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Commonly known as a striper, rockfish or just "rock", the
striped bass is a member of the temperate bass family, which includes
white perch and
white bass.
Environmental factors
The
spawning success of Striped bass has been studied in the
San Francisco Bay-Delta water system, with a finding that high
total dissolved solids reduce spawning. At levels as low as 200 mg/l TDS there is an observable diminution of spawning productivity.
Life cycle
Striped bass breed in freshwater and spend their adult lives in saltwater. They can also live exclusively in freshwater and currently flourish in inland water bodies such as Lake Murray,
Lake Powell,
Lake Havasu,
Lake Texoma and
Lake Mead. For saltwater striped bass, four important bodies of water with breeding stocks of striped bass are:
Chesapeake Bay,
Massachusetts Bay/
Cape Cod,
Hudson River and
Delaware River. There are many smaller breeding areas that contribute to the overall striped bass population such as the Takanasse Lake. It is believed that many of the rivers and tributaries that emptied into the Atlantic, had at one time, breeding stock of striped bass.
One of the smaller breeding areas is the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, where populations from Chesapeake and Delaware bays have intermingled.
Fishing for striped bass
Striped bass can be caught using a number of baits including:
clams,
eels,
anchovies, bloodworms,
nightcrawlers, chicken livers,
menhaden,
herring, shad, and sandworms. At times, striped bass can be very choosy about the baits they take. Because of the wide variety of baits that are known to work and their finicky nature, they are considered among fishermen as being an opportunistic or "lazy" feeder. However, it is estimated that 90% of their diet is fish.
In many of the large
reservoir impoundments across the United States, striped bass have been introduced by state game and fish commissions to the pleasure of local anglers. They have also been hybridized with
white bass to produce
sunshine bass and stocked in many freshwater areas across the U.S.
This fish is found all along the Atlantic coast, from
Florida to
Nova Scotia, and are caught as far north as
Hudson Bay. An anadromous fish, it inhabits rivers, bays, inlets, estuaries, and creeks. It is quite abundant in the
Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. There, it frequently grows over four feet in length and weighs over 50 pounds. The largest striped bass ever caught was a 78.5-pound specimen taken in Atlantic City, NJ on September 21, 1982. The striped bass will swim up rivers a hundred miles or more, and in
Maine they are found quite plentiful in the
Penobscot River. Further south in
Connecticut some very large ones are taken both offshore and in the
Connecticut River, and the waters surrounding
New York City have proven a fertile fishing ground with good sized specimens being caught during spring and summer months.
East Coast striped bass are typically found from the Carolinas to Nova Scotia. Their primary migratory range extends from the Carolinas to New York's Hudson River in the winter time and from New Jersey through Maine in summertime with the greatest concentration between Long Island, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The migration north often begins in March for juvenile fish and April for adults. The migration south often begins in September from areas in Maine.
On the West Coast, stripers are found throughout the
San Francisco Bay and surrounding coastline. They are also found in the
California Aqueduct canal system, and many California lakes. The record striped bass catch at
Pyramid Lake in
The Grapevine was 42 pounds. Frequent "boils" or swarms of these fish may be observed in these lakes, representing an excellent fishing opportunity, especially with
Pencil Poppers or other similar trout-looking surface lures.
In winter they keep to their haunts, and do not go into deep water like other fish of similar habits. In the spring of the year the striped bass runs up the rivers and into other fresh water places to spawn - and then again late in the fall to shelter. The fall run is the best. It can be taken, however, nearly all the year round, and of all sizes.
The best apparatus for bass fishing is generally considered to be a
pliable rod from 12 to 18 ft in length, according to circumstances. The reel should have 200 to 300 feet of line, which may be made of flax or grass. Silk line is sometimes used. The swivel sinker and float should be gaged according to your ground. The leader should be three or four feet in length, with a
Limerick or Kirby hook from 0 to 3, according to the size of the fish to be taken. Double leaders are often desirable. In boat fishing, the float is not usually used, and the sinker should be light enough to float off with the tide, but at the same time to touch bottom at all times. Large fish may be caught by this method since they stay near the bottom.
The best place for fishing bass is the quietest place you can find, and at full
neap tide. Early-morning or late-afternoon neap tides with offshore wind and a gentle ripple on the water are ideal conditions. In rivers, the center of the channel, deep coves, and brook outlets are the best areas to fish.
Surfcasting
Fishing from the shore is a popular method of striped bass fishing among anglers who may not have access to a boat or simply prefer to stay on shore. Shore fishing can include fishing the shores of inland waterways, saltwater ponds, rivers, and bays. Various methods of light tackle to heavy gear can be used. More challenging shore fishing along the immediate ocean coastline is often referred to as
surfcasting. Surfcasters typically gear up a little differently than inland shore anglers as the conditions tend to be more severe, featuring high winds and heavy surf. In addition to rod, reel, and tackle, the surfcaster’s typical equipment list should include items for safety and for comfort such as waders secured by a tight wader belt to prevent filling with water, dry top, line clippers,
pliers, hook cutters, and knife as well as a neck light or headlight for use at night. Additional items for safety may include steel-studded soles attached to the wader boots to improve traction, and an inflatable life vest to prevent drowning accidents in more severe conditions, as several surfcasting fatalities occur annually. More extreme surfcasting may entail climbing on rocks far from shore to gain an advantaged position or in some cases; anglers may don
wetsuits to swim to rocks in water unreachable by wading. Surfcasting gear usually includes spinning or conventional reels on rods in the 8 – 10 foot range using lines of 15 – 30 pound test monofilament or equivalent diameters of braid. Wooden, plastic, or metal lures can be used, or a live bait such as eel.
Trolling for bass is excellent sport, and is practiced a good deal by amateurs. The tackle employed is a strong hand line, and artificial bait is used with good success. This consists of silver plated spoons, or bits of mother pearl worked into a proper shape and other ingenious contrivances to be had at fishing-tackle supply stores.
Squid are also an excellent bait for trolling. In order to fasten a squid to a hook, the squid's spine should be pulled out and the line threaded through the spinal cavity with a needle. Freshwater stripers can be caught using
alewives and other
shads,
skipjack tuna,
threadfins,
crayfish, and
trout. The striped bass will readily eat anything that moves, including smaller individuals of its own species.
It is a tempature-specific fish, with an optimal water temperature of 63 degrees Fahrenheit. In searching for prime striper fishing grounds, focus on optimal water temperature rather than the structure of the environment. The bigger fish are more affected by water tempature than the smaller ones. The bigger fish are often large and lazy, and can be caught on cutbait since they sometimes wait for scraps missed by the smaller, faster fish, instead of using their energy to chase down their meals.
Miscellanea
Line note references
General bibliography
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