Florida's Top Striper Spots

Florida's Top Striper Spots
Striped bass, sunshine bass and white bass provide popular alternative fisheries for freshwater anglers in Florida. These fishes all belong to the family Moronidae, the temperate basses. They are also referred to collectively as Morones, or just simply “stripers”. Before we start listing the top “Striper” sites for 2006, you may be interested in a little background on these fishes as they exist in Florida today. The striped bass is one of the nation’s most popular coastal sport fishes. Further north along the Atlantic seaboard, these fish spawn in fresh water, but migrate offshore to mature. Because of Florida’s warm summer temperatures, however, stripers here behave differently. In Florida, stripers spawn in freshwater coastal rivers only to a very limited extent and then stay in fresh water to mature. They cannot survive our warm ocean temperatures during summer months. Even in fresh water, they are confined to areas near springs during summer where they frequently lose weight, even in 72° F water temperature. Florida’s striped bass are highly dependent on state hatcheries to maintain fishable populations. Adult stripers are collected each spring and taken to FWC hatcheries at Richloam (Sumter County) and Blackwater (Santa Rosa County) or the federal hatchery at Welaka (Putnam County) to be spawned artificially. The fish are injected with hormones to induce ovulation, and the eggs and sperm mixed together by hand. Eggs are then incubated in special containers called MacDonald jars until they hatch. Baby fish, called fry, are fed on tiny brine shrimp until large enough to stock into ponds, where they subsequently eat wild, microscopic zooplankton. Striper fingerlings are generally stocked into lakes and streams when they are 1 to 2 inches long, although some may be trained to eat artificial food pellets and are grown to 8 to10 inches before stocking. In our hatcheries, hybrid stripers are made by crossing striped bass with a close relative, the white bass. These fish were developed to survive warmer freshwater temperatures and take advantage of abundant shad forage situations. The “original” hybrid developed in South Carolina is referred to as a “Palmetto Bass” and has a striped bass female and male white bass parent. In Florida, we also produce the “Sunshine Bass”, which was first developed here. It is very similar, but is produced with white bass female and male striper parents. Our hatcheries annually produce about one-million 1 to 2-inch hybrids. Most hybrids are stocked into Fish Management Areas or other public lakes that have an abundant food supply of shad. In addition, we grow-out 15,000-20,000 hybrids to a size of about 8 to 9 inches before stocking them into intensively managed fisheries. The bigger ones are released into urban fishing ponds and Florida’s northerly panhandle impoundments managed by FWC. Most serious striped bass anglers use heavy bait-casting or open-faced spinning tackle. Line sizes range from 12 to 25-pound test and one of the most popular lures is a yellow or white jig, from 1/8 to 1½ ounces. Plastic twitchbaits and poppers are top choices for surface fishing, and spoons are also popular. For big stripers, live baits, especially shad or small eels are deadly. Sunshine bass anglers use similar but lighter gear, and artificial lures resembling small shad are especially productive. Other popular baits for these hybrid striped bass include live minnows, both live and dead shrimp and chicken liver, which is fished on the bottom. The striped bass record in Florida is a 42.25 pounder caught in the Apalachicola River in 1993. Qualifying sizes for stripers in the FWC’s Big Catch Program are 30 inches or 12 pounds. For sunshine bass, the record is a 16.31 pound fish caught in Lake Seminole, in 1985, and “Big Catch” qualifying sizes are 24 inches or 7 pounds. The following areas were selected by Florida's freshwater fisheries biologists as being the most likely to be highly productive for stripers, striper hybrids and white bass during 2006.
