FISH of the Day Stripe Bass/Rock Fish

FISH OF DAY:  Stripe Bass/Rock Fish!

Striped bass, striper, rockfish depending on where you are from all refer to the same member of  one of the most fun and abundant fish in the USA. Having a streamlined, silvery body marked with stripes running from behind the gills to the base of the tail. Striped Bass are in the lakes, rivers, bays, inlets, estuaries, and creeks in Northern California and from Jacksonville to Maine in salt. The same fish meaning the saltwater version can be found in several big reservoirs in the USA. Lake Mead in Nevada and Lake Texoma on the Oklahoma and Texas border are a couple of our favorites. Big cities like New York, San Francisco and believe it or not Atlanta you can catch these fish and still see the skyline certain times of the year. Stripe Bass are probably somewhere close to you and with a little knowledge you can have a lot of fun catching these great fish. The mother ship and one of the most publicized stripe bass or Rockfish in that area is the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. There,  rockfish frequently grows over four  feet in length and weighs over 50 lbs. You can catch these predators in number methods including trolling, jigging, live bait and surfcasting. One of the largest striped bass ever caught was in 2011 and came in at 81.8 lbs. in Connecticut. The striped bass swims all the time and will cover hundreds of miles in a week moving and looking for food, this makes them very hungry most of the time and Stripers will swim up rivers a hundred miles or more, from Maine, Connecticut, and all the way down into Florida there are fertile fishing ground with good sized fish if you know where to look.

 Spawning usually starts in March when the fish return to rivers to spawn. Chesapeake Bay, Carolinas to New York's Hudson River in the winter time and New Jersey through Maine and Long Island in summertime with the greatest concentration between Long Island, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Once the cold starts to drop way down the fish will head south around September.

West Coast, striped bass are in San Francisco Bay and surrounding coastline all the way into the Sacramento River and Delta area and follow similar movements. Stripers are all over the California canal systems, and lakes such as Lake Castaic, Lake Skinner, Diamond Valley Reservoir, Silverwood Lake, Pyramid Lake, San Antonio Lake, and others. The striped bass is a prominent predator in many Colorado River lakes: Lake Havasu, Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Lake Pleasant and Lake Mohave. Stripers do not get as affected by cold water as other species as a matter of fact water temps around 55 degrees seems to be the perfect temp. The biggest fish can be caught in the winter they are usually in the same places and do not go into deep water like other fish of similar habits. 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. They can be caught however nearly all the year round.

Striped bass can be caught using a number of baits including: clams, eels, anchovies, bloodworms, nightcrawlers, chicken livers, menhaden, herring, shad, and sandworms in live bait but as the cool weather starts and  in the spring  swimbaits , Spoons, Jigs, topwater Plugs, and hard lures, all can catch fish. One of the things most important for striper fishing when choosing bait, look and know what is in abundance that is the meal for the striper. Look for birds, look for boils and activity on the water, where the bait is the striper will be close by. If the weather is cold and the bait moves up to warmer water the stripe bass will follow.

Remember the time of year and the rivers are a great place to start in the spring and the cooler times and winter months. When the water temps get hot the days are hot look deeper and look for the bait.

If you want to know more about stripe bass fishing and some techniques give a shout we are happy to hook you up and if you want to take trip fishing for stripe bass we can do that to. We know some of the best guides in the country. Email us at info@wahootackleandfishing.com

 Tackle Box can include Surf rod, a medium Heavy Casting or spinning rod, live bait rigs, Trolling plugs, Slab Spoons, light and heavy jigs 2oz-6 oz. for vertical or casting. Braid, mono, and fluorocarbon line and hooks from 2/0-6/0 depending on location. Buck tail jigs, as well as soft plastics in shad or fluke shape from 3-6 inches in length all have their place in a Striper tackle box.

RECIPE: Stripe Bass /Herb and Lemon Roasted Striped Bass

4   (6-ounce) striped bass fillets 

1   lemon 

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

 Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place fish on pan. Grate lemon rind to measure 1 teaspoon; juice lemon to measure 1 tablespoon. Combine rind, juice, oil, thyme, oregano, salt, and black pepper; drizzle mixture over fish. Bake at 425° for 13 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

 

By: Marge Perry