Indiana Striped Bass Fishing

Striped Bass Fishing in  Indiana

A western Indiana man who shattered a state fishing record by landing a 39-pound striped bass says he caught the whopper in a spot where he and his fishing buddies previously had little luck.

Thirty-nine-year-old Jonathan VanHook hauled in the big fish May 25 at Cecil M. Harden Lake in Parke County. It measured 42.25 inches long with a 30-inch girth.

VanHook's 39-pound catch broke the previous record of a 35.4-pound striped bass that an angler caught in 1993 in the Ohio River.

Indiana Hybrid Striped Bass:
Indiana’s hybrid striped bass stocking program began in 1983. Hybrid Striped Bass have been stocked into nine impoundments throughout the state. Successful populations were established at six of those lakes totaling 19,548 acres. These include Lake Freeman, Lake Shafer, and Mississenewa Reservoir in northern Indiana, Eagle Creek Reservoir and Cagle’s Mill Reservoir in central Indiana, and Monroe Reservoir in Southern Indiana. In addition, hybrid striped bass populations have been established in the Tippecanoe River with fish emigrating from Freeman and Shafer lakes. Hybrid have also been reported in the White, Wabash and Ohio rivers and several of their tributaries.

The hybrid striped bass, or “wiper,” is a cross between a striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and a white bass . Hybridization of these two species does not occur naturally. Hybrid striped bass must be cultured in a fish hatchery situation. Like its parents, the hybrid frequents the open water portions of a lake, feeding almost exclusively on gizzard shad or other pelagic fishes. Hybrids are more tolerant of warmer water and lower dissolved oxygen than striped bass. For these reasons, Hybrid Striped Bass can be stocked into a wider variety of waters than striped bass. Indiana's hybrid striped bass stocking program began in an effort to help utilized overabundant shad populations and to create additional fishing opportunities in many of the state's reservoirs. Fish hatcheries in Texas have supplied a majority of Indiana's hybrid striped bass since the stocking program began. East Fork State Fish Hatchery, located near Washington, Indiana, began producing hybrids from striped bass and white bass collected from in-state fish in 1986. East Fork now provides most of the hybrids used in Indiana.

Hybrids may be found in a variety of habitats. In some lakes they may prefer fairly flat, shallow, sandy areas. In other lakes, typically the larger reservoirs, they may prefer the more rocky habitats located directly above or below the dams. Best fishing for hybrid striped bass occurs just after sundown or in the early morning just before sunrise. They are caught primarily on artificial baits which resemble gizzard shad. Imitation shad that rattle have proven to be successful at many lakes. In addition, many anglers have been successful using live bait such as night crawlers or soft craws.

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