Best February Fish Ever!

[Shady]

Didn't fish in the kayak today but caught my February fish and it was my personal best Striper by weight which was also my first ever Hybrid. I was in the Susquehanna Reservoir (above conawingo dam).

29" and 13lbs

Qualifies for Pennsylvania Landlocked Striper Citation!

[daddyg]

That fish was only 5.5 in on my screen...

[tufnik]

Nice, but what's a hybrid?

Also, I thought striper season is closed now. (maybe not in MD?)

[Shady]

A hybrid is a Sterile Striped bass/White Bass Cross. Notice that the lines are broken, the body is much wider and the mouth is much smaller than a normal Striped Bass.

Actually, I was fishing just passed the MD state line in PA, but on the Conowingo Reservoir (non-tidal freswater) there is no closure to the Striper season.

[Redfish12]

That is a pig! I didn't know they had hybrids around here, cool!

Tuff, hybrid = striped bass mixed with white bass. They are sterile and do not grow as large. They can also tolerate temperature changes better than landlocked rock (I think I read that was one of the reasons they were popular in southern states) and they have a few other advantages I believe.

[jet]

wow! great job. when you filet/gut it, check whats in the stomach, so curious...

[Shady]

Hybrids were stocked in the conawingo reservoir many years ago. Some were even stocked below the conawingo dam, but from what I hear most of those below the dam have been pretty much caught up.
There was nothing in the stomach actually. We were fishing for flathead catfish and had salties, creek chubs and minnows for bait. The hybrid took a 2" minnow, the smallest bait we were using. She put up a pretty awesome fight with pretty good drag singing runs!

[J.A. Veil]

Nice catch Ryan. That is really a fat fish.

[ictalurus]

Congrats on the paper! That's a real football of a fish.

[ComeOnFish]

Now I need the MD freshwater license.

Joe

[nay_sayer]

Now I need the MD freshwater license.

Joe

Yeah, me too. I didn't get it this year because I never use it, looks like that will be changing.

Nice fish Ryan! Im jealous.

[CB kayak 02]

Nice Ryan!

[surfdog]

congrats! nice fish. there are plenty of hybrids in MD reservoirs mostly caught trolling points in deep water

[Shady]

I've only heard of them caught in the susquehanna around here. I thought the Stripers in most of the other reservoirs were just regular ones.

[chex]

very nice! i've heard them refered to as "whipers" on the fishing channel.