Hybrid Stripers

[aftersh0ck]

Yesterday I get a call from my nephew and his friend saying they catching alot of crappie at

suson park here in st.louis. I have caught a few the first couple years the trout program started

when didnt have time to go anywhere far in the winter and have actually seen some big ones

come out. They show up here to show them to me and use my filet knife and I hear the

friend say he caught a striper. Kinda laughed and was trying to think what he is confused with.

They bring the fish to me and there in front of me is 12 small male crappie and a 10inch hybrid.

Now either they are being used to eat on the shad in the ponds or it just slipped in the batch of fish.

Searched online but just fast read some articles with nothing saying anything clear.

Does not even show crappie as listed.

Going tomorrow later to see if its possible to catch another and to read the signs.

[MoSportsmen]

The only way to get the real answer is to talk to the MDC fish biologist that is responsible for that lake. He could tell you if it is just a fluke or that there actually was a stocking of hybrids there.

Tom

[fishinwrench]

It's becoming somewhat obvious to me that they occasionally stock hybrids into certain places and don't particularly like to announce it. I can understand that for the most part but I don't see why they couldn't just make them C&R in the areas where they don't want them removed.

[Stoneroller]

a newly dug lake, with zero stocking, will have fish swimming in it within a year. nature has its ways. also don't count out someone catching little fishes somewhere else and dumping them in there. Consider the goldfish that swim around in those lakes.

[Outside Bend]

You'll occasionally get a white bass with broken lines like a hybrid, and to me it seems more likely there'd be white bass in Suson as opposed to hybrids. But like Wrench said, it's not all that uncommon for MDC to stock a few this n' that in some lakes without advertising it- particularly lakes with unbalanced fish populations- too many suckers or shad, or stunted populations of bass/bluegill/crappie.

That they didn't have crappie listed doesn't surprise me in the least- MDC rarely stocks crappie in small impoundments, but they frequently find their way there by anglers.

[Wayne SW/MO]

You'll occasionally get a white bass with broken lines like a hybrid

And then there is the tooth patch option which can also be confusing, IMO.

[aftersh0ck]

We went tonight and caught 2 more same size. 5ft from the bank on minnows.

barely knew you had anything on. Put a pic on tomorrow.

[Wayne SW/MO]

We went tonight and caught 2 more same size. 5ft from the bank on minnows.

barely knew you had anything on. Put a pic on tomorrow.

That's not the temperates I know.

[fishinwrench]

LOL Yeah me either, a 10 incher usually feels like a 2lber.