Other Common Names:

Striper, Rockfish, Linesides

State Record:

70 pounds 0 ounces

Identifying Features:

Striped bass have a dark, olive-green to bluish-black back and silvery-white sides and belly. There are 7 to 8 black, unbroken, horizontal stripes along the side.

Typical Adult:

Length: Up to 35 inches (sometimes up to 48 inches)
Weight: Up to 37 pounds (sometimes up to 100 pounds)
Life span: Up to 9 years

Habitat:

Striped bass are an anadromous species of fish. Anadromous fish inhabits both fresh water and salt water, depending on the time of year. Striped bass live in the Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters and the Gulf of Mexico but enter freshwater streams to spawn. The preferred water temperature is 65-75°F.

Feeding Behavior:

Striped bass feed on threadfin, gizzard shad, crustaceans, insects, and bottom organisms. The heaviest feeding times are at dawn and dusk.

Reproductive Behavior (Spawning):

When: Spring
Preferred Water Temperature: 55-60 °F
How: Adults swim up tributary streams and spawn below dams or natural obstructions such as rock formations. The female deposits eggs in light to moderate current. The moving water keeps the eggs afloat until they hatch. Adults do not guard the eggs.

Did You Know:

Up to 50 striped bass may spawn together.

Striped bass move in packs or schools to feed, with all members tending to feed at the same time.