Striped Bass
Morone saxatilis) —“Rockfish, Stripers”
Striped bass are an anadromous species native to the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico but have been introduced to the Pacific and numerous freshwater bodies of water, particularly in the South and Mid-west. Striped bass spend their adult lives in saltwater but move into freshwater systems to spawn. When it was discovered that they could survive and adapt to freshwater bodies many wildlife management agencies began stocking the species in reservoirs for recreational purposes and to control baitfish populations that boomed under these man-made conditions. Few freshwater systems are conducive to successful striper spawns; annual stocking is required to maintain these populations.
Striped bass can be caught by a wide variety of techniques in both fresh and saltwater tactics. Popular methods include trolling, both live bait and artificials, surfcasting, casting plugs and large jigs, drifting live bait and using cut-bait. Popular baits for saltwater stripers include eels, bunker, herring and mackerel while freshwater anglers commonly use the local shad and herring species found in their waters. The current saltwater record is 81 lbs 14 oz caught by Greg Myerson on August 4, 2011 from the Long Island Sound while the current freshwater record is 69 lbs 9 ounces caught by James Bramlett from the Black Warrior River, Alabama.
[easy-social-share]