# Stripers



## snagless-1 (Oct 26, 2014)

How do you think stripers would do in Lake Erie?They fight good,taste good and grow fast. There is plenty of bait fish and they could be caught from shore. Does anyone think they would do good ?


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## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

I find it doubtful the lake erie fisheries would allow then in there and that if a substantial stocking program was to take place then we would have to cut the steelhead program by a massive margin or completely take it off the menu as the "council" only allows so many fish to be stocked.

Also shore opportunities would be extremely limited as most of them would head straight to the eastern basin most likely.
Think about how many steelhead are stocked and how many are actually caught out in Erie while trolling for walleye, think about the numbers of stripers you would have to stock in Erie to actually get a fishable population,especially considering there will be a big ol *0.00* reproduction rate.

But.... I will say this, if somehow they actually got them to run up our skiny tribs for spawning, man would guys love to hook into them in that skinny water.

I only caught 1 true striper, 24 years ago at WB. It was bigger than a yard stick,fought like a 2 stroke mercury 9.9 and tasted like mud to me but I hear they are excellent tablefare out of the cold Atlantic.

Cool idea though.


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## WETSHIRT (Jun 29, 2012)

Just what Ma Erie needs, another non native species.


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## bowhunter1487 (Aug 13, 2014)

Way too much direct competition with native walleye. Slighlty better sportfish, far inferior eating. They would probably do well but I can guarantee it would never, never, ever happen.


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## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

Does Seneca still get stocked with pure stripers? I've heard conflicting answers.


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## Lewis (Apr 5, 2004)

No, they no longer stock stripers in Seneca and the current population is getting thin.


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## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

Lewis said:


> No, they no longer stock stripers in Seneca and the current population is getting thin.


Awww shucks


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

[QUOTE="Karl Wolf, post: 2989779, member

I only caught 1 true striper, 24 years ago at WB. It was bigger than a yard stick,fought like a 2 stroke mercury 9.9 and tasted like mud to me but I hear they are excellent out of the cold Atlantic.[/QUOTE]

Youngest son and I caught many from WB in the early 1990's, we'd keep one(of several, most trips) to eat! They were always the same, "Exceptional"-and caught them at various times of the year. Our first trip, we got eight, kept two-one to mount(avatar pic), one to eat. Those fish are in my top three for "table fare"! We ate my first caught hybrid recently. After trimming the thin red meat/streak off(maybe the white bass influence?) just under the skin, it compared quite well to true striper! Never had one that tasted like "mud"!


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## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

c. j. stone said:


> [QUOTE="Karl Wolf, post: 2989779, member
> 
> I only caught 1 true striper, 24 years ago at WB. It was bigger than a yard stick,fought like a 2 stroke mercury 9.9 and tasted like mud to me but I hear they are excellent out of the cold Atlantic.


Youngest son and I caught many from WB in the early 1990's, we'd keep one(of several, most trips) to eat! They were always the same, "Exceptional"-and caught them at various times of the year. Our first trip, we got eight, kept two-one to mount(avatar pic), one to eat. Those fish are in my top three for "table fare"! We ate my first caught hybrid recently. After trimming the thin red meat/streak off(maybe the white bass influence?) just under the skin, it compared quite well to true striper! Never had one that tasted like "mud"![/QUOTE]

Could have been the way I prepared it/didn't keep cool enough. I was 16 at the time and wasn't really versed well on the culinary arts. Top 3? My personal favorite is pompano but that's comparing apples to oranges


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## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

Heck,some guys like big catfish. I'd rather chew on an old Goodyear from the bottom of wing foot. Personal preferences


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Karl Wolf said:


> Heck,some guys like big catfish. I'd rather chew on an old Goodyear from the bottom of wing foot. Personal preferences


Me too, I prefer white, firm, flakey fish with little "fish" odor. That's striper-reminds me of red snapper! Yum.
My big three are-all panfish(perch, gills, crappie); walleye; striped bass. I only keep fish I'm going to eat-bake/broiled, fried, occasionally smoked.


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

Grilled striper is a super easy meal and quite tasty.


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## brad crappie (Sep 29, 2015)

Need to stock shellcrackers they love them mussels! No affect to any native species plus would bring Money in the winter time for ice fishing to the back water areas! They need to do more stocking of them in the inland waters to ! Been like over 50 years since they stocked them


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

I've been stocking both wipers and shellcrackers in my ponds. The shellcrackers are elusive, we rarely see or catch them. Hopefully they are eating the snails. The Wipers are super aggressive and fast growers. I'd like to see more stripers and/or wipers stocked in some of our inland lakes that have dense shad populations.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

I have asked the guys at Ohio Sea Grant about stocking stripers in Erie. Answer was definitely "No." Unlike steelhead, they would reproduce in significant numbers and could really screw up the lake.


