Striped bass are members
of the temperate bass family which include white
perch and white bass.
Bass Fishing Information
The striped bass, also known as rockfish south of
New Jersey, can be found all along the Atlantic
coast from Florida to Maine. Striped bass are a
popular game fish and they are much venerated among
surf fishermen. They can grow quite large: the world
record striped bass caught on rod and reel is 78 lb
8 oz (35.6 kg). It was landed from a jetty in
Atlantic City, NJ by Albert McReynolds. He was
fishing a Rebel Windcheater during a stormy, fall
night in 1982. The largest female bass ever caught
in a bay was 76 pounds. There have been reports of
striped bass netted weighing 125 lb (57 kg). However
this was during the ( 1700s ? not sure about the
date). There has not been so large a fish recorded
in recent history, however these accounts indicate
the growth potential that striped bass possess.
Life cycle
Striped bass breed in freshwater and spend their
adult lives in saltwater. There are three main
breeding stocks of striped bass: Chesapeake Bay,
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.
Fishing for striped bass
Striped bass can be caught on a number of baits
including: clams, eels, anchovies, bloodworms, night
crawlers, chicken livers, bunker/menhaden, herring,
and sand worms. At other 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 excellent fish is found all along the Atlantic
coast, from Florida to Maine, fish have been caught
as far north as Hudson Bay, and are common in parts
of Nova Scotia. It inhabits the rivers, bays, inlets
and creeks; and is taken in great abundance,
particularly in the Chesapeake Bay and its
tributaries. There, it frequently grows to the
length of three, four and even five feet and
weighing in some instances, full one hundred pounds!
The striped bass will run up some rivers a hundred
miles or more, and in Maine they are found quite
plentiful in the Penobscot. In the Connecticut, too,
some very fine ones are taken, and surprisingly the
waters surrounding New York City have proven a
fertile fishing ground with good sized specimens
being caught each spring.
On the West Coast, stripers are found in the Bay
Delta and as a result have entered the California
Aqueduct canal and lake system. Buena Vista lakes,
Pyramid Lake, Castaic Lake and Silverwood Lake all
have an abundance of striped bass. The lake record
at Pyramid is 42 lbs! 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 still keep their haunts, and do not
go into deep water like other fish of similar
habits. The word (bass) is said to be a Dutch name,
signifying perch; but it little resembles the fish
we know by that name. The bass is one of the most
beautiful fish in point of color and perfect
symmetry that swims, and next to the salmon is the
most delicious for the table.
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 apparatus for bass fishing is a pliable rod from
12 to 18 ft (300 to 500 mm) in length, according to
circumstances. The reel should have 200 to 300 feet
(60 to 90 m) 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 necessary. Use your own
judgment in this respect. 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. By this mode you
will get large fish, as the large ones are generally
nearest the bottom.
The best place for fishing bass is the quietest
place you can find, and at full neap tide. When this
tide occurs early in the morning, or late in the
afternoon, and if the wind is off shore and a gentle
ripple on the water you may take bass very easily,
and in abundance. In rivers, get in the exact
channel, or over some deep cove, near an outlet of a
brook, or some small stream.
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 the fishing-tackle stores. Squid are also
an excellent bait for trolling. To fasten the squid
to your hook, you should use a needle and waxed
linen thread. Take off the skin of the squid, and
pull out the spine - then insert the needle through
the opening made by the spine, and in this way
fasten your hook so the point will pass through near
his eye - commence sewing him onto the hook from his
tail, and stitch up to his neck. This is so
troublesome a process that few sportsmen use it; but
very large fish are taken in this manner. Above info from From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia.
