the Striper Family

[Bill Butts]

The Striper Family contains a complete size range of tackle-straining cousins from 1# White Bass to the mid-size Hybrid Stripers to monster 40# plus Striped Bass. Fish scientists call them the Temperate Basses, and the family includes white bass, white perch, yellow bass, hybrid striped bass and the striped bass. They all reside in freshwater, though the striper originated in saltwater (and are anadromous, which means they spawn in freshwater like salmon). Stripers in their native saltwater environment of course still widely inhabit the waters of both East and West Coasts.

Virtually all the manmade major lakes in the Ozarks Region have White Bass, but some have 2 or all 3 species. Lake of the Ozarks (MO), Norfork, Beaver (both in AR), Grand (OK), are examples.

For those fishermen who have caught enough of these species to understand just what awesome fish they are, you know it gets in your heart and develops into a passion. White Bass are so common they don't get the recognition they deserve. Yes, they can be very easy to catch at times. I've always said the key to successfully catching these fish is successfully hunting and locating them, whether on a lake or river.

Stripers and Hybrid Stripers are very much the same. They are just not quite as common or numerous as their smaller cousins. However, hook a 5 to 15# Striper or Hybrid (they both get much bigger) and you will instantly know their strength and power.

I'll never forget the first Hybrid I hooked in a tributary of Beaver Lake. I had caught numerous Whites, and for the first two seconds after another hook set I thought it was another White. But, to my surprise the hooked fish bolted downstream about 30 to 40 yards instantly, and then proceeded to pull with every ounce of its 5# deep Hybrid body. It was my first Hybrid caught and released on a fly rod. I am continually amazed and impressed with how incredibly powerful all 3 of these species are. In my book, the Striper Family is the royal fish family of the Midwest region.

This forum can become a very valuable tool of education and timely information for those who passionately seek or want to learn about these fish in this region. The worlds of Trout, Black Bass, and even Crappie fishing have countless volumes of magazines, books and websites to help fisherman. This is not the case with the Striper Family in this region. We now have the opportunity to share our knowledge with each other for the collective enjoyment of all forum participants. Please encourage your web surfing fishing buddies to join in the fun.