of the sixty thousand to 5 million eggs produced by each mature female will survive. Because of the specific water conditions required for successful spawning, most freshwater striper populations are the result of widespread stocking programs. Natural striper populations are limited to the Santee-Cooper complex, the Colorado River below the Davis Dam (Lake Mohave), and portions of the Arkansas, Missouri, and Washita rivers.
Features
Stripers have large heads and mouths, a long body, a protruding lower jaw and small eyes.
Colourization
Stripers are bluish-white or dusky silver with a greenish or dark back and closely placed black spots arranged in narrow horizonal lines along their bodies.
Size
Large stripers weighing over fifty pounds are commonly caught in freshwater lakes. The largest recorded striped bass, weighing 125 pounds, was caught off the North Carolina coast in 1891.
Feeding Habits
Stripers are voracious, carnivorous fish that prey on smaller fish species including herring, menhaden, flounder, alewives, silversides, eels, smelt, shad, minnows, and on small creatures such as worms, crabs, crayfish, squid, mayflies, etc.
Many anglers say that they have better luck catching stripers at night or in low-light conditions.
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