Striper Facts

[finchaser]

Interesting and Useful Facts About Striped Bass


Striped Bass are the most popular saltwater game fish on the East Coast


Striped bass tolerate both salt and fresh water.
Striped bass live in the ocean but spawn in fresh water rivers.
In the Chesapeake Bay area Striped Bass are called Rockfish.
In the Spring stripers migrate north from deep waters off the Virginia and North Carolina coast to New England waters. In the Fall they migrate back down to the south.
See: Spring Migration Map (http://www.striperspace.com/largespringmap.html), Fall Migration Map (http://www.striperspace.com/largefallmap.html)
Stripers mainly stay in the vicinity of the coastline.
Stripers swim fast, but not the fastest, so they don't always chase down prey like blue fish. However, they have large tails and can maneuver well, and they can swim with control in fast moving turbulent waters. Stripers prefer to ambush prey, that are stirred up and disoriented, by turbulent water.
Striped bass have a preferred water temperature range of from 55? F to 68? F, and migrate to find water of these temperatures.
Stripers are seldom caught if the water temperature is below 44? F.
Striper peak feeding times are the half hour before sunrise and at dusk.
Striped bass don't have eyelids. When the sun comes up they will retreat to deeper water to avoid the bright light.
Striper fishing is mainly a nighttime activity in the warmer months.
Stripers will eat almost anything, but favorites are bunker and clams.
Older, large female stripers are called "Cows". Younger, smaller stripers are called schoolies or shorts.
Female striped bass grow larger than the males. If you catch a striped bass over 15 pounds it is probably a female, with the potential for producing a million eggs for each 10 pounds of body weight each spring. Don't take her out of circulation. Take a photo and gently release her. Let your photo be your trophy.
The World Record (http://www.striperspace.com/about_striped_bass.html) striped bass weighed 81 pounds 14 ounces.
Atlantic Ocean stripers have been transplanted successfully to the Pacific Ocean. See: California Stripers (http://www.striperspace.com/california_stripers.html)
Stripers accidentally landlocked thrive in deep fresh water impoundments. See: Freshwater Striped Bass (http://www.striperspace.com/freshwater_stripers.html)
Freshwater striped bass, and hybrid striped bass, resulting from crossing striped bass with white bass, now inhabit many fresh water lakes.





Striped Bass Length and Age

When you catch a striper and measure its length, you can estimate its age using the table below. Note the large variation in length to weight and age. This is most likely due to an individual fish's luck in finding food during its lifetime.


Length, in.

Weight, lb.

Age, yrs.



15

2-3

2-3



20

4-5

3-5



25

6-8

6-9



30

11-16

8-14



35

16-25

11-18



40

24-35

13-25



45

30-42

15-30+



50

42-58

18-35+

[finchaser]

Chart - Average length keys for Striped Bass and Bluefish
http://www.striperspace.com/simages/striper_length2_560.jpg Chart from New Jersey Fish & Wildlife Digest, May 2011


Fish Scale Age RingsFish scales can reveal the age of a fish in a fashion similar to the rings of a tree. Scales get larger as the fish grows by adding growth circles, called circuli, to the outside edge. When a fish feeds heavily from spring through fall, the scales grow pretty fast with wide spacing between each circulus. Because most fish feed less and grow more slowly during winter, there is less space between each circulus and a thicker ring is formed. Biologists count these rings to determine the age of the fish, as seen below in this scale from a 10-year old striper.
http://www.striperspace.com/simages/sb_agerings_560.gif Ten Year Old Striped Bass Fish Scale - Image provided by John Boardman - MA Division of Marine Fisheries.
Credits: This item is from the May 2008 issue of On The Water Magazine.

[DarkSkies]

Thanks Fin....with all the internet chatter out there....it seems it's always a good idea for folks to learn more about the bass....

Some of the stories you have shared with me lately, are so comical if I didn't know ya I would think they are too crazy for folks to believe the nonsense they're telling you when they come in the tackle shop...:kooky:
1. The bass are all offshore...
2. The big bass haven't gotten here yet....they are following the herring....
3. The beach replenishment has killed the fishing....(yes it has, but how does that explain the poor Fall season for the boat guys?)
4. Sand eels control whether striped bass will come into the surf...(this ignores the fact that bunker, rain fish, spearing and squid have been abundant in many inshore areas this Fall....some areas thousands of them.....some would say it is a great year for this type of forage...yet many areas do not hold bass like they used to....
5. All the 20lb and bigger fish are still right on the edge of the EEZ, you have to work harder to find them!!!!!
6. There are plenty of bass to be had....you just have to look in the right places......
7. There were lots of stripers out there today, we didn't catch many because they just did not want to chew!


....but it is real.....people have many mis-perceptions....and crazy notions about striped bass......









This amazes me....with all the info now available at our fingertips.....many folks are too lazy to do basic research......:don't know why:
The speculation about the recent lack of sand eels comes to mind as one area where many just don't understand......

So thanks to you and all who are trying to educate....others feel free to add to this thread......so those out there who don't know.... can learn from it....thanks....:thumbsup: :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

Striped bass don't have eyelids. When the sun comes up they will retreat to deeper water to avoid the bright light.


















































I know you and I talked about this in the morning.....
Your reference point was a recent article published in the APP allegedly explaining in further detail....

