Hybrid Striped Bass (HSB) in ponds

Fishing Warm water Forum
1

I’m trying to gather information on the growth of HSB in Texas ponds…or really any ponds. I’ve had them in my East Texas ponds for 4 years now and have seen summer angling mortality and possibly large HSB non-angling mortality this summer. I’ve been able to raise them to about 4 pounds thus far and note the Texas private water record for HSB is just over 5 pounds.

Anyone with experience with HSB in ponds, I’d appreciate hearing from you. Have you experienced summer HSB angling mortality? How large have you been able to grow these fish in your pond? Thanks for any info. Typical HSB in my ponds below:

2

I guess it depends on what you call a pond. Here in Georgia they seem to call any body of water that you can put a boat in a lake. I’ve seen them in “lakes” as small as 100 acres, however that lake has an excellent population of golden shiners for them to forage on. I think of hybrids as more of a deep water fish that needs large shad populations to be sustained. I live on a 50 acre lake that I would really hate to see hybrid introduced to since it would ruin the native bass and bream populations and then starve out. They do better in large impoundments and there is a reason for that. Just my thoughts…

Jim Smith

3

By pond, I’m referring to water size of 10 acres or less. The pond that I have HSB stocked in is about 4 acres in size. I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone with experience with these fish in their ponds. Thanks.

4

There’s a little 5-acre city lake next to my apartment that is routinely stocked with hybrids. They do well but don’t seem to get very large, at least nobody seems to catch any really big ones. The pond has an enourmous population of gizzard shad and stunted crappie (the last one being the reason the hybrids are stocked) which would make you think there should be some big ones. I’ve never seen one more than a couple pounds. Wish I could tell you why.

5

I am not an expert but have heard that temperature is a critical ingredient. Cold water is required for these fish. Summer time temperatures can cuase them to shut down and possibly die. Depending on your high and low temperature cycle you migh not have enough cold to break the 5# mark.

:stuck_out_tongue:

6

Hi Meadowlark2,

They have put stripers in quite a number of small lakes/large ponds in Kansas. A friend has told me of the results. Panfish numbers in those that my friend is aware of have fallen drastically. In some they have also put in shad for the stripers to feed on.

One of these, that I know about, had a nice sand beach/swimming area, excellent bluegill fishing, clear water, and a nice population of bass. Now it has a few large stripes, shad, muddy water, and little else. No one swims in it any more.

The Kansas game comission is too worried about money from hunters and fishermen from out of state, large fish, and tournaments, etc. This small city lake was a wonderful fishery for family fishing, bluegills, etc. No more.

My friend and I have discussed this more than once. We who fish for bluegills and crappie with flyrods are in a tiny minority. The folks who sell bass boats, the Kansas motel and restaurant loby, the tournament anglers, and lots of others are far more vocal and listened too than a few flyrodders.

Thus, family fishing (ie: the father who does not know a lot about fishing but wants to take his kids to the local small lake with inexpensive rods, bobbers, and worms or minnows), and flyrodding for panfish loose out. Of course central Kansas has a cooler climate than Texas. The stripers do not seem to die off in the summer.r

Based on what little I know, I would never put strippers in a pond.

Regards, former Kansas resident,

Gandolf

7

Thanks for the replies and more welcome; the more the merrier. Temperature definitely seems to be a major factor in HSB survival and growth. There are some folks in Texas who are pushing them to pond owners claiming they will be the repalcement for LMB, can easily grow to 8 to 10 pounds in Texas ponds, and can be maintained easily at 1000 pounds of fish per acre.

I’m just trying to gather data to find out what the real story is and appreciate each response.

One somewhat redeeming characteristic is that they will not reproduce in ponds. Hence, their numbers can easily be controlled. Thanks.