What are these warmwater fish?

[1wt]

I've been catching a few of these the last couple weeks in the Susquehanna....... let's just say "somewhere" in the lower Susky! I don't want to become a "spot burner"..... not that I've even seen another fly fisherman in the river this year or even last year!! LOL
Anywhere from 10" to 18". They have a big body, but a small mouth. Almost like a big white perch that mixed with a striped bass. They seem to attack a small Clouser when you make it hop pretty fast. A very aggressive fish and they put up a wonderful fight on a 5wt.
Hybrids, Wipers, Stripers?? White Perch, White Bass??
Thanks in advance if anyone knows what they are.

Tight Lines

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[Maurice]

wipers = white bass+ striped bass hybrid

 

[Fishidiot]

Maurice is correct. These fish are stocked in the impounded sections below Harrisburg.

 

[glenrockonthefly]

My understanding is that any striper looking fish with broken lines is a hybrid

. I could be wrong, but I know all the chesapeake stripers have straight non-broken lines, not sure about pure white bass

 

[Mike]

Maurice is correct....striper hybrid, "sunshine bass", wiper......just a few names used for these fish. Seems that there are larger numbers of these fish being reported from the river this year than in the recent past. The PFBC has not stocked these fish for years in the Susquehanna. All should be dead by now. Furthermore, if stocked in the river as a fingerling, that fish would be a three year old based on its length. If it spent much of its life elsewhere (not in a public water) then the age remains a question.

 

[Fishidiot]

Mike,
Interesting. I didn't know the stocking program had ceased. I wonder where they're coming from? I'd guess a private stocking from a club(?).
There used to be a pretty good purebred striped bass fishery further down river vicinity of Holtwood. Is this program still underway? Any evidence of natural repro of stripers above the Conowingo?

Glenrock,
Actually, the broken line thing doesn't work. To be sure, hybrids such as those pictured in this thread do tend to have more broken lines but purebred striped bass often have broken lines too.

 

[glenrockonthefly]

Thanks Dave for the clarity! Years ago (late 80 early 90) some hybrids were stocked below Conowingo and most of the fishermen went by the broken stripe idea but could have been catching stripers then.

 

[sandfly]

good thing is they can't breed with pure stripers..they do fight like mad though. remember in the early 70's catching stripers below the Conowingo dam. some were in the 20 lb. range...

 

[Mike]

Pure stripers have been stocked in Conowingo up until recently. There are still large fish being caught as a result. Pures will naturally cross breed with wipers at times and that is why Pa stopped stocking the river with the fish (requested by Md due to wiper movement from Pa onto the Susquehanna flats and below). If you are looking to catch stripers closer to home, try Lakes Redman and Williams in York Co just off Rt 83. Anglers are catching pures up to 40 inches long in Redman and it is clear that a number of fish have gone over Redman's spillway into Williams as well. Williams is drawn down right now, so there should be plenty of casting room and with a smaller pool a better chance of connecting.

 

[Maurice]

It could be an effect from flooding as there is a commercial Striper/Wiper fish farm at York Haven. I believe....at least here was. Perhaps they are on the loose.

 

[jayL]

I've always been a big fan of hybrid stripers. I even hauled my 14 year old hybrid mount across the country. There was some minor fin damage.

Enjoy them.

 

[1wt]

[color=0000FF]It could be an effect from flooding as there is a commercial Striper/Wiper fish farm at York Haven. I believe....at least here was. Perhaps they are on the loose.[/color]

I'm not sure about the flooding, Maurice? They seem to school like the white perch do.
I caught ten on ten casts the other day. Cold rain with the Susquehanna dropping at 5.7' and the Wipers were in 3' of water only ten feet from shore.
I think they school up and chase the baitfish. In big lakes you can see the gulls just above the water where the Wipers are.
Neat fish, next time I run into a school I'll take lots of pix and post here!

Sharp Hooks

 

[1wt]

[color=0000FF]I even hauled my 14 year old hybrid mount across the country. There was some minor fin damage.[/color]

JayL,
I know about fin damage!! Fifteen years ago, I lived in a two story log home with a big beautiful fireplace and a big stuffed brook trout that I caught mounted above the mantle ....... the heat from the fireplace damaged the fins.
It broke my heart!!! but I had to chuck it..... also my wife didn't like it as much as I did!
A 22" wild brook trout was a wall hanger to me!!

 

[Maurice]

1wt wrote:
[color=0000FF]It could be an effect from flooding as there is a commercial Striper/Wiper fish farm at York Haven. I believe....at least here was. Perhaps they are on the loose.[/color]

I'm not sure about the flooding, Maurice? They seem to school like the white perch do.
I caught ten on ten casts the other day. Cold rain with the Susquehanna dropping at 5.7' and the Wipers were in 3' of water only ten feet from shore.
I think they school up and chase the baitfish. In big lakes you can see the gulls just above the water where the Wipers are.
Neat fish, next time I run into a school I'll take lots of pix and post here!

Sharp Hooks

Hmmmm....school up like white perch......or perhaps like farmed fish in a raceway? Just have not broken up the class yet. I dunno, just guessing. From what I gather, Mike is saying they have not stocked them in a while and their size indicates they came from somewhere else. so.....just theorizing.

 

[JackM]

As I recall on the Monongahela River, back in my Roland Martin days, we would see these fish horde minnows to the surface in large schools and then break into a surface boiling frenzy during which a well aimed spinner or minnow imitation would likely garner a strike. A White bugger may well get the same attention.