Striper Or Hybrid ?

[Ranger Z22]

Haven't had a chance to post this, back in late May, I was waking a Red-Fin and had a fish hit so hard I thought I had the lake record smallie. After a good fight, when the fish got close to the boat he saw me and just about broke the rod over the gunnel.

No smallie, no white, looked like a striper to me, too long and lean to be a white.

Do we have striper/hybrids in the pond?

Z22

[ozarkgunner]

Haven't had a chance to post this, back in late May, I was waking a Red-Fin and had a fish hit so hard I thought I had the lake record smallie. After a good fight, when the fish got close to the boat he saw me and just about broke the rod over the gunnel.

No smallie, no white, looked like a striper to me, too long and lean to be a white.

Do we have striper/hybrids in the pond?

Z22

The Arkansas record was caught BELOW Beaver Dam (i.e. in the White River section that flows into Table Rock). Additionally, I know lots of hybrids make it over the dam at Bagnell and end up in the Osage river when the flood gates are open. Given the amount of water going over Beaver Dam last Spring, it would not surprise me a bit if there were a few that make their way down to Table Rock. There are some people on the board who have even caught trout while fishing Table Rock, so nothing would surprise me.

[steveearle]

Most likely a striper that came over Beaver Dam, with its relatively low flood control level. To my knowledge, there are no hybrids in the white river chain. Am I wrong?

[ozarkgunner]

Most likely a striper that came over Beaver Dam, with its relatively low flood control level. To my knowledge, there are no hybrids in the white river chain. Am I wrong?

I think that's correct. I would love to see Wipers in Table Rock, but there must be some reason MDC hasn't put them in. Heck, I don't see why stripers wouldn't thrive?

[mclothier1]

I think I heard something about Table Rock being a "buffer" lake. Im sure there are Striper in Table Rock by coming thru the dam at Beaver, but they cannot populate the lake by themselves, they must be stocked. And I think they wont stock them because they dont want them in Taneycomo?

I could also imagine a state record striper being pulled out of Table Rock, No real fishing pressure, plus an all you can eat buffet of bass!!

[Wayne SW/MO]

I know lots of hybrids make it over the dam at Bagnell

I have always heard that this is one of the cons of hybrid and stripers stocking, they won't stay home.

[steveearle]

You know, the hybrids or stripers would be a fun thing, HOWEVER, something that I have been talking about lately is the fact that Table Rock is far and away the best lake on the White River chain, and just happens to be the one with close to zero stripers. Do you think this is coincidence?

[Sam]

No smallie, no white, looked like a striper to me, too long and lean to be a white.

Ranger, how big was it?

My "personal" record for a white bass out of Tablerock is 19 3/4". I'm not saying that's as big as they get, but it's probably pretty close to it. A white bass that size sure gets your attention - they hit like a ton of bricks.

If your fish was much longer than that, and if it looked like a white bass - then it had to be a striper, or at least a hybrid if there's any hybrids in there.

[skeeterp]

There are Hybrids on Beaver also, some pretty good sized ones, but I would bet it was a striper that made it over the Beaver Dam. I caught a pretty good one this past March while fishing in a tournament with my 14 year old son. They started blowing up around us, I threw a lucky craft jerkbait at em and one snapped me off right away ( drag too tight ). I picked up my spinning reel with 8lb test and a smoke grub on it and threw at em and the fight was on ( pic attached ). I've gotten into the schooling stripers before pretty good in bass tournaments and lots of times there are hybrids, spots, and LM mixed in with them.

[Dutch]

An occasional striper shows up in the rock from time to time. A friend of mine caught a 15# striper in Flat Creek a mile or so above the confluence of the James many years ago.