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## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

creekcrawler said:


> I have asked the guys at Ohio Sea Grant about stocking stripers in Erie. Answer was definitely "No." Unlike steelhead, they would reproduce in significant numbers and could really screw up the lake.


They really said there would be reproduction? Interesting, I didn't believe that was possible. Ima have to look into that


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Reproduction wouldn’t be a guarantee, but it would be possible. It would make no sense to introduce them to a lake like Erie.


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## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

Yups, I was completely wrong about there being no reproduction capabilities in Erie. 
There are some limited freshwater impoundments they have been stocked and able to become self sufficient through natural reproduction after a breeding population was established.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Yups. That was their big concern, that the was a possibility they could over run the native species.

Bummer, they no longer have the discussion board for Ohio Sea Grant. That was a wealth on info.


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Karl Wolf said:


> They really said there would be reproduction? Interesting, I didn't believe that was possible. Ima have to look into that


Stripers spawn in fresh water(and "brackish", mixed salt/fresh waters)-Chesapeake Bay for example. Many big lakes that were created in the coastal Carolinas(like Moultrie and Marion, possibly also Norman) trapped spawning ocean stripers when the dams were built on coastal rivers and the fish have thrived in those lakes ever since. Wipers, being "hybrids", on the other hand, do not reproduce. Pictured is my first "tasty", ~24" wiper.


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## RJH68 (Sep 3, 2019)

I have them stocked in my 1/2 acre pond from Jones fish, they only live 7 years and I restock. Incredible growth potential if on a feeding program.


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## Karl Wolf (Apr 26, 2020)

Never caught a wiper in Ohio. Caught a few 1-2 pounders in a spring where they stocked then in Florida. They call them sunshine bass down there.
Would love to hook into a big one,I hear they hit hard and fight hard.

Was thinking about a taking trip down to Buckeye to cast around,see if I could get some and some saugs but I dont know if I'd care much for fishing Buckeye.


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

RJH68 said:


> I have them stocked in my 1/2 acre pond from Jones fish, they only live 7 years and I restock. Incredible growth potential if on a feeding program.
> View attachment 372287


Nice. How old is that fish? Mine aren’t that big yet, but I’m working on it. Mine get fed daily.


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## FlyFishRich (Feb 3, 2016)

There's wipers in Charles Mill. I caught 2 about 5 pounds apiece years ago on chicken liver at dusk fishing for catfish....Rich


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## Snookhunter52 (Apr 1, 2019)

Karl Wolf said:


> Never caught a wiper in Ohio. Caught a few 1-2 pounders in a spring where they stocked then in Florida. They call them sunshine bass down there.
> Would love to hook into a big one,I hear they hit hard and fight hard.
> 
> Was thinking about a taking trip down to Buckeye to cast around,see if I could get some and some saugs but I dont know if I'd care much for fishing Buckeye.


Walborn has a good population of wipers and I could say that you're just as likely to catch them in buckeye. The wipers in buckeye are most often caught by guys fishing for saugeye or catfish. You would have much better chance of catching wipers in the scioto below any of the dams or in the plunge pools. If you do I would wait until fall or spring.

ODNR has always been worried that stripers will take over the great lakes. I have shocked stripers in the Kennebec and Saco River. I could definitely see them running up the Maumee. Wipers are also banned from being stocked in the lake erie watershed for fear that they might breed with the native white bass population.

Lake Erie has major issues with forage fish stability. Both gizzard shad and alewife populations will go through booms and busts which affect predator populations. That's why fisheries biologists have to put a lot of thought before even reintroducing even native species such as lake trout or sauger. Stripers would only make this problem worse. Once a species is introduced into an aquatic ecosystem it is almost impossible eradicate it. Zebra mussels and round gobies are a good example. Sheepshead have really benefited from both of those introductions. Everybody likes to hate on the round gobies but they have been a reliable food source to variety of other predators. I know they're outcompeting other fish species and that's been unfortunate.


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## snag (Dec 27, 2005)

We use to catch some nice wipers below the new Cumberland dam on the Ohio river on the WV side years ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Someone asked abt the "fight" in these fish. I can only compare_ it to perhaps a 20# King Salmon, or maybe a 10# plus steelhead! Stripers_(and wipers) are "untiring" when hooked, seemingly able to continue to fight after being netted, making even unhooking a big tusstle! This, after not one but many, drag smoking runs, nearly impossible to turn! The one in my avatar(~46", 26#) Actually "towed" my 16' Seanymph with me and my son aboard halfway across the face of the dam at West Branch in 1992!(And on 10# test Trilene Big Game mono!)


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## Uglystix (Mar 3, 2006)

Imagine a river run of 30+ lb stripers!


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## Snookhunter52 (Apr 1, 2019)

Uglystix said:


> Imagine a river run of 30+ lb stripers!


Yes they run every spring and fall up and down the east coast. They're a blast to catch. I plan to go fishing up in Connecticut and Maine next year.


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