Striped Bass: Ultimate Species Guide
The largemouth bass might be the poster child for the bass fishing world, but it’s not the only bass that gives anglers a run for their money with an impressive fight and hefty size.
Along the eastern coast of the US, and in many large lakes and reservoirs, striped bass are just as popular, and in a lot of ways, they can be more challenging.
However, they don’t get nearly as much attention as largemouth bass on a nationwide scale, and there are plenty of anglers who aren’t familiar with them.
Today, we’re going to change that with an in-depth species guide that might just get you out to try your luck hooking one.
Striped Bass: Identifying Characteristics
Unlike some other bass species, you’re not going to be confusing the striped bass with other species. It’s extremely distinct looking beyond the other details that we’ll talk about later.
Striped bass are easily identified by their long, slender, white body with black horizontal strips above the lateral line. They get much larger than largemouth bass, and they can weigh up to 77 pounds in optimal water bodies.
However, the average size is between 5 and 20 pounds with adults reaching the latter end of that range easily. In comparison, a lot of anglers go their whole lives without catching anything near a 20-pound largemouth.
The head of a striped bass is similar to that of other bass species. It features a large underbite, is fairly slender, and its mouth opens dramatically when it’s striking a bait. The primary difference is the coloring, and unlike a largemouth bass, the jaw joint is placed before the eye instead of behind it.
The only bass species that might be confused with this one is the hybrid bass, which we'll discuss in more detail later. However, it is noticeably slimmer than a hybrid bass and features less pronounced fins.
Where is Striped Bass Located?
Striped bass are naturally found along the Atlantic coastline of the US. This is because, while striped bass are naturally born in freshwater bodies in the region, they spend the vast majority of their lifespans in the Atlantic Ocean.
The primary regions anglers target striped bass include the Carolinas, Virginia, and the Massachusetts area.
However, they’re not just saltwater fish. They can survive just fine in freshwater lakes and brackish tributaries, and this has led to them being manually transplanted into a variety of freshwater lakes for sports fishermen to pursue.
It is true that, when found in their saltwater habitats, they are much more likely to reach their maximum size of 77 pounds, and inland striped bass tend to be much smaller. Typically, they only get to the same size as bigger largemouth bass.
This is reflected in their national records with inland striped bass records being recorded separately from open water records to account for the dramatic size difference.
Because of that, if you’re looking to catch the biggest striped bass you can find, it’s typically a better idea to choose a saltwater fishery in one of the key regions they live in.
An Interesting Fact About Striped Bass
Before we start diving into strategy-related parts of this guide, there is a neat fact about striped bass that needs to be covered. Have you ever heard about hybrid bass?
Well, those are a cross between striped bass and white bass. Because striped bass spend some of their natural lives in freshwater lakes and tributaries, they can mate with the much smaller white bass and create a genetic hybrid.
This also happens extremely frequently in stocked lakes that feature both species and in many cases, it’s an intentional goal to generate as many hybrid bass as possible.
Hybrid bass takes traits from both species. They have the more aggressive fin structure of white bass and a much stockier build, but instead of maxing out at around 5 pounds, they can reach up to 25 pounds with ease. They fight extremely hard, and they’re a highly sought-after species for anglers along the eastern half of the country.
Strategies for Catching Striped Bass
Now that you know the basics for identifying striped bass, locating them, and a few other tidbits, it’s time to start diving into strategies for catching them. Regardless of whether you’re fishing inland or out on the coastline, these strategies will work.
The main difference is that you need to be prepared for much larger fish if you opt for saltwater fishing. Even if a 77-pound striped bass is rare, the average saltwater bass is still much larger than the largemouth you’re used to. So, size up your gear and make sure you’re ready.
1: Striped Bass prefer water temps between 55 – 68 degrees Fahrenheit
From late spring through summer, they often roam deeper water looking for schools of shad. During the day, they can be difficult to locate without electronics. If you see any birds diving into the water, they are most likely feeding on shad being driven to the surface by actively feeding bass. Make a beeline for where they are feeding and start fishing shad imitating lures to cover the water column fast. Start with a topwater because it’s the most exciting way to catch them. Next, throw a diving suspending jerk bait with a twitch-twitch-pause cadence. Lastly, throw a heavy flutter spoon and let it fall through the school of shad like an injured dying shad.
2. They Love Structure
Just like pretty much every other bass species, striped bass love structure. You’ll often find them stalking prey around piers, boat ramps, downed trees, and similar bits of structure in lakes. In saltwater areas, depth changes, rocky ambush spots, and manmade structures tend to be havens for them.
Like any other structure-based fishing strategy you use, you’ll primarily be casting past the structure at various angles and presenting your lure according to the lure type you’re using. The point is to drag the fish out of cover, trigger a bite, and reel it in without it being able to drag the lure back into cover where it can wrap the line or otherwise get away.
We’ll talk more about this as we’re covering lures, but structures are going to be the core of your strategy in most cases.
3: Dawn and Dusk Fishing
Timing isn’t as big of a deal with largemouth and smallmouth bass despite there being optimal periods. With striped bass, their preference for the earlier and later periods of the day is more pronounced.
