04-12-2004, 07:39 PM
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Hybrid Stripers
morone family [ul] [li]Category: tac [li]Average Weight: 4.8 lb. - 12.8 lb. [li]Peak Weight: lb. [li]IGFA Record: 43.7 lb. [li]Common Names: Hybrids, Wipers [/li][/ul]
A hybrid striped bass is a cross between a male white bass and a female striper. It cannot reproduce. Like the striped bass, the hybrid striper has a silvery-white body with distinctive dark lateral lines. The lines along the belly of a hybrid are broken, whereas a true striper's lines are unbroken.
Hybrid bass withstand higher water temperatures and poorer water quality than striped bass, which makes them better suited to a number of impoundments and rivers. They also are aggressive, easy to catch and hard-fighting.
HABITAT
Because hybrid stripers and striped bass have similar lifestyles, you often catch them from the same places in waters that support both species. Hybrids tend to stay and feed shallower than stripers, a trait they get from the white bass side of the family.
Hybrids feel right at home roaming open mid-lake waters in search of bait. Underwater points, humps and sloping bottoms near deep creek or river channels are good bets for hybrids in the summer and winter. When the fish are not feeding over bottom structures, look for them suspended over creek and river channels, usually beneath schools of baitfish.
In rivers, hybrids are especially fond of tailwaters and often frequent the heads of islands, stream confluences and industrial and municipal water discharges.
Threadfin shad, gizzard shad and herring comprise the main forage for hybrids in most waters. Hybrids have small mouths in relation to their bodies and prefer smaller forage than stripers, typically 4- to 6-inch fish. They may move several miles from day to day. Early and late in the day, they frequently come up for surface-feeding frenzies.
LIVE BAITS
The most widely used bait for freshwater hybrids are threadfin shad, gizzard shad and herring 4- to 6- inches in length. Most hybrid anglers gather their own shad with casts nets. Beginners should start out with a 4- to 6-foot cast net, which is easier to master than larger nets. Capture shad in the shallow, dingy back ends of creeks. You’ll see them flipping on the surface. Shad and herring also move close to rocky banks and dam walls in tailwaters areas. Here you also may catch herring on tiny jigs.
Shad and herring are fragile and die easily. Store them in an insulated, aerated 25- to 50-gallon bait tank. A round tank that has smooth inner walls is ideal. Be sure the top also is insulated to keep the water cool. Gradually cool the water with ice to about 60 degrees so that it retains more oxygen. Baitfish subjected to a sudden drop in temperature of 20 degrees or more go into shock and die. When using tap water, add bait saver formulas that neutralize chlorine, maintain the bait's slime coat and fight bacteria. Putting a cup of rock salt into the water also helps.
IMITATOR BAITS
TOPWATER
Topwater plugs are very effective for hybrids during low light periods early and late in the day. Work a swimming minnow bait about 5 inches in length with a slow, steady retrieve that makes the lure wobble as it cuts a widening ""V"" ripple on the surface. A stickbait resembles a fat stogie with large treble hooks and has no built-in action. You bring it to life with a retrieve called ""walking the dog."" This cut-and-glide sashay takes practice to master, but it’s worth the effort. Opt for a 3/4-ounce stickbait 4 1/2-inches in length.
A propbait is essentially a stickbait that sports metal propellers for and aft and two or three treble hooks. The propellers make noise that attracts hybrids. Work the bait with a stop and go retrieve and vary the action from subtle twitches to hard jerks until you find what the hybrids prefer.
The cupped face of a popper catches the water when you jerk this lure ahead and spits, pops or kerplunks. The commotion helps hybrids home in when there is a chop of the surface. Experiment with everything from a slow stop-and-go action to a continuous chugging retrieve.
JIGS
A plain or painted ball head jig dressed with a 3- to 4-inch curly-tailed grub appeals to hybrids. Other deadly options include jigs dressed with swimming shad bodies, bucktail jigs and horse head jigs that feature a small spinner blade attached to the underside of the jig’s head. Go with to 1/4- to 1/2-ounce sizes in white, pearl, yellow or chartreuse.
Swim jigs up off the bottom through feeding hybrids or count them down when the bass are deeper. Jigs also produce strikes when trolled.
JIGGING SPOONS AND BLADE BAITS
Catch hybrids in deep water by fishing straight down with a jigging spoon or a vibrating blade bait. A compact, stainless steel 3/4-ounce Hopkins Shorty spoon gets down fast. Repeatedly snap it up through suspended bass and let it flutter back down.
A vibrating blade bait may be used in a similar fashion. This type of lure begins with a stamped, metal blade--typically brass or stainless steel--in the general shape of a baitfish. Some blades are flat, as with Heddon's Sonar, while others are concave as with Reef Runner’s Cicada. Soft, heavy metal--lead in most cases--is molded to the blade to form the head and belly of the lure. The offsetting blade and belly weight make the lure wobble sharply when it is pulled through the water.
