Striped Bass?

[stitch]

Ok, I know, more questions, more questions. I apologize, I know on our board up here this gets a little old, but buying a place with weekend trips and fishing in mind is a big deal, even if it is an old trailer on a rough lot. So I have a lot of dumb questions.

Are there true "striped bass" in Lake of the Ozarks, or are they just white bass and wipers (hybrids)? I know there is always a lot of confusion between species, and up here is no different. There are no true stripers in Iowa (not to be confused with strippers, we have plenty of those), but there are always plenty of people trying to catch them! Ive read that they did an experimental stocking in one reservoir years ago, and it failed. Other than that, we dont have any. I have always wanted to fish for them, so Id be happy if you had them down there, but judging from the pics Ive found on google image search, guides pages etc, its hard to tell if Im seeing hybrids or stripers.

[WHARFRAT]

Mainly whites and hybrids. I've personally never caught a true striper. My wife caught one about 12lbs years back. I wasn't 100% sure if it was a striper.

I just had a polaroid picture of it, and most said it WAS a striper, others said they were not sure. So who knows.

I never hear anyone talk about stripers much. The only think I've ever heard was the MDC has stocked them in the lake.

[Feathers and Fins]

According to the MDC Website they are listed in Lake of the Ozarks.

http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/striped-bass

If you are really wanting to target them specifically, Beaver and Bull Shoals would be a better bet.

[fishinwrench]

They used to stock Stripers in LO but stopped sometime in the '80's. Apparently however there IS a bit of natural reproduction going on because I occasionally do catch a juvenile striper. Caught 3 in the Fall of 2012 and thought I was really onto something....NOT.

All that I have caught are about this size or smaller.

[stitch]

That is what that is, definitely cool!

[shaker]

I have caught a couple up close to Truman dam and I did read somewhere that MDC does stock 3000 stripers in LOZ every other year. This was a couple of years ago that I read of this stocking so I don't know if they still do it or not. The few that I have caught were about like what wrench is holding.

RB

[nomolites]

I catch a few every year trolling; usually nothing over 5#. Biggest I have caught was right at 15# - but that was a while back. I catch many more hybrids...

Mike

[stitch]

Just sent you a pm nomolites.

[Bill B.]

_{We used to occasionally catch them below Truman Dam.}

_{There was a spot along the wall on the generator side where stripers and hybrids used to congregate (and probably still do) after the Corps banned fishing along the wall. You could lie down and look over the edge when water was running, and watch the big stripers come up and bust shad. Some of those fish were monstrous, much bigger than the 8-15 pound hybrids that were fairly common. And they were beautiful--when they rolled, you could see every detail on their sides. Definitely stripers. But that entire area has been closed off to foot traffic for years.}

[Bushbeater]

I think this photo is a LOZ Striper caught Dec. 2011. It is labeled as a hybrid but sure looks to be a Striper. Caught on a 2" Swimmin Minnow.