# Ohio Hybrid Bass info and Lakes



## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

http://www.dnr.ohio.gov/wildlife/fishing/bass/hyb_stripedbass.htm

Hybrid Striped Bass: Ohio's Other Bass

Sometimes referred to as sunshine bass or wipers by anglers, hybrid striped bass are a cross between white bass and striped bass. No matter what name you know them by, hybrid striped bass are, pound-for-pound, one of the hardest-fighting fish swimming in Ohio&#8217;s waters today. 
Hybrid striped bass were first stocked into southern reservoirs in the 1960s and fed on overabundant gizzard shad populations. The Ohio Division of Wildlife has been stocking hybrid striped bass into select inland water areas since the early 1980s, and wipers have been a Buckeye state favorite to anglers ever since. They can grow considerably larger than a white bass and are more tolerant of Ohio&#8217;s warm water than striped bass. Hybrid striped bass grow quickly in Ohio, often reaching a harvestable size by the time they&#8217;re two years old. Many reservoirs commonly produce fish in the five to ten pound range and have the potential to produce fish in excess of twelve pounds. The Ohio state record, caught in 2001, measured 31 inches and weighed 17.68 lbs! 

Harvest regulations for hybrid striped bass give Ohio anglers the opportunity to put a lot of fillets in the freezer. The Ohio River provides some of the best hybrid striped bass available to Buckeye-state anglers. Over a million hybrid stripers (total) are stocked in the Ohio River annually by Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. The Ohio Division of Wildlife alone stocked over 570,000 hybrid striped bass into the river in 2003. 

The Ohio River is divided into an eastern and western zone, and harvest regulations differ between the two zones. In the western zone (Ohio-Kentucky border) anglers can keep 30 hybrid striped bass per day and in the eastern zone (Ohio-West Virginia border) there is no daily bag limit, but only four fish over 15 inches can be kept in either zone. Four reservoirs are also stocked annually with wipers: Buckeye (Fairfield and Licking counties), Charles Mill (Richland and Ashland counties), East Fork (Clermont County), and Kiser (Champagne County). Anglers fishing East Fork Lake can keep four fish over 15 inches daily. There are no daily or minimum size limits on any of the other lakes. (See fishing regulations.)

Techniques
Fishing for wipers is typically best during the twilight hours (sunrise and sunset). On calm summer evenings they can be seen breaking the water surface in pursuit of schools of shad. In the Ohio River they tend to concentrate in the tail water outflows below the dams. In reservoirs, watch for fish breaking the surface near points and creek mouths, and try to make long casts into schools of feeding fish. They spend most of their life in offshore areas, so most wipers are caught by anglers fishing from a boat, but shore anglers occasionally get the thrill of a lifetime when a wiper wanders close to shore and takes their bait. 

Hybrid striped bass are active predators and can be caught on a variety of artificial, live, or cut baits. In Ohio they consume primarily gizzard shad, so just about any artificial bait that simulates a shad will work. The most popular artificial baits are soft plastic jerk baits, crank baits, casting spoons, and spinner baits. Large shiners or shad, live or cut, are also popular baits; however, if no fish are available, chicken liver can be an effective bait as well. Live and cut baits can be suspended under a bobber or over the side of a boat. In tailwaters, use a large weight to keep live or cut bait in the current below the dam outflows. 

Special Notes on Preparation
When prepared correctly, hybrid striped bass can provide delicious table fare. However, many anglers only keep smaller fish to eat, often complaining that large fish have a bad flavor. Larger fish can be just as tasty as the young &#8220;tender&#8221; ones when prepared correctly. Hybrid striped bass have a vein of red meat running down the center of their fillets, known as the mud line, which is the cause of the strong flavor. Older / larger fish tend to have more red meat in their fillets, and consequently, a stronger flavor. Removal of the mud-line is essential to eliminating the off-flavor of larger fish. Some of the white meat may have to be sacrificed to remove all of the mud line, but the difference in the flavor will be well worth a few extra moments of preparation. So when you take to the waters this year with a fishing pole in hand don&#8217;t overlook Ohio&#8217;s other bass, you won&#8217;t be disappointed.