SPINNERS
When hybrids are deep, or when you need to make a long cast to reach surface-feeding fish, go with a 1/2-ounce tail-spinner. This lure casts far and sinks fast. It may be ripped along just under the surface, retrieved at mid-depths or briskly hopped along bottom.
CRANKBAIT
Crankbaits appeal to hybrids because these lures dive and wiggle like a baitfish on the run. They are effective when cast or trolled. One of the key’s is find a lure that runs at the proper depth. The size of the bill in relation to the lure’s body determines how deep it dives. Generally, the bigger the bill, the deeper the crankbait digs. The deepest divers are large lures that weigh 1/2 ounce or more. All diving crankbaits run deeper when trolled.
Another effective hybrid crankbait is the lipless rattler. This sinking, shad-shaped lure has no diving bill, but vibrates dramatically when retrieved briskly. BBs inside emit a chattering sound that attracts and excites bass. Retrieve a lipless rattler up near the surface when hybrids are shallow or count it down first when fishing deeper.
TECHNIQUES
LIVE BAIT IN OPEN WATER
Fishing shad without any weight on the line, a method called free-lining, works well when hybrids in impoundments feed up near the surface. Carefully run a stout 3/0 or 4/0 bait hook down between the nostrils of a 4- to 6-inch shad and out the bottom of its lower jaw. Let out enough line so the bait can swim freely and place the rod in a holder. Leave the reel in freespool and engage the clicker alarm so you know when a hybrid moves off with the bait.
To reach deep hybrids, place a 1 1/2-ounce sinker about 6 feet above the hook. An elongated sinker with a bead chain or swivel on each end prevents line twist. Lower the sinker straight down to the proper depth and place the rod in a holder with only the clicker drag on. This is called a down line.
Rod holders spaced around the boat let you put out four to 10 lines. Troll along river channel drop-offs and over humps with an electric motor to improve the odds of getting the baits in front of hybrids. When fishing down lines, troll slowly enough to keep the lines vertical and close to the boat.
BALLOONS & LIVE BAIT
A balloon blown up to the size of a softball affords a number of effective live bait presentations for hybrids. Using a simple overhand knot, attach the balloon to the line 10 to 15 feet above a 3/0 to 4/0 bait hook. The knot should be tight enough to prevent line slippage as the bait swims, but lose enough to let line pass through when a hybrid takes the bait. Never cast the balloon. Simply drop it in the water and let it drift into place.
A balloon offers less surface resistance than a bobber, affording the bait more freedom to move about. Slow-trolling several balloon rigs 60 to 70 yards behind a boat is one effective application. When trolling several balloons, vary the line length to prevent tangles.
A balloon also acts as a sail when pushed by a breeze and drags the bait to hybrids. With this ploy, anchor upwind of an area that holds hybrids and then feed line as the balloon drifts into place. If you fish from the bank, a balloon can float to fish that lie beyond casting range. When fishing in a river, anchor upstream from hybrids and let the current wash the balloon and the bait where you want them.
CAST BAIT INTO TAILWATERS
An effective method for fishing live bait from the bank in tailwaters is to drift it with the current. Put together a drift rig by first threading the line through an egg sinker weighing 3/4-ounce or more and tying off to a 5/0 hook. Pinch a split shot onto the line 2 to 3 feet above the hook to prevent the sinker from sliding down to the bait. A No. 5 barrel swivel works even better and reduces line twist.
Use shad or herring about 4- to 6-inches in length for bait. The bait may be dead, but it has to be fresh. To prevent the current from stripping the hook, run the hook in the mouth of the bait and out through one of the gills. Then push the hook sideways through the body of the bait two thirds of the way down toward its tail. When done properly, the bait should hang straight.
Cast quartering upstream and let the bait wash down. Quickly retrieve the bait at the end of the sweep to prevent hangups. Bring plenty of extra hooks, sinkers and shot, because snags occur frequently.
LINE
When live bait fishing in clear-water impoundments, it may be necessary to drop down to 10-pound monofilament to tempt line-shy hybrids. In most other live bait and lure situations, 15-pound monofilament better holds up to these powerful fish.
BAITCASTING
Baitcasting tackle capably handles the baits, lures and lines frequently employed when hybrid fishing. A reel that features a clicker alarm helps when fishing live bait. Whatever the reel, the drag must work smoothly.
Baitcasting tackle is more difficult to cast than spinning, because you must teach your thumb to brake the revolving spool as it pays out line. Fail to do so and the spool overruns the line, creating a nasty tangle. It takes practice to properly educate your thumb, but the effort is well worth it.
Any hybrid rod should have a long handle that provides needed leverage when battling these powerful fish. A 7 1/2- to 8-foot medium action rod does a nice job of serving up live bait in lakes. A rod of the same length with a medium-heavy action is better suited to most hybrid lures.
SPINNING
Heavy freshwater and light saltwater spinning outfits are needed to handle the lines, lures and live bait rigs commonly used for freshwater hybrids. In tailwater areas, a 10- to 12-foot (or longer) surfcasting outfit can reach out and put you in touch with distant hybrids. Be sure the drag is set properly and working smoothly.
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