Striper Info

[Phil Lilley]

I emailed AJ Pratt about a question I had about BS stripers and got this nice email back from Nathan Recktenwald.  I thought I would share it.

MDC has been stocking approximately 16,000 Striped Bass on every odd year since 2013.  That equals approximately 1/3 of a fish per acre (Bull Shoals is about 48,000 acres) every other year. This is an effort to continue providing a bonus fishery to anglers that was most recently created by a one-time 1998 AGFC stocking, that produced our current state record Striped Bass.  We still get a few fish heads/otoliths from anglers that have caught 45 pound plus fish over the past few years which equates to 20 year old fish still in Bull Shoals!  The University of Missouri and MDC has also partnered together to research this fishery and is currently working on a doctorate level project.   Below I have a link that will direct you to a Missouri Conservationist article that describes the project, and I hope you find it informative and interesting.    

https://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2019-05/striped-bass-bull-shoals-lake

[fishinwrench]

I'd like to read the article where they explain why making White bass/Striper mutts was a good idea.   

Why not just stock stripers?    Stripers can live anywhere that hybrids can.  So what niche did they think Hybrids could fill....besides screwing up the gene pool of native White bass?

[laker67]

We are only about one big spring flood away from them trout eaters ending up in taneycomo.

[navery]

I have been helping Nathan age and track their growth rates. A few of those 1998 otoliths came from me. What is even more impressive than those fish living 20+ years is the average growth rate of the ones they are stocking now is 3-4 lbs a year! The 2013 fish are averaging 26-29 lbs right now. 

Would like to add that this very rough data of what i am seeing in my catches. MDC should release their findings after their study is complete and it will be a lot more accurate. 

[Gavin]

I don't think that they prefer trout. Think they will eat what is abundant and available. They eat the stink out out crayfish in the NFoW. But that is usually the most abundant forage in that small river. They are tough fish, just shy of a baby tarpon.