It’s typically best to head out early in the morning or as the sun is starting to set. This can also be a great factor to consider if you want to target multiple fish species throughout a complete fishing day.
You can start early in the day with striped bass, transition to largemouth and other species throughout the day, and switch back to striped bass strategies toward the evening assuming you’re fishing for inland striped bass.
4: Fish Fast in Clear Water
If you’re fishing in a clear fishery, one of the best tricks you’ll use is to rip your lure across the water.
As an angler, when the bite is slow, it’s your first instinct to slow down your retrieval, bounce a bit more, and try to give the fish a bit more time to eye the bait. That’s the wrong approach with these big predators.
If you’re not picking up striped bass relatively quickly with a standard approach, start increasing your speed and using high-action baits designed to spark reaction bites. Striped bass is known for seeing a fast-moving fish, blitzing it, and attacking it with an extreme amount of aggression.
5: Use Jerks and Swimbaits
Two of the most effective lures to use are jerks and swimbaits. Swimbaits can be ripped through the water and pull in those fast-moving stripers while they’re hunting, and jerks can easily spark reaction bites with their constant stopping and sudden surging through the water.
Some of your more traditional baits like jigs aren’t as commonly used for stripers, but they can work if you use the right color scheme and retrieval technique. Especially if you opt to use a swim jig and work it similarly to how you would a swimbait.
6: Match the Hatch
Striped bass are going to have two separate lists of preferred foods that you need to mimic due to their two dramatically different living areas.
In freshwater, they target many of the same baitfish as largemouth bass. Shad tends to be popular, and using silver swimbaits and jerks that mimic shad can produce some great results.
In saltwater, mackerel, eels, and similar species are on the menu. Using a small shad swimbait like you would in a lake simply isn’t going to cut it. You need larger lures that are going to mimic the species stripers are actually targeting in saltwater environments, and you need to adjust your presentation to match their movements, as well.
Gearing Up for Striped Bass Fishing
The gear you use for striped bass can be diverse. We’ve already talked about lures, but you’ll likely want to switch up your rod and reel, pick up some different line options, and maybe even consider splurging on a boat and fish finder if you haven’t already.
1: Rod and Reel
In freshwater, you don’t need to change too much. The stripers stick around the same general size range as largemouth bass, but they tend to be toward the larger end of the spectrum. Upsizing your rod and reel to deal with 20-pound fish is a good idea, but it’s not absolutely essential.
In saltwater, you can easily find yourself catching fish ranging from 20 to 50 pounds, and larger fish happen relatively regularly. A rod and reel capable of fighting a very aggressive fish throwing that much weight around is essential. Not to mention, you’ll also be throwing larger lures, and your rod’s going to need the stiffness required to cast and present those properly.
2: Line
High-strength braided line is going to be essential in both situations, but the strength rating needs to reflect whether you’re targeting inland fish or saltwater fish.
3: Get a Boat
Whether you’re going to be fishing in a lake or a saltwater environment, a boat is going to help a lot with a striper.
In saltwater, having a boat will let you break away from the pier or beach and move between inlets, tributaries, and depth drop-offs with ease. It’s a much larger area to explore. So, having a boat is almost essential to do it and perform consistently.
In freshwater, it’s a lot like normal bass fishing. A boat will help you navigate the lake faster, and you’ll be able to access spots that most bank fishermen never see. Stripers tend to move around a fair amount. So, covering a large area quickly is crucial to maximize efficiency.
If money is an issue, there are plenty of striped bass anglers who reel them in from kayaks and other cost-effective boat options, but you do lose a bit of functionality and have to sacrifice some of the key features of a more substantial boat.
4: A Good Fish Finder
Thanks to the abnormal size of striper in freshwater, and their fairly unique profile in saltwater environments compared to fish in their areas of similar sizes, a good fish finder will go a long way toward increasing your efficiency.
It can help you pinpoint where the striper is, differentiate between different species, and more to help you catch more fish in less time.
Why Target Striped Bass?
So, let’s say you’re from the Midwest, and you’ve never even seen a striped bass. What’s the point of traveling to the East Coast when there are tons of big largemouth and smallmouth bass in your area?
Well, beyond the substantial maximum size difference and the joy of reeling in a bigger fish, there are some unique benefits to targeting striped bass at least once in your life.
First, the way you can find them in both saltwater and freshwater creates an entirely new experience for anglers who have only fished ponds and lakes. Suddenly, you’re bass fishing in tributaries and coastlines that have entirely different ecosystems. You’re going to see new fish, learn new strategies, and learn to work with a different underwater layout than your average lake.
Then, there’s the long fight to consider. Your average largemouth is about 5 to 10 pounds, and you can typically land those in less than a minute.
If a big striper bites, you’re in it for the long haul. They fight extremely aggressively, and they can keep the fight going for minutes at a time.
It’s worth experiencing whether they’re practically in your backyard or if you have to travel a bit.
Catch Striped Bass with BassForecast
We hope that this guide has motivated you to become a part of the adventure that fishing a striped bass is. Put these insights into practice on your next fishing trip and we promise that you’ll enjoy the thrill of catching one of the most sought-after game fish.
And if you need more insights like this, BassForecast is here to help. Download our bass fishing app for tips, tricks, weather information, a spot-on solunar, and more.