I have heard that the striped bass used to be salt water. True or False? I have had two friends so far tell me this. They say that they were released into freshwater then adapted. I was just wondering if this had any validity to it.
Thanks,
Daniel
Striped Bass
Started by
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, Mar 20 2007 05:46 AM
16 replies to this topic
#2
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Posted 20 March 2007 - 07:12 AM
I think they adapt pretty well on their own.
Back when I used to have a boat on the Delaware River downstream of Philadelphia I would catch stripers in the "pure" freshwater (well, as pure as freshwater can be downstream of a city like Philadelphia, anyway) all the way out to the Delaware Bay (marine) and all the various concentrations of saltiness in between.
Back when I used to have a boat on the Delaware River downstream of Philadelphia I would catch stripers in the "pure" freshwater (well, as pure as freshwater can be downstream of a city like Philadelphia, anyway) all the way out to the Delaware Bay (marine) and all the various concentrations of saltiness in between.
#3
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Posted 20 March 2007 - 08:30 AM
Stripers are primarily a marine fish, running in size-specific schools along the Atlantic coast. They'll adapt to fresh water but they don't get as big. Catching stripers out of fresh water just doesn't cut it compared to catching them in the mouth of a tidal river on two-ounce spoons. But that's pure opinion, of course, like any question of aesthetics.......
#4
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Posted 20 March 2007 - 08:36 AM
Striped Bass are an anadromous fish which are species that migrate from saltwater to spawn in freshwater, another example are salmon. They historically were found all up and down the east coast of North America but have been introduced into freshwater reservoirs and to the west coast. As far as I know there is little to no reproduction from the fish that are unable to spend part of their lives in saltwater. These populations are sustained by stocking alone. On the west coast though where they are introduced their is a naturally reproducing population that makes runs up rivers much like they do in their home range on the east coast.
#5
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Posted 20 March 2007 - 11:07 AM
I'm not a big stripper fisherman, but a co-worker is, and he swears that they are reproducing in Lake Lanier (an impoundment North of Atlanta) based on his observations of fish sizes (both smaller and larger than are ever stocked), finding egg filled females, etc. And he also contends that he is catching huge stripers while trolling very deep in the lake. So, I am not really for believing everything I am told, but I also am not for dismissing the reports of an experienced sportsman who is knowledgeable and pays attention to his target species.
Striped Bass are an anadromous fish which are species that migrate from saltwater to spawn in freshwater, another example are salmon. They historically were found all up and down the east coast of North America but have been introduced into freshwater reservoirs and to the west coast. As far as I know there is little to no reproduction from the fish that are unable to spend part of their lives in saltwater. These populations are sustained by stocking alone. On the west coast though where they are introduced their is a naturally reproducing population that makes runs up rivers much like they do in their home range on the east coast.
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#6
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Posted 20 March 2007 - 11:23 AM
I didn't say there was 0 reproduction I said there is little to no reproduction. I have fished Lanier a couple of times and have also heard there is some very limited natural reproduction in that lake. They make a run per say up the chatahoochee river out of the lake. I guess the lake is big enough and deep enough they think it's the ocean, much like the introduced salmonids in the great lakes. In both cases though (stripers in Lanier and west coast Salmonids in the great lakes) the population is primarily sustained by stocking efforts.
also note to admin crew... this should go in the other category not the sunfishes and basses, these guys are not a Cencharchid they are a temperate bass or the Moronidae family.
also note to admin crew... this should go in the other category not the sunfishes and basses, these guys are not a Cencharchid they are a temperate bass or the Moronidae family.
#7
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Posted 20 March 2007 - 11:39 AM
also note to admin crew... this should go in the other category not the sunfishes and basses, these guys are not a Cencharchid they are a temperate bass or the Moronidae family.
Oops, that was before my morning coffee...
We have stripers that run up the Potomac River which empties into the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay stripers are fun to catch. The largest I've caught is a 35" 19lber. Being on a head boat they prefer to use cut bait and chum the water but again, they are going after keepers and have to make their paying customers happy. I hope to get out there one day on a smaller craft and use artificial and maybe fly fish for them before they all die off...
#8
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Posted 20 March 2007 - 01:18 PM
People here in Chattanooga say they catch 40 pound stripers in the Tennessee river just below Chikamagua Dam. Grant it if you follow the water long enough you can reach the gulf but after a few hundred miles. So I would think they would be reproducing here. Also there is another dam up the river which slips my mind now they claim to catch huge stripers in the lake above it. Was just wondering. Thanks for the info.
#9
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Posted 20 March 2007 - 01:51 PM
Stripers are stocked in heavy numbers in many inland waters both rivers and lakes where they are not native much like trout are stocked. I don't think they are native to anything that goes into the gulf either so again those are stocked fish, probably in the reservoirs and they often escape making it over or through the dams.
