Hybrid Stripers--a brief History

[Bill Butts]

I've had a lot of questions over the past several years about Hybrid Stripers.

Every fisherman I've met that has tangled with any of the Striper species seems to have both great respect and great curiosity about these fish.

Hybrid Stripers were first produced in South Carolina in the mid-60's by crossing the eggs from Striped Bass with the sperm from White Bass. This original cross strain was called the Palmetto Bass. Later, a reciprocal cross was developed using eggs from the White Bass and sperm from the Striper. It was coined the Sunshine Bass. Today, the most common Hybrid is produced using Striper eggs.

A Fisheries Biologist in Oklahoma, Brent Gordon, recently told me the main reason Striper eggs are most commonly used is that one female Striper of 10-20# can produce one to two million eggs, whereas it would take many White Bass to obtain the needed eggs.

Today, these great fish are known in different states by a variety of names including the above names, Hybrid, Wiper (and I can't tell you how much I dislike the derogatory sound of this name), White Rockfish, and others.

The scientific family these fish belong to are known as the Temperate Basses (I've always thought Attitude Bass would be more accurately descriptive of the way they fight). Included in the family are Stripers, Hybrid Stripers, White Bass, Yellow Bass, White Perch and a few others.

Striped Bass are native to marine waters of the east coast from New Brunswick to Florida and across the Gulf Coast to Texas. They are anadromous fish, like salmon, that live most of their lives in saltwater but return to coastal freshwater rivers to spawn. Fortunately, unlike most salmon, Stripers don't die after their annual spawning ritual.

In the early 1940's, it was discovered that Stripers could not only reproduce in freshwater but permanently thrive when the Santee Dam in South Carolina was built trapping many spawning Stripers within the newly formed Santee Cooper lake system.

White Bass are freshwater natives of the Mississippi River and its tributaries, which include very large river systems like the Missouri, Ohio, Arkansas, and White Rivers. Today, they inhabit the majority of large man-made reservoirs throughout the regions of the above river systems, and across the country, by virtue of original stockings and self-sustaining reproduction. These are very prolific fish.

So, why do states produce and stock Hybrid Stripers instead of, or in addition to, Stripers? There are a number of reasons and approaches for the needs of each particular fishery.

What are the similarities and differences in these fish, where you find and catch them?

I'll cover some of these questions in a future post.

Stay tuned!!

[Wayne SW/MO]

Bill have you forgotten this post?

Missouri doesn't seem to have the interest in Hybrids that I would expect. Whats your opinion on this?

[Phil Lilley]

I think they are hard to pinpoint for most anglers and therefore not targeted. I have a friend who lives in Neosho that fishes Grand- mainly the Spring and Elk branches. He and I have chased hybrids some but haven't done well at it, catching mainly whites in the process.

Hopefully I'll be heading to a couple of OK's waters to try my luck at some hybrids- Arkansas River and Sooner Lake- later this spring.

[riverrat]

I learned something today while trying to find information on hybrids. They are raised in ponds down south for market. Can you imagine fishing in a pond loaded with these bad-tempered eating machines? They are more tolerant of extremes in water temp and dissolved oxygen content than either of their parents. That explains why the conservation dept. switched from stocking stripers to hybrids in Lake of the Ozarks-they do better. One thing I've noticed during the spring white bass runs is that there is always some hybrids the same size as the whites with them. The bigger hybrids always show up at the end of the white bass run. This is just food for thought-if you catch what you think is a white and its trying to steal your rod and reel, look a little closer its probably a hybrid. And while you're at it would you consider turning him loose? If he's the same size as the white bass, he's just a baby. Maybe next year if you hook him and you don't do everything just right he will steal your lure. Not to worry they sell more lures at the store.

[Bill Butts]

Wayne,

I have been somewhat quiet recently on the posting due to lack of responses on the Striper Family topics I moderate. I expect this to change shortly as the spring runs really get going.

If you notice, my previous post to yours was in late January, no questions or comments were posted until yesterday. Not exactly a hot topic apparently.

