Striped Bass Straight Talk

Features and behaviors Striped Bass Straight Talk

Striped Bass Straight Talk, also called the Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock, or rockfish, is an anadromous perciform fish of the family Moronidae found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. It has also been widely introduced into inland recreational fisheries across the United States.
Striped bass are native to the Atlantic coastline of North America from the St. Lawrence River into the Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana. They are anadromous fish that migrate between fresh and salt water. Spawning takes place in fresh water.

The striped bass can live in both freshwater and saltwater environments. In coastal populations, individuals may ascend streams and travel as much as 100 miles inland to spawn. There are land-locked populations that complete their entire life cycle in freshwater. These generally ascend tributaries of the lakes or reservoirs where they spend their lives. Spawning begins in the spring when water temperatures approach 60°F. Typically, one female is accompanied by several males during the spawning act. Running water is necessary to keep eggs in motion until hatching. In general, at least 50 miles of stream is required for successful hatches.

Striped Bass Straight Talk

One of the stripes will follow the lateral line, and one should be visible below the pectoral fin. The striped bass has separated spiny and soft dorsal fins. The spiny dorsal will have 8 to 10 spines, and the soft dorsal will have 10 to 13 rays.

They are part of the anadromous clupeid species meaning they migrate upriver from the sea to spawn in freshwater, similar to salmon.  

Diet:

Larval striped bass feed on zooplankton (microscopic animals). Juveniles eat insect larvae, small crustaceans, mayflies, and other larval fish. Adults are piscivorous (fish-eating) and eat almost any kind of small fish as well as several invertebrates, particularly crabs and squid.

Habitat:

The striped bass is anadromous, native to a variety of habitats including rivers, lakes, shores, bays, and estuaries.

Angling:

Technically, there are many different ways to chase and catch Striper. Luckily, the setup you’ll need is generally the same, no matter whether you’re fishing in saltwater, freshwater, or brackish water.

First things first: the Striped Bass is a voracious and opportunistic feeder who will take a variety of baits. This means that, while you never quite know what they’ll attack, there’s a good chance you have something in your tackle box or live bait well that’ll lure them in.

Prefer using live bait? You have quite the list to choose from. Eels, bunker, herring, shad, crabs, bloodworms, and sand-worms are all effective in tempting Stripers. The most effective bait overall, however, has to be menhaden.

Opt for a 7–8′ medium spinning rod. Attach a 40 lb braided line to a 40–50 lb fluorocarbon leader, then connect your lure to the leader. One of our favorite lures for topwater fishing is any topwater popper capable of mimicking a “walk the dog” movement. This erratic, zig-zagging movement catches the attention of Stripers,