#10
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Posted 20 March 2007 - 02:52 PM
Stripers are naturally anadromous; under natural conditions, they are marine, run up coastal rivers, spawn in freshwater, and the eggs drift downstream until hatching. The eggs are buoyant and require a slow but consistent current for proper development - thus the absence of natural reproduction in most reservoirs. Larvae then drift downstream and developed in the estuaries. They're introduced all over the place, including a lot of reservoirs where they are managed as populations that are maintained by periodic stocking. They're successfully reproducing in some reservoirs in the SE and elsewhere where inflowing large rivers give them the steady current (not "big and deep") that they need, and (as someone else already pointed out) much of the Left Coast out this way. In parts of the SE they sometimes run up tributaries to reservoirs; several years ago I was canoeing on Terrapin Creek in NE Alabama, and was surprised to float over 100s of huge stripers a couple km upstream of the mouth. They'd get spooked as the canoe drifted over them and race around like crazy, blasting through shallow riffles that I'd ordinarily expect only darters and such in... Unfortunately, I was sampling and had no fishing rod along...
I'll vouch for their fighting ability in freshwater - got a nice one in the Sacramento Delta last week on my flyrod, and she fought like a champ.
Cheers,
Dave
I'll vouch for their fighting ability in freshwater - got a nice one in the Sacramento Delta last week on my flyrod, and she fought like a champ.
Cheers,
Dave
#11
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Posted 22 March 2007 - 08:16 AM
Great info thanks. Now I can inform the person in Church that was missimformed. Good to educate myself and others as well.
Daniel
Daniel
#12
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Posted 23 April 2007 - 04:35 PM
i am a hard core striper guy and yes he is right they do successfully reproduce in lake lanier and many other large cold water lakes and rivers. heck the st. john's river in florida has stripers reproducing in it infact the fwc has stop stocking it to the best of my knowledge and also again to the best of my knowledge the population has stayed stable.........but im a new england guy and i only read one article in florida sportsman magazine about the florida stripersI'm not a big stripper fisherman, but a co-worker is, and he swears that they are reproducing in Lake Lanier (an impoundment North of Atlanta) based on his observations of fish sizes (both smaller and larger than are ever stocked), finding egg filled females, etc. And he also contends that he is catching huge stripers while trolling very deep in the lake. So, I am not really for believing everything I am told, but I also am not for dismissing the reports of an experienced sportsman who is knowledgeable and pays attention to his target species.
#13
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Posted 17 May 2007 - 09:42 PM
I guess the lake is big enough and deep enough they think it's the ocean, much like the introduced salmonids in the great lakes. In both cases though (stripers in Lanier and west coast Salmonids in the great lakes) the population is primarily sustained by stocking efforts.
Actually, in at least 3 places on the Great Lakes, Chinook and Pink salmon have become effectively self supporting. The best known of these self supporting populations is the pink salmon population of northern lake Huron. This is the result of an accidental release, and now encompasses dozens of rivers flowing in to Lake Huron(the St. Mary's primary among them).
The other major "effective" self supporting population is of Chinook salmon along the west coast of Michigan(east shore of Lake Michigan). Every river from the Muskegon north up the coast is now to the point where a numerical majority of fry are the result of natural reproduction. In several rivers..NO planting goes on..in the Pere Marquette river, I don't believe chinook have been planted in decades...if ever. It's thought now that if all salmon planting were halted tomorrow...there would remain a small, but stable self supporting population. The ethics and effects on the original fish populations of the great lakes notwithstanding...they seem to be here for the long haul.
Of course...that's assuming outside influences such as the massive re-alignment of prey fish populations in the lakes due to zebra mussel and goby(among other things), infestations do not wipe out all major predatory species in time.
The third population of pacific salmon that are self supporting in the great lakes is of Steelhead(yes..they are a salmon in good standing). The majority of them from lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior are all wild born..indeed, as with the other salmonids..many of the rivers with the "best" populations of these are not planted at all. They have been naturalized for at least 120 years in the upper Great Lakes.
#14
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Posted 06 January 2009 - 10:12 PM
I just got a couple fingerlings in my aquarium from a guy that raises true and hybrid striped bass. So far they are doing well! I'll try and take some pictures at some point
#15
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Posted 06 January 2009 - 10:25 PM
Wow, this is an old thread, but since it's been brought up I'll just add this:
When Santee-Cooper Dam was completed in the 1940's, a population of striped bass was trapped in the new lake. These fish managed to adapt to a completely freshwater existence. Most stocked stripers are descendants of this population.
When Santee-Cooper Dam was completed in the 1940's, a population of striped bass was trapped in the new lake. These fish managed to adapt to a completely freshwater existence. Most stocked stripers are descendants of this population.
#16
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Posted 07 January 2009 - 11:36 PM
Well I missed this thread back in 07 so I'll chime in to say Dave filled in the details to answer most of the questions and counter most of the misconceptions. The only thing I'll add is that freshwater impoundments do indeed produce giant stripers to rival their marine counterparts for size. 40, 50 and even 60 pound stripers are not unheard of in the better lakes.
Also, stripers are/were native to the Gulf coast although their spawning rivers have been dammed and/or polluted beyond recovery. The true Gulf coast striper is probably genetically extinct.
Keeping striper fingerlings in aquaria is probably very cool in the short term but they are voracious eaters and fast growers. They would soon eat all their tank mates and outgrow even the biggest home aquariums.
They do seem to be able to adapt to captivity however and I have seen displays in several public aquariums that looked pretty healthy.
