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STRIPED BASS
Morone saxatilis)
Common Names - striper, rockfish, rock, linesides.
Description - The striper is the largest member of the temperate bass family.
Body coloration is olive-green to blue-gray on the back with silvery to brassy
sides and white on the belly. It is easily recognized by the seven or eight
prominent black uninterrupted horizontal stripes along the sides. The stripes
are often interrupted or broken and are usually 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, the white bass, which rarely exceeds
three pounds.
Subspecies - There are no recognized subspecies.
Range - The striper on the Atlantic Coast has a range from the Gulf of St.
Lawrence, N.Y. to the St. Johns River in northern Florida and in the Gulf of
Mexico from western Florida to Louisiana.
Habitat - All Florida populations of striped bass are river dwellers rather than
anadromous (normally living in salt or brackish waters, but entering freshwater
streams to spawn). 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 baitfish. Their preferred water
temperature range is 65 to 70 degrees.
Spawning Habits - Spawns in March, April and May when water temperatures reach
60 to 68 degrees. Stripers are river spawners that broadcast millions of eggs in
the water currents without affording any protection or parental care. During
spawning, seven or eight smaller males surround a single, large, female and bump
her to swifter currents at the water surface. At ovulation, ripe eggs are
discharged and scattered in the water as males release sperm. Fertilized eggs
must be carried by river currents until hatching (about 48 hours) to avoid
suffocation. Fry and fingerlings spend most of their time in lower rivers and
estuaries. Because striped bass eggs must remain suspended in a current until
hatching, impoundments are unsuitable for natural reproduction. Freshwater
populations have been maintained by stocking fingerlings, and, despite initial
difficulties in hatchery procedures for obtaining females with freely flowing
eggs, a modern technique of inducing ovulation with the use of a hormone has
been successful.
Feeding Habits - Stripers are voracious feeders and consume any kind of small
fish and a variety of invertebrates. Preferred foods for adults mainly consist
of gizzard and threadfin shad, golden shiners and minnows. Younger fish prefer
to feed on amphipods and mayflies. Very small stripers feed on zooplankton. Like
other temperate bass, they move in schools, and all members of the school tend
to feed at the same time. Heaviest feeding is in early 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 does
not stop completely.
Age and Growth - Stripers are fast-growing and long-lived and have reached
weights of over 40 pounds in Florida. Sexual maturity occurs at about two years
of age for male stripers and at four years of age for females. They can reach a
size of 10 to 12 inches the first year.
Sporting Quality - The striper tends to be an underrated trophy sport fish among
many Florida anglers. However, for fishermen who have caught this species there
is no disputing the striper is a superstar among freshwater fishes. Live shad
and eels are excellent baits for catching big stripers. Other popular baits
include white or yellow bucktail jigs, spoons, deep running crankbaits and a
spinner with plastic worm rig. Popping plugs are best when stripers are
schooling at the surface. As a sport fish, specific bag and size limit
regulations apply, and you can register a qualifying catch as part of the
Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission's
"Big Catch"
program.
Eating Quality - Stripers are excellent eating fish and may be prepared in may
ways. Smaller fish are usually fried and larger ones are baked.
World Record (landlocked) - 66 pounds, caught in O'Neill Forebay, California, in
1988.
World Record - 78 pounds, 8 ounces, caught in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in
1982.
State Record - 38 pounds, 9 ounces, caught in Lake Seminole, in 1979.
(Please check link for updates)
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