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

Notice that there are only 4 lakes that have hybrids. Thats what the fisheries guy told me also. He said that there are 2 lakes in Ohio that have pure stripers. Seneca and Kiser. Kiser doen'st even allow motors on boats.


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## boonecreek (Dec 28, 2006)

where is them to lakes at,you ever fished them any


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## dwwv4 (Nov 12, 2006)

does paint creek have wipers stocked in the lake? i caught them in the creek farther down steam , but didn't know if they came up river from some where else?


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

dwwv4 said:


> does paint creek have wipers stocked in the lake? i caught them in the creek farther down steam , but didn't know if they came up river from some where else?


Four reservoirs are also stocked annually with wipers: Buckeye (Fairfield and Licking counties), Charles Mill (Richland and Ashland counties), East Fork (Clermont County), and Kiser (Champagne County). Anglers fishing East Fork Lake can keep four fish over 15 inches daily. There are no daily or minimum size limits on any of the other lakes. (See fishing regulations.)

Not stocked in Paint Creek, Dave, must've come up the creek?
If they're still stocking East Fork, time we figured out how to catch them!
LMJ


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

does anyone else think its wierd that they dont put any true stripers in cc, seems like the only lake in ohio that fits the classic criteria for the dang things. it would be a heck of alotta fun to catch them in clear water like that too. or why they put them in kiser a 300 acre pond that only gets to maybe 14 ft


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## bigjohn513 (Apr 6, 2004)

there are no lakes in ohio with "true" stripers and the ohio river has very few...


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

Hey Bigjohn, I was under the impression that there was only one "true" striper lake and that is Seneca. It has some big girls in it. Jim Corey at Cripple Creek Bait and Tackle has caught some nice ones out of there. What I didn't know until I talked with the state boys was that the state stocks male stripers in Kiser. This is what I was told by one of our fisheries guys. He told me that the only reason that we have stripers in these two lakes is for the hybrid striper program. The problem I have is that he told me that we only have 4 lakes with hybrids. Whats up with that? I think they should be stocked in every mud hole in the state. Can you imagine the size of the schools of hybrids busting the surface on Lake Erie? HUHHHH!


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

Mean Morone said:


> The problem I have is that he told me that we only have 4 lakes with hybrids. Whats up with that? I think they should be stocked in every mud hole in the state. Can you imagine the size of the schools of hybrids busting the surface on Lake Erie? HUHHHH!


HUHHHH! is the sound Scott makes when he's "fishon" ! 
And no, I can't for a minute imagine what Lake Erie w/Hybrids would be like, one step closer to heaven.........................  
LMJ


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## dwwv4 (Nov 12, 2006)

the reason they aren't stocking more hybrids is, that their having trouble at the state hatcheries. the female white bass eggs seem to clump together. there suppose to seperate when added to the male striper milt. there not having a whole lot of luck with there program. the fry that we are getting is coming out of arkansaw, and the biologist that i talked to said they where questionable... and costly. when they get thier hatcheries together, they will step up on stockings.


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## boonecreek (Dec 28, 2006)

i thought ohio state university had a exellent wild life biology program.


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

If they stock so many lakes why not WB anymore? I know what they are like on the surface and it still holds the old stockings of both Striper and Wiper. They survived!!!:B


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

Jig, nice striper in avatar, where did that MOMSTER come from?
LMJeff


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

West Branch I just hung it on the wall yesterday. Dog dont care for it much! I hear of about one a year from there. Hope to get a few more for pics. Im C&R on WB.


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

JIG said:


> West Branch I just hung it on the wall yesterday. Dog dont care for it much! I hear of about one a year from there. Hope to get a few more for pics. Im C&R on WB.


One a year, how many hours and how many casts did that hog take? 
What are the stats on it?
LMJ


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

Its 37in at 31#. I fished for ten minutes with a bobber and minnow. The night before I got a few wipers in the same area the same way. WB has some great fishin if you put the time in.


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

That lake is a musky lake now. Don't look for the state to put any stripers back in there. Seems they are only interested in one species at a time. I fished Cherokee Lake in TN and it had many species in it. I love that lake. You would think that after raising our license fees $4.00 in one year they could at least throw us a bone. You know they made millions off of that increase.


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