The
Striped Bass
The
Striped bass is the largest member of the sea bass family. Striped bass
are silvery, shading to olive-green on the back and white on the belly,
with seven or eight uninterrupted horizontal stripes on each side of
the body. Younger fish may resemble white bass. However, striped bass
have two distinct tooth patches on the back of the tongue, whereas white
bass have one tooth patch. Similarly, Striped bass have two sharp points
on each gill cover, and white bass have one.
The Striped
bass is native to a variety of habitats including shores, bays, and
estuaries. 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 actually spawning act. Running water is necessary to keep eggs in
motion until hatching. In general, 50 miles or more of stream is required
for successful hatches. Striped bass "stripers" may reach a size of
10 to 12 inches during the first year. Males are generally mature in
two years, and females in three to four. Adults are primarily piscivorous
feeding predominantly on members of the herring family such as gizzard
shad and thread fin shad.
The Striped
bass is a coastal species that moves far upstream during spawning migrations
in coastal rivers. The native range is along the Atlantic coast east
of the Appalachian Mountains from New Brunswick south to Florida and
west into Louisiana. The species has been introduced at scattered locations
throughout the central U.S. There have also been introductions as far
west as the Colorado River in Arizona, and at various sites in California.
Although not native to Texas the species has been stocked in a number
of reservoirs where excellent fisheries are maintained. Most notable
is Lake Texoma along the Red River in northeastern Texas.
Striped
bass Length - Age - Weight Chart
|
Length
|
12"
|
13"
|
14"
|
15"
|
16"
|
17"
|
18"
|
19"
|
20"
|
21"
|
22"
|
|
Age
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
|
Max lb
|
1.0
|
2.0
|
2.5
|
3.0
|
3.5
|
4.0
|
4.5
|
5.0
|
5.5
|
6.0
|
6.8
|
|
Avg lb
|
1.0
|
1.5
|
2.3
|
2.5
|
3.0
|
3.5
|
4.0
|
4.3
|
4.8
|
5.0
|
5.8
|
|
Min lb
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
2.0
|
2.0
|
2.5
|
2.8
|
3.0
|
3.5
|
4.0
|
4.3
|
4.8
|
|
Length
|
23"
|
24"
|
25"
|
26"
|
27"
|
28"
|
29"
|
30"
|
31"
|
32"
|
33"
|
|
Age
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
7
|
7
|
8
|
8
|
9
|
|
Max lb
|
7.5
|
8.3
|
8.8
|
10.0
|
11.0
|
12.0
|
12.9
|
14.0
|
15.0
|
16.7
|
17.8
|
|
Avg lb
|
6.3
|
7.0
|
7.8
|
8.5
|
9.8
|
10.3
|
11.0
|
12.3
|
13.0
|
14.5
|
15.8
|
|
Min lb
|
5.0
|
6.0
|
6.3
|
7.0
|
8.0
|
8.8
|
9.7
|
10.3
|
11.0
|
12.0
|
13.0
|
|
Length
|
34"
|
35"
|
36"
|
37"
|
38"
|
39"
|
40"
|
41"
|
42"
|
43"
|
44"
|
|
Age
|
9
|
10
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
12
|
13
|
13
|
14
|
14
|
15
|
|
Max lb
|
19.0
|
20.5
|
22.0
|
23.5
|
25.5
|
27.2
|
29.5
|
31.0
|
33.5
|
36.3
|
39.0
|
|
Avg lb
|
16.5
|
18.0
|
19.5
|
20.7
|
22.0
|
24.5
|
26.0
|
27.3
|
29.7
|
32.0
|
34.0
|
|
Min lb
|
14.0
|
15.5
|
16.8
|
17.5
|
19.0
|
20.7
|
22.0
|
23.0
|
25.0
|
27.0
|
29.0
|
|
Length
|
45"
|
46"
|
47"
|
48"
|
49"
|
50"
|
51"
|
52"
|
53"
|
54"
|
55"
|
|
Age
|
15
|
16
|
16
|
17
|
17
|
18
|
18
|
19
|
19
|
20
|
20
|
|
Max lb
|
41.0
|
44.0
|
47.5
|
51.0
|
54.0
|
58.0
|
62.0
|
65.0
|
68.0
|
73.0
|
80.0
|
|
Avg lb
|
36.0
|
38.7
|
42.0
|
44.0
|
47.0
|
50.0
|
55.0
|
58.0
|
60.0
|
64.0
|
70.0
|
|
Min lb
|
30.5
|
32.5
|
35.0
|
37.0
|
39.0
|
42.0
|
45.0
|
47.0
|
49.0
|
52.0
|
56.0
|
