Hybrid Striped Bass

[Hilltop]

Saw this washed up on the bank of kaercher creek. Is it a hybrid? Didn't know they were stocked in there, never saw anyone catch one. The scales look like it might be 6 or 7, but not really sure.

 

[Mike]

How long was that fish? It could help with I.D. given the state of deterioration. There are two choices, white perch and striped bass hybrid. I would not expect a larger white perch to keep its horizontal lines, let alone have them show up on a dead, dried up, washed out specimen. But to be honest I never really paid much attention to that character on dead perch. The hundreds of dead ones that I handled were usually washed out in color due to warm water temps but were fairly fresh. Striper hybrids were last stocked in Kaercher probably over 20 yrs ago, so a striper hybrid would be unlikely.

 

[Silent Ocelot]

Unrelated but I love sniping the bluegill over the algae clusters there. Pulling them through the algae is always a chore. Kaercher's also offers an excellent 10-12 inch largemouth bass population. It's a great place to fish after putting in some work on the Skook or when the Skook is blown. Of course I can always finish up the evening with a trip to Red Robin and Cigar International.

 

[Hilltop]

How long was that fish? It could help with I.D. given the state of deterioration. There are two choices, white perch and striped bass hybrid. I would not expect a larger white perch to keep its horizontal lines, let alone have them show up on a dead, dried up, washed out specimen. But to be honest I never really paid much attention to that character on dead perch. The hundreds of dead ones that I handled were usually washed out in color due to warm water temps but were fairly fresh. Striper hybrids were last stocked in Kaercher probably over 20 yrs ago, so a striper hybrid would be unlikely.

I would say at least 20 plus inches, it looks smaller in the picture for some reason. I didn't think white perch got that big. The fish is still there, I'll get a length and post it later tonight.

 

[Mike]

I would say at least 20 plus inches, it looks smaller in the picture for some reason. I didn't think white perch got that big. The fish is still there, I'll get a length and post it later tonight.

OK, that’s why I asked. If it’s that long, it’s not a white perch. That would most likely mean that someone caught one or more striper hybrids elsewhere and transported it (them) to Kaercher. Blue Marsh would be the most likely source water unless someone purchased fingerlings, stocked them in a pond within the drainage basin, and some escaped at a small size to then grow in Kaercher. The least likely scenario would be that someone purchased fingerlings and stocked them in Kaercher.

 

[sandflyx]

White bass

 

[Striperbobby]

I 2nd the white bass

 

[Mike]

If it’s a white bass somebody drove it all of the way across the state to ditch it in Hamburg, Berks Co😂