1. the lack of surf bass activity this Fall was due to bass not having eyelids........
2. and the bass retreating to deeper water hiding under schools of baitfish to shield their eyes from the sun........


There are many other valid points in that article....I'm not trying to knock the author....but when you publish stuff that will be read by veteran anglers, you have to know that mis-information will be criticized as inaccurate.....

If anyone has a link to that article, or further comment...feel free to post.....
I haven't seen it yet.....only heard of it when discussing it with the OGB...thanks to all....your help is appreciated........:HappyWave:

[finchaser]

this^^^^^ was the source



http://www.app.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/hook-line-and-sinker/2014/10/02/ocean-facts-know-striped-bass/16609333/

[surferman]

Thank you for sharing that finchaser and all you do. Have learned a lot from your posts over the years.

[finchaser]

your very welcome^^^^

[buckethead]

6. There are plenty of bass to be had....you just have to look in the right places......
7. There were lots of stripers out there today, we didn't catch many because they just did not want to chew!


....but it is real.....people have many mis-perceptions....and crazy notions about striped bass......



Some of us know the right places to look and are still not catching that many. Look at the rivers and inlets which used to give you a guaranteed shot at a few bass. Now, during the season when they're not migrating, not so much. As for the captains saying there are plenty of bass but they will not chew, they have to fill the boat. No one would come out if they posted their honest thoughts about the striper population. Notice that almost all boats have changed to blackfishing vs stripers because it is so bad right now.

[jigfreak]

I

Stripers are seldom caught if the water temperature is below 44? F.

Older, large female stripers are called "Cows". Younger, smaller stripers are called schoolies or shorts.


















































Interesting info there. I think most of it is true. Have caught some bass at 41 and 42 degrees in the ocean in the fall though. Small white grub on jig with very slow but erratic retrieve. For the bays it seems 50 degrees is the magic temp for them to turn on in the spring. At least for me.
As for the comments about cows, if this trend keeps up the new "cows" will be 15-20lbs.

[Blazin420]

Some real good info here guys thanks!!! ...the 1 thing that has really got me this year that everyone is saying is.."where are the sandeels no sandeels no bass"...I dunno i find that statement a bit of an excuse...We had bunker,spearing/rainfish,butterfish (early) pnuts (which I haven't seen much in past 2-3years but were pretty thick this year)..Dont get me wrong sandeels will come in and keep the fish around but i think with the state the bass are in right now I dont think the sandeels would have made that much difference this fall..Other than snagging sandeels in the wash..its a sad state that the bass are in right now...But never the less ill still be out there till the end of Dec and possibly thru the first of the year (depending on the weather)Just cause i cant get enuff of the hunt...Fish or no fish i LIVE for my time on the water and that will never change....Thanks again guys hopefully this thread can educate some people who dont no about these fantastic fish!

[finchaser]

Sand eels do hold bass when they come into surf but even if they did they can't hold what doesn't exist. IMO bunker su_k as they are like a vacuum and take everything with them as they pass.

[hookedonbass]

Other than snagging sandeels in the wash..its a sad state that the bass are in right now...But never the less ill still be out there till the end of Dec and possibly thru the first of the year (depending on the weather)Just cause i cant get enuff of the hunt...Fish or no fish i LIVE for my time on the water and that will never change....Thanks again guys hopefully this thread can educate some people who dont no about these fantastic fish!

Like this thread too and that is an awesome outlook on things. Lets hope the bass fishing will get better like you guys are hoping. Me too.

[DarkSkies]

Some of us know the right places to look and are still not catching that many. Look at the rivers and inlets which used to give you a guaranteed shot at a few bass. Now, during the season when they're not migrating, not so much. .

Bucket, you made some great points here.
There's one section of bridges that used to be guaranteed to pull a fish or 2 to prevent a night of skunked fishing for me. In 2014 I was at those bridge areas after every bad trip. They did save me a few times. However, I can't recall a time in my SW fishing experience when the times when I didn't pull a fish from a bridge, triumphed over the times when I did.

Good thread, fin. Let's try to keep this going with some more striper facts, thanks! :HappyWave:

[lostatsea]

Originally the California stripers came from the Navsink river.
California Striped Bass and Striped Bass Fishing

In 1879, 132 fingerling striped bass were introduced into the San Francisco Bay, after surviving a long train ride across the US from the Navesink River in NJ.

These did well, and an additional 300 fingerling made the same train ride three years later.

"The fish prospered, as the San Francisco Bay is a large estuary incorporating an extensive delta which is formed where the Sacremento and San Joaquin rivers empty into the Bay.
By 1889 striped bass were being caught in sufficient numbers that a commercial fishery began. The commercial fishery was later determined to be detrimental to the maintenance of a strong recreational sport fishery. Commercial fishing was stopped in 1935 when the striped bass was declared to be a game fish."
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?3649-Striped-Bass-thread

[hookedonbass]

Good read thanks for the share.

[seamonkey]

Sand eels do hold bass when they come into surf but even if they did they can't hold what doesn't exist. IMO bunker su_k as they are like a vacuum and take everything with them as they pass.

Would love to see just a small part of the sand eel bite. I might have to come up north this fall if they show up this year.