I post some of the info intending to be educational and helpful, but am surprised there aren't more comments and questions.

MDC doesn't have much priority on the Hybrids as you stated. As I do more and more research on these great fish, it becomes more puzzling to me why they don't raise and stock more of them. I intend to take up the issue with them in the future.

Riverrat was correct in stating the Hybrids are more tolerant of low DO (dissolved oxygen) and overall lower water quality than Stripers. They also grow faster than any of the three species and fight harder, pound for pound.

I too encourage folks to release the small Hybrids. While they won't be reproducing babies for future years, releasing a 1 to 4# Hybrid this year might be freeing a future 10# plus trophy which I assure you would be an unforgettable fishing experience.

[roy_eros]

Speaking of an unforgetable fishing experience try reeling in one of those 10 pounders while you are fishing for whites with six pound line. Felt like i was setting the hook into a stump. Probably the longest fight i have ever had with a fish. Missouri anglers are missing out on one of the funnest sportfish there is. Maybe missouri will stock more hybrids in the future.

[Linhardt]

Good info. guys. I am just waiting to try out the spring run at LOZ and look for some good spots to give it a try. Incidently since some of us were unable to attend the White Bass Seminar, can someone post a summary of what info. transpired?

[Wayne SW/MO]

I would think that the Hybrids would be a dream fish for the department. They get a lot more attention then many other fish that are dropped in every lake. Between their tolerance and the fact that they can't reproduce and become a nuisance, they seem a perfect exotic.

[Bill Butts]

I've not done an exhaustive study of where Hybrids are stocked significantly in MO, but the lakes and reservoirs in KS, OK and AR that have good populations of them are extensive.

I live in southwest MO, and there are no Hybrids stocked in TRock (some come down from Beaver), Bull Shoals, Stockton or Pomme De Terre by the MDC. Of course, Truman and LOZ do have them. I've not yet inquired about their stocking rates from year to year.

Wayne, your point about stocked Hybrids not reproducing is a very good point since that creates a finite population that is somewhat trackable and manageable.

The only significant negative factor I am finding from talking with fisheries biologists is that Hybrids are "negative flow" fish and tend, especially when very small" to travel down lake and down river(through the dams)somewhat easily. This creates some frustration which can't be controlled, but can affect their data from a management perspective on a given lake.

I recently talked with the biologist for Grand Lake in OK, who said they get more letters and emails from fishermen requesting more Hybrids in that lake than any other comments about that lake. In the past, they've had both Stripers and Hybrids but quit stocking Stripers a long while back and hadn't stocked Hybrids significantly for many years, until 2005 when they stocked 700,000. The last stocking before that was 2001 when they stocked 150,000. What few of them that remain would be very nice in size now. I heard recently of a 20# Hybrid caught there, and some 5-7# up in the Spring River a couple weeks ago. Two to 3 years from now, those 2005 Hybrids will be putting some serious strain on fishermens' rods.

As I mentioned previously, I intend to take up the issue with the MDC to better understand their position. I was told by one of their biologists that Stockton and Pomme probably won't ever get them, since they have Walleye and Muskies, respectively. That makes sense, but I want to learn more about their management strategy and see if it makes sense to nudge them a little to consider Hybrids for more of the other large lakes, and perhaps greater stocking in Truman/LOZ where they already exist.

I hope this Forum will get lots of reports from those 2 fisheries this year, especially with respect to Whites and Hybrids.

Please encourage your fishing friends to join the Forum and post their experiences.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Stockton and Pomme probably won't ever get them, since they have Walleye and Muskies

This where I get a little wrinkle. I'm not anti Walleye, but I also know that LOZ had had them since the 50's, and probably much longer than that, they're native to the White and Osage systems. With this long history, they still don't enjoy much of a following when all things are considered. The bottom line is, they don't make much money for the state, and I doubt they will. They will never equal the true bass family in popularity, at least they haven't to date.

I don't understand why the 2 lakes above would be held back anyway, they certainly aren't overrun by fishermen and I'm sure they have some big Shad dying of old age.