Hybrid Striped Bass Stocked at Ohio’s Kiser Lake
OutdoorHub 06.18.12
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife stocked over 20,000 hybrid striped bass in Kiser Lake on June 6th. Officials are hopeful that annual stockings will provide “fish of a lifetime” catches in coming years.
“Hybrid striped bass are a great species to stock in many of our productive Ohio reservoirs” stated Ethan Simmons, a fisheries biologist from the District One office in Columbus. “They have very high growth rates and Kiser Lake has the potential to grow a state record in the near future.”
Hybrid stocking was reinstated last year after an experimental striped bass stocking proved unproductive. Hybrid striped bass, also known as sunshine bass or wipers, are a mix between a white bass and striped bass. The Division of Wildlife stocks these in reservoirs and the Ohio River to provide more fishing opportunities and to better utilize abundant prey.
The hybrid striped bass are stocked as “fingerlings”, about an inch long. Last years stocked fish are now around 5 to 7” long, reports Simmons. There are currently no regulations on hybrid striped bass, but the Division of Wildlife encourages anglers to catch and release these young fish to improve the quality of fishing in the future.
Other Ohio Lakes receiving annual stockings of hybrid striped bass include East Fork, Charles Mill, Buckeye, Dillon, and O’Shaughnessy Reservoir.