Apalachicola River / Lake Seminole (from Florida/Georgia state line at Chattahoochee, flows south to city of Apalachicola)
Species: Striped bass, sunshine bass, and white bass This is where the largest Morones in the state are found. The state record striped bass (42.25 pounds), sunshine bass (16.31 pounds), and white bass (4.69 pounds) were all caught in the Apalachicola River - Lake Seminole system. Striped bass fingerlings (200,000 to 500,000) are stocked into Lake Seminole annually. Sunshine bass stocking was suspended during 2004 and 2005, but fish are still stocked into reservoirs upstream on the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers. During high water events, such as in spring 2005, sunshine bass are discharged from upstream reservoirs into Lake Seminole. Lake Seminole, a 35,000-acre reservoir located on the Florida-Georgia border in Gadsden and Jackson Counties, is the headwater of the Apalachicola River. In Lake Seminole, striped bass and sunshine bass congregate along the old river channels and the lower lake near the dam during fall and winter, and migrate up the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers during the spring. Larger fish move to cool water springs, which are closed to fishing during the summer. Fish are discharged downstream from Lake Seminole through the Jim Woodruff Dam into the Apalachicola River during high water periods. Striped bass greater than 20 pounds and sunshine bass weighing from 7 to 10 pounds are common. Striped bass in the 40 to 60-pound range have also been caught or collected from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system. Striped bass and sunshine bass move throughout the Apalachicola river system during the fall and winter, and can be caught from the dam to the coast. Larger fish migrate up the river and congregate below the dam during the spring. Bucktail jigs and crankbaits that resemble shad are popular lures around bridge pilings and along deep channels and drop-offs. Live shrimp are very productive in the lower river. White bass have been on the decline in recent years, although an exceptional year class was produced in 2004. These fish exhibited fast growth, and should provide an excellent fishing in spring 2006. Live crayfish and freshwater shrimp produce consistently.
Lake Talquin / Ochlockonee River (west of Tallahassee)
Species: Striped bass and white bass. Striped bass are stocked annually into Lake Talquin and many are discharged downstream through the dam during high water. Striped bass in the 10 to 20-pound range are common, and fish up to 30 pounds are possible. Live shad, spoons and jigs are favorite baits of local anglers. White bass were introduced here during the 1980’s. While the white bass population has been impacted by drought conditions during recent years, a large year class was produced in the Ochlockonee River during spring 2004. Many of these fish attained 10 inches in length by the following fall. Historically, 3 to 5-pound white bass have been common, so this fishery may rebound. Striped bass can be found throughout the reservoir during the fall and winter - particularly along the old river and creek channels. They migrate up the Ochlockonee River during the spring and congregate in creeks with coolwater discharge during the summer. Fish discharged to the lower Ochlockonee River through the Jackson Bluff Dam move throughout the system during the fall and winter, and migrate upstream, congregating below the dam during the spring.
St. Johns River (flows north over 250 miles from Indian River County, but best fishing available from Deland north to Jacksonville)
Species: Striped bass and sunshine bass Sunshine bass stocking was suspended in 1999, but a few older fish may still be caught. Striped bass are stocked annually and fish in the 8 to 12-pound range are common. Stripers over 20 pounds are rare. Striped bass move throughout the system during the fall and winter. Important areas include the jetties and the bombing ranges in Lake George, the lower Oklawaha River, Buffalo Bluff, Shands Bridge (I-95) in Green Cove Springs, and Buckman (I-295) and other bridges in Jacksonville. Larger fish congregate in creeks with coolwater discharge and in large springs, such as the Croaker Hole, during the summer. Live shad and shiners, jigs and shad-imitating crankbaits are productive.
Blackwater / Yellow Rivers (northeast of Pensacola)
Species: Striped bass Striped bass fingerlings (246,000) were stocked into the Blackwater and Yellow rivers in 2005. The major fishery is in the upper Blackwater Bay, in Santa Rosa County, near the mouths of the rivers during the fall and winter. Similar to other Morone fisheries in the state, fishing success is sometimes best at night. Striped bass migrate upstream during the spring. Fish in the 10 to 20-pound range are common and stripers in the 20 to 30-pound range are now occurring more frequently. The lower stretches of this river provide some of the best fishing. Live mullet, menhaden and shrimp are favorite baits, along with shad-imitating lures.
Choctawhatchee River (northwest of Panama City)
Species: Striped bass and sunshine bass Either striped bass or sunshine bass are stocked annually, with 549,000 stripers stocked in 2005. The main fishery is in the lower portion of the river, between State Road 20 and Choctawhatchee Bay in Walton and Washington counties, and occurs during the fall and winter. Live finger mullet, shad and menhaden are locally favorite baits. During cold weather, anglers cast shad-imitating lures to surface feeding schools. When summer arrives, striped bass congregate in and around tributaries contributing coolwater discharge.
