How to recognise it
- Faint stripes, often broken; only one reaches the tail.
- A deep body with an arched back: the body is deeper than 1/3 of its length.
- One tooth patch near the middle of the back of the tongue. Striped bass and hybrid striped bass have two.
Habitat: where it lives
- Native in Texas only to the Red River drainage.
- Spawns in running water over gravel or rock.
Habits: behavior, spawning and growth
- Travels in schools and feeds near the surface.
- Males run upstream to the spawning areas as much as a month before the females.
- Builds no nest: several males gather around a female near the surface or in midwater. The eggs sink, stick to rocks and hatch in 2–3 days.
- Grows fast, 8–9 in in its first year, and rarely lives past four.
Where and when
- Spring run: they leave the reservoir and swim up rivers and creeks to spawn over gravel or rock in moving water.
- The run starts around 50°F water and peaks at 55–60°F. Texas runs include the Sabine above Toledo Bend, the Neches above Lake Palestine and the San Gabriel above Granger Lake.
- The rest of the year: open water and main-lake humps. Diving gulls mark schools feeding on shad, especially early, late, or on cloudy days.
- Most active at dawn and dusk. At night, try lighted docks.
Bait and lures
Live and natural bait
- 2–4 in minnows or shad
- Worms
- Crickets
Lures
- 2–3 in curly-tail grubs on a jighead
- Inline spinners
- Slabs and jigging spoons
- Small crankbaits
- Topwater lures when schools are breaking the surface
Why these baits work
- Gizzard and threadfin shad are its preferred prey, so the best lures are shad-shaped and shiny: slabs, spoons, inline spinners and white grubs.
- Schools feed at the surface, so once a school is found, spoons or spinners worked near the top catch fish one after another.
- Bottom fishing with live bait at night also works.
Rod and reel setups
Grouped by lure fishing (artificial baits) and bait fishing (live or natural bait).
Tips
- Keep a steady retrieve close to the bottom.
On the table: cleaning and cooking
- Superb table fare (TPWD).
Step-by-step cleaning, keeping fish fresh and eating safely are in the handbook.
Size and bag limits vary by state, species and lake. Current limits: Texas (TPWD); elsewhere, your state's fish and wildlife agency. Check before you keep a fish.