Some fun trivia I have observed over four decades of chasing stripers [my Dad started me young];
Striper populations on the east coast crashed in the late 70s - early 80s. Historically they have always had cyclical variations in population but apparently in the 70s natural down turn coincided with a huge increase in harvest and most likely pollution as well to bring about the crash.
The recovery of the striped bass in the 90s was a text book example of how fisheries managment should be able to work. A moratorium on harvest followed by introduction of extremely stringent bag limits as well as some supplemental stocking by the Feds worked magic.
Also, stripers that breed in the Hudson river were said to be loaded with PCBs and harvesting Hudson river fish was banned for health reasons. The PCBs apparently didn't hurt the stripers or dampen their reproductive urges. This had the effect of allowing the Hudson river fish to reach high population levels which spilled over to near by waters.
Stripers are very intelligent and learn to follow swimmers and waders to catch the crabs and shrimp and flounder stirred up by the swimmers' feet. One popular swimming beach I know In Rhode Island always has a resident population of good sized tame stripers which spend the summer. When the water is clear they can easily be seen swimming around the legs of the swimmers and surfers. Some people get freaked out when they see three foot long fish brush by them in two feet of water.
Although the fish are totally tame and unafraid of humans, they will not hit even the best tied fly or lure.
Stripers love lobster and I have often caught stripers with antenae sticking out of their gullet just like smallmouth that have been eating crayfish.
Stripers can feed in total darkness in the roughest surf and strongest current imaginable. I once landed a 30 lb striper at night, on a rocky shore, during a nor'easter when the surf was ten to twelve feet high. How a fish that big could swim among those rocks in that surf without getting pulverized amazes me. How she was able to locate and eat my small plug in all that turmoil, in the pitch dark, totally baffles me.
I once landed a 28 inch striper near the mouth of the Kennebec river in Maine that had a federal F&W tag attached. I carefully removed the tag before releasing the fish and later sent it to F&W. They were able to tell from the tag that the fish had been released from a federal hatchery into the Choptank river in Maryland. The fish was 10 inches long when released and five years old when I caught it.
If I haven't bored you all too much, I'll end with a gratuitous "grip n grin" angler pic. This one is of my son Matt when he was 14. Fish was 37 inches long, caught in the Merrimac river in Ma.
Also, stripers are/were native to the Gulf coast although their spawning rivers have been dammed and/or polluted beyond recovery. The true Gulf coast striper is probably genetically extinct.
Keeping striper fingerlings in aquaria is probably very cool in the short term but they are voracious eaters and fast growers. They would soon eat all their tank mates and outgrow even the biggest home aquariums.
They do seem to be able to adapt to captivity however and I have seen displays in several public aquariums that looked pretty healthy.
Some fun trivia I have observed over four decades of chasing stripers [my Dad started me young];
Striper populations on the east coast crashed in the late 70s - early 80s. Historically they have always had cyclical variations in population but apparently in the 70s natural down turn coincided with a huge increase in harvest and most likely pollution as well to bring about the crash.
The recovery of the striped bass in the 90s was a text book example of how fisheries managment should be able to work. A moratorium on harvest followed by introduction of extremely stringent bag limits as well as some supplemental stocking by the Feds worked magic.
Also, stripers that breed in the Hudson river were said to be loaded with PCBs and harvesting Hudson river fish was banned for health reasons. The PCBs apparently didn't hurt the stripers or dampen their reproductive urges. This had the effect of allowing the Hudson river fish to reach high population levels which spilled over to near by waters.
Stripers are very intelligent and learn to follow swimmers and waders to catch the crabs and shrimp and flounder stirred up by the swimmers' feet. One popular swimming beach I know In Rhode Island always has a resident population of good sized tame stripers which spend the summer. When the water is clear they can easily be seen swimming around the legs of the swimmers and surfers. Some people get freaked out when they see three foot long fish brush by them in two feet of water.
Although the fish are totally tame and unafraid of humans, they will not hit even the best tied fly or lure.Stripers love lobster and I have often caught stripers with antenae sticking out of their gullet just like smallmouth that have been eating crayfish.
Stripers can feed in total darkness in the roughest surf and strongest current imaginable. I once landed a 30 lb striper at night, on a rocky shore, during a nor'easter when the surf was ten to twelve feet high. How a fish that big could swim among those rocks in that surf without getting pulverized amazes me. How she was able to locate and eat my small plug in all that turmoil, in the pitch dark, totally baffles me.
I once landed a 28 inch striper near the mouth of the Kennebec river in Maine that had a federal F&W tag attached. I carefully removed the tag before releasing the fish and later sent it to F&W. They were able to tell from the tag that the fish had been released from a federal hatchery into the Choptank river in Maryland. The fish was 10 inches long when released and five years old when I caught it.
If I haven't bored you all too much, I'll end with a gratuitous "grip n grin" angler pic. This one is of my son Matt when he was 14. Fish was 37 inches long, caught in the Merrimac river in Ma.
#17
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Posted 08 January 2009 - 08:24 AM
I would add that Lake Texoma, an impoundment of the Red River, has a self-sustaining population of stripers.
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