Escambia River (north of Pensacola)
Species: Striped bass and sunshine bass Escambia River and Bay, in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, were stocked annually with sunshine bass until 1999. Large fish in the 10 to 12-pound range are still being caught. Since 2002, striped bass (200,000 fingerlings in 2002 and 2004), and sunshine bass (281,000 in 2003 and 244,000 in 2005) have been stocked in alternate years. Striped bass and sunshine bass are found in the lower 10 miles of the river and upper bay during the fall and winter. Sunshine bass exhibit a small run up river during the spring. Striped bass also make a spring run up-river as the result of stocking efforts. Dawn and dusk are prime times for striper fishing, and anglers should try to catch a falling tide for best success. In the lower, tidal section of the river, points of land extending into the river are very productive. Live mullet and menhaden are popular baits, along with shad- or mullet-imitating lures. Live shrimp or twister-tail type jigs are also popular.
St. Mary’s / Nassau Rivers (north of Jacksonville)
Species: Striped bass Striped bass are the principle sport fish in the St. Mary’s and Nassau rivers, which are interconnected via the Amelia and South Amelia rivers (Intra-coastal Waterway). The St. Mary’s – Nassau system also connects to the St. Johns River through Sister Creek (Intra-coastal Waterway). Fish are stocked into both rivers, although migration from the St. Johns River or natural reproduction is the main source of fish. Striped bass tend to over-winter in the lower portions of the system, and move upstream above U. S. Hwy. 17 during the spring. On the St. Mary’s River, look for stripers between I-95 and the town of St. Mary’s near the mouths of the larger tributaries, along the deeper banks, and the I-95 bridge pilings. On the Nassau River, striped bass are most commonly found from the confluence with Thomas Creek to below U.S. Hwy. 17 in the vicinity around Pearson Island. In both rivers, striped bass congregate in or near tributaries with coolwater discharge during the summer. Check with the local fish camp where U.S. Hwy 17 crosses the Nassau River for updates on striper fishing in the river. Trolling along, or casting to steep banks with Bucktail jigs or shad-imitating lures is productive, and fishing with live shrimp is also popular.
Eagle Lake (northwest of Lake City)
Species: Sunshine bass Eagle Lake Fish Management Area is a 200-acre reclaimed phosphate pit located in Hamilton County. It is heavily stocked with 50 to 100 sunshine bass per acre annually and 55 per acre were stocked in 2005. Spring sampling in 2005 revealed that most sunshines averaged about 15 inches in length. Sunshine bass grow rapidly because of abundant shad, and reach 6 to 7 pounds in two years. The main fishery occurs during the fall and winter months. Important habitats in Eagle Lake include deep cuts and narrow cuts between the fingers, where sand bars drop off quickly into deep water. Rapidly retrieved crankbaits fished deep, as well as suspending shad-imitators, are productive lures.
Edward Medard Lake (east of Brandon)
Species: Sunshine bass Edward Medard Lake is a 700-acre reclaimed phosphate pit lake located in Hillsborough County. It is heavily stocked with 100 sunshine bass per acre annually. The majority of fish range from 1 to 2 pounds, although some fast-growing, two-year old fish up to 6 pounds can be found. The main fishery occurs during fall and winter months. Drifting open-water with live minnows is productive, as is fishing on the bottom with dead shrimp and chicken liver. Trolling with deep-diving crankbaits is often an effective way to locate sunshine bass schools that often congregate along drop-offs. Fishing reports in late 2005 were very promising, with sunshine bass catches often surpassing catches of black crappie. An extensive boardwalk fishing pier provides very productive shoreline access to this locally popular fishery.
Lake Osborne (West Palm Beach)
Species: Sunshine bass Lake Osborne (356 acres) and Lake Ida (159 acres) are the largest bodies of water in the 'Osborne Chain of Lakes', a series of inter-connected lakes located in eastern Palm Beach County. Sunshine bass were first introduced into Lake Osborne in 1974, and are currently stocked at a rate of 28 fish per acre annually in both lakes. Three smaller lakes in this chain, Clarke (35 acres), Pine (15 acres) and Catherine (10acres), are stocked at a rate of 40 fish per acre annually. The majority of sunshines caught are around 1-pound in weight, but a few fish up to 3 pounds are present. An abundant shad forage base promotes rapid growth and provides a good source of live bait. The main fishery occurs during winter and spring months. Most sunshine bass are caught with live minnows and chicken liver fished on the bottom near the 6th Avenue Bridge and in the deeper holes found throughout the lake. Many are caught by bank anglers, particularly near canal salinity structures when waters are flowing rapidly. The stocking of this hybrid in highly urbanized south Florida has provided a popular and unique fishery for what is likely the extreme southern limits of its range.