Stripers Can Live In Harmony With Bass

[J-Doc]

To all the striper haters (I was one once), see link below. Granted this is a special condition where fish are heavily fed and managed weekly, the point is, stripers focus on smaller forage such as gizard shad and threadfins more so than the 12" spot or largemouth. This guy added muskie to help control the smaller bass population.

Yep, muskie, whites, largemouth, and walleye all living in harmony with bluegill and catfish. When an abundant food source thrives, the entire system thrives.

http://www.wired2fish.com/building-a-private-dream-fishing-lake/

[Luckyj]

Well stated!

[Old plug]

I cannot see why they would not be able to. If stripers feed by slashing those shad schools I am sure the bass a swimming along under them very grateful they are there. White bass and catfish have a relationship like that. Only thing is it makes the big catfish suckers for a spoon.

[J-Doc]

There are some that hate the stripers and blame them for not having bigger sacks at the tournaments. I used to be one until I read a bit more about it and learned a bot more. I've also seen other lakes where you have both large stripers and bass. Lake Ouchita being one of those.

I thoroughly believe that large 6lb+ bass follow the stripers around in open water. Like they are stripers.

[Feathers and Fins]

Its all about proper management of the resource. If monitored and managed correctly a lake can be highly productive with multiple species available. I was a little surprised when they said they put in regular Musky and not just Tigers, that to me says they are trying to get a breeding population going so why put in the Tigers would be my only question. Cool video.

[jeb]

To all the striper haters (I was one once), see link below. Granted this is a special condition where fish are heavily fed and managed weekly,

Yep, those are very, very special conditions. Hardly anything we can draw conclusions from for public bodies of water, IMO.

the point is, stripers focus on smaller forage such as gizard shad and threadfins more so than the 12" spot or largemouth.

Could be, but I'd bet they eat a lot of the bass before they ever get to be 12".

I'm not a striper hater. They're in the lake and folks like to catch them, so it is what it is. But I do believe they are part of the reason our bass fishing is not as good as, say, Table Rock. How big a part they play in that is the only real question, IMO. But in the end, it doesn't matter. They are here to stay and, while I may not be in love with it, I don't get my blood pressure up because of it.

[JohnF52]

They are only here to stay if they are continually stocked. Stop the stocking, and the stripers would gradually become extinct, just like the stocking experiment with northern pike when Beaver was nearly new.

[J-Doc]

Yep, those are very, very special conditions. Hardly anything we can draw conclusions from for public bodies of water, IMO.

Could be, but I'd bet they eat a lot of the bass before they ever get to be 12".

I'm not a striper hater. They're in the lake and folks like to catch them, so it is what it is. But I do believe they are part of the reason our bass fishing is not as good as, say, Table Rock. How big a part they play in that is the only real question, IMO. But in the end, it doesn't matter. They are here to stay and, while I may not be in love with it, I don't get my blood pressure up because of it.

I agree. No one knows for sure but the biologists and even their information is somewhat theoretical based on their observations, reports & findings. My theory is if there were no stripers, we would not see an improvement. I think there is more to it than one single species but rather a combination of things. No one is getting their blood pressure up here. It was all meant in good fun and educational purposes.

You're correct and as I stated, this video is a "wild-card" scenario but the results are, proper management will yield great results.

[Ham]

Kumbaya

[Champ188]

Fact: Table Rock far outproduces Beaver in terms of black bass species because it has tons (literally) more shad. Stripers significantly reduce the forage base in a lake, therefore reducing its carrying capacity for the black bass species. Shad cannot be stocked in sufficient numbers in large fisheries to adequately make up for what the stripers eat.

Fact: Lake Ouachita is far from being a banner bass fishery. I am a Hot Springs-area native. If not for the efforts of the Arkansas Black Bass Coalition, which actually amounted to a group of Hot Springs-area anglers formed expressly to address declining catches at Ouachita, the lake would not be as productive as it is now.

Fact: Stripers have but a fraction of the positive economic impact on the Hot Springs or Northwest Arkansas areas as black bass. The main beneficiaries of the striper fishery are a handful of guides.

Final fact: I couldn't give a hoot less anymore. The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission is gonna do what they're gonna do for whatever reason they please. I'm just glad to live near enough to Table Rock and Grand lakes that I have superior options when I get ready to go fishing.