Hybrid Striped Bass

Hybrid striped bass are a cross between two species, the white bass and the striped bass. They are large fish-eating predators that specialize in hunting open water fish like shad. Unlike largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass eat floating fish food and do very well on it commonly reaching 3-7 pounds within 3 years. They are excellent to eat and provide great sportfishing during the cooler months. They do not reproduce and will have to be restocked as they are harvested.

In a typical bass/bream pond, hybrid striped bass would compete with largemouth bass for food, especially if they were not fed a fish feed. The best place to stock hybrid striped bass is in ponds that are overcrowded with small bream, gizzard shad or other ‘trash’ fish. Hybrids have been shown to help reduce sunfish populations and gizzard shad (while not a great food source for largemouth bass) are a favorite food of hybrid stripers.

Hybrid striped bass do very well in larger reservoirs and are best suited for ponds of at least 5 acres. They are an excellent choice for large irrigation reservoirs where they will help to control gizzard shad and other undesirable fish. The hybrid striped bass may also be a suitable addition to catfish-only or hybrid sunfish ponds, especially where the fish are fed floating feeds.

Stock up to 25 hybrid stripers per surface acre. Be sure to stock larger fish (at least 6” long) so that they are not eaten by fish already in the lake. Smaller 2-3” fish are fine for new ponds or ponds free of large fish predators. Similar rates may be appropriate if you would like to experiment with this species in smaller ponds with feeding programs.

Hybrid striped bass have not been widely used in private ponds, but fingerlings are commercially available and these fish are excellent sport and table fish. They should not be overlooked, especially in reservoirs full of gizzard shad or in ponds where the fish are fed. If after a few years you decide that these fish are not right for your pond, just catch them out and don’t replace them. Since they do not reproduce in ponds, stocking hybrid stripers is not a lifelong commitment.