Morone saxatilis - Striped Bass

Stripped Bass (Morone saxatilis) are an excellent sport-fish, reaching large sizes and are known for their fighting ability and is a member of the sea bass family. They are also known as striper, rock, rockfish, striped sea bass, striper bass, linesider, squid hound and green head.

Since the 1600s, Striped bass fishing was very popular and it was considered the most popular fish in North America and to many it still is the most important fish. At first, it was known for its commercial significance and culinary quality, but nowadays, it is now known for its recreation popularity with anglers. The commercial fishing industry has morphed into a recreational bass fishing industry, which has a large contribution to the economy when combined with other freshwater bass.

In Texas alone, Striped Bass fishing in the Lake Texoma area alone brings in US$20 million a year to the Texas economy. This figure includes lodges, guides, tackle and related tourism.

Above: Lake Texoma is one of the largest reservoirs in the United States with almost 90,000 acres of surface area.

Their abundance has varied over the years. In California, it has been classified as strictly recreational and banned from commercial use.

Following the cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay and the Hudson River, they have rebounded from near endangered status.

Above: Chesapeake Bay

This is a large fish with a large mouth, yet it is streamlined well. It has a long body and head with a somewhat laterally compressed body and a protruding lower jaw. Of the two noticeably separate dorsal fins, the first one has seven to 12 stiff spines, usually nine make up this fin. The second fin has one sharp spin with eight to 14 where there are normally 12.

Striped bass fishing is a lot of fun and an exciting experience, but it is also provides for excellent table fare. If you are interested in tasting stripped bass, look at our bass recipes section. They can be prepared in many ways with the smaller fish being fried and larger ones are baked.

Above: Striped Bass mouth.

The following are a list of some Striped Bass:

• Baked Striped Bass with Bacon
• Striped Bass, Cape Cod Style
• Sassy Southern Crumb-Coat
• Smoked Striped Bass
• Barbeque Cajun

Above: Striped bass make excellent table fare

Features

Its has a deep and keel-less caudal peduncle, stout body, the presence of two well-developed dorsal fins, which are spiny and soft rayed, and each one is about as long as the other. It does not have a dorsal or anal finlets and it's tail is modestly forked.

It's anal fin has three spines and is as long as the second dorsal fin. It's upper jaw bones are not sheathed by the pre-orbital bone, which separates it from all the weakfish tribe. Striped bass's trunk is four times as long as it is deep. It is thick through and its back is hardly arched. The striped bass has a moderately stout caudal peduncle and a long head. It has two spines on the margin of each gill cover and an oblique mouth gaping back to the eye with a moderately pointed nose and a projecting lower jaw. The eye has a golden colour, which provides good contrast to it silvery body. Most other freshwater bass, members of the sunfish family, usually have a red eye.

Above: Striped bass eye

The young striped bass are more slender than old the old stripers. The two dorsal fins are equal in length. The first fin has nine or ten stiff spines in a triangular outline. It originates over the middle of the pectorals. The second dorsal fin has 12 or 13 soft rays that are regularly graduated in height from front to rear and separated from the first by a distinct space.

Above: Juvenile Stripped Bass

In Texas, stripers in excess of 50 pounds (23 kilograms) have been landed. Although specimens exceeding 100 pounds (45 kilograms) have been caught in saltwater, to date a 67.5-pounder (30.6 kilograms) was the largest individual reported from inland waters.

The striped bass is dark olive green with a bluish tinge. It is pale on it's sides and has a silver belly. The sides are barred with seven or eight narrow, sooty, longitudinal stripes. The highest stripe is the most distinct. The dorsal, caudal and anal fins are somewhat dusky.

Striped Bass are a large fish. Fifty-pound stripers are common with the record striped bass weighing 125 pounds (57 kilograms) and was six feet long. It was caught off the North Carolina coast in 1891. However, the average expected size is between five to ten pounds.

Using the following guide, it is possible to estimate the weight of a Striped bass to within 10 pounds (4.5 pounds).

The largest bass are most often female as the female grow larger than males.