Seeking hybrid striped bass in Texas

HOOD OUTDOORS

As a licensed professional fishing guide, Michael Acosta shows you how to find them. The Granbury resident of 30 years has been fishing all of his life and has been a licensed guide since 1998.

Many Texas lakes are stocked with hybrid striped bass as they can grow big, and they can and will control populations of shad in our Texas waters. In fact, over the years the hybrid, which is more tolerant of the Texas heat, has replaced the full-blooded striped bass in many of our reservoirs. Pound for pound the hybrid striped bass is one of the hardest fighting fish in fresh water and is great table fare.

The hybrid striped bass or the technical name “palmetto bass” are produced by artificially spawning a male white bass with a female striped bass. The hybrid striped bass, when young, looks more like a white bass than a striped bass. A hybrid striped bass can usually be distinguished from a striped bass by its broken lateral stripes along the lower sides of the body (generally continuous on a striped bass) and a distinctively shorter, thicker, and deeper body form. Hybrid striped bass and striped bass can be distinguished from white bass by its two tooth patches on the tongue as opposed to only one tooth patch on the white bass. As they grow older, hybrid bass become thicker and deeper-bodied, giving them a distinctive short and stocky appearance. In addition, the white bass usually only has one lateral line extending to the tail. The hybrid striped or striped bass usually has three lateral lines extending all the way to the tail.    

The TexasParks and Wildlife rules and regulation booklet has diagrams to help you tell the difference between these species. The legal-size limit for hybrid striped bass is 18 inches and you are allowed five fish per day. You can keep 25 White bass or sand bass as we call them here with a minimum length of 10 inches. You don’t want to be caught with an illegal fish.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has stocked hybrids in numerous area lakes to provide anglers with trophy-sized gamefish and to introduce a predator that could feed on large gizzard shad as I mentioned earlier. All Texas lakes except Lake Caddo are manmade and these fish help to control shad populations in many of our reservoirs.

Some of our area lakes with Hybrid Striped bass include Bridgeport, Proctor, Benbrook, Lewisville, Ray Hubbard, Tawakoni, Cedar Creek, Richland Chambers and Belton. Granbury has a few by accident that may have escaped from the hatchery below Possum Kingdom or were sent downstream during a flood. The Brazos River lakes namely Possum Kingdom, Granbury and Whitney are stocked with the full-blooded striped bass. 

In Texas, hybrids commonly reach 7 to 10 pounds. Occasionally, an angler catches a 15- or 16-pound fish. The current world record stands at over 27 pounds.

During most of the year, hybrids can be located near main lake points or near structures.  Live bait (live shad or bream) during most of the year is a good choice. In the winter, soft plastics such as jerk baits and swim baits are extremely effective.

This time of the year late spring or early summer is a great time to look for these fish pushing bait fish to the surface. Top water action can be tremendous. If you get a chance, you might try putting some of these in the cooler. See you on the water. 

HOODCOUNTY FISHING REPORT

Granbury water levels continue to be about 2 feet low. Some rain has been falling, so hopefully we will get some run-off to bring up lake levels. Granbury water temperatures are around the 70-degree mark and rising. White bass and small striper action is good near Indian Harbor on slabs and live bait. Bigger striped bass to 11l pounds are located on the lower ends and are best on large live bait. Largemouth bass numbers continue to be good with an occasional fish of 8l pounds being caught. Best action for largemouth is in the backs of major creeks and near main lake points. Big Blue and Yellow cats continue to be caught on cut bait fished on the upper ends near Hunter Park. Best crappie reports are coming from deeper docks on minnows and jigs. 

On other reservoirs, Whitney limits of striped bass continue on Alabama rigs and live shiners/shad fished from the Island to the Katy Bridge. Same is true on Possum Kingdom mid lake from the dam to Hogs Bend. Largemouth bass are good to excellent as well on Possum Kingdom from Broadway to the Peanut Patch (work the back of the creeks feeding these areas).

michael.acosta@att.net | 254-396-4855