Reel screeching runs from a big brawny fish break tackle. Hybrid Stripers of the Ohio River are a hard challenge. Anglers in southern Illinois find these transplants pay big dividends in fishing action. The striper is a saltwater relative of the white bass. It resembles the white but is more elongated and less compressed with a nearly straight back. The color of the striper is a dark greenish to bluish on top with sometimes a brassy tinge that becomes lighter on the sides. The underside is silvery. Most prominent are the seven to eight narrow stripes along the sides going lengthwise from which they gain their name. Generally they reach a weight of about 5 pounds by their third year. Fish in the 20 plus range are often caught.
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In the 1960’s striper fry were introduced into Lake Barkley and began to flourish. It was part of a number of such stockings across Kentucky and parts of Tennessee. Some larger fish were stocked into Kentucky Lake. Over time they moved out of the lake and down river into the Ohio River. Additional stocking by the Kentucky fisheries people added to the population.
Feeding on gizzard shad they provide a service to the other populations of game fish in the area. They feed on the larger shad which the bass and catfish ignore.
Stable water levels are important to striper fishing success. Both Kentucky and Barkley Lakes vary in water level beginning in April through September. The Tennessee Valley Authority controls the levels. Although water levels can vary from day to day generally they are stable from October through March. Read on….
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