Photo by Ron Sinfelt

By Jeff Knapp

With all that Pennsylvania offers the springtime trout angler, it's of little surprise that the striped bass (and the closely related hybrid striper) see relatively little in the way of fishing pressure. But, our state does offer some excellent fishing for these "true" bass.

According to Bob Lorantas, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's Warmwater-Coolwater Unit leader, our state's striper and hybrid-striper state of affairs has several faces. Though a viable fishery for wild, ocean-run stripers has developed in the Delaware River in recent years, inland waters rely on consistent stockings to provide consistent numbers of striped bass.

"The state's striper fishery is limited to where they occur naturally or where we stock them," explained Lorantas. "Reservoir populations (both the pure strain and hybrids) require pelagic forage, which in Pennsylvania means either alewives or gizzard shad. Also, pure striped bass require a hypolimnetic oxygen supply in summer."

Lorantas also explained that purebred stripers are only stocked in the ranges where they are native, i.e., the Delaware and Susquehanna drainages. This is in keeping with the philosophy of not introducing non-native species to watersheds, thus eliminating the chance of an "exotic" species taking hold and outcompeting native species. An example of this would be the negative impact white perch have made on other panfish in some southeastern Pennsylvania waters.

The hybrid striper is the result of crossing a female striped bass with a male white bass. As is the case with all hybrids, these fish are sterile, and because they can't reproduce, they can safely be stocked in all of the state's drainages. Still, the majority of hybrid stockings take place in the western portion of the state in the Ohio River drainage.

An additional limiting factor relating to striper-hybrid striper fisheries is the supply of fingerlings available to stock.

"The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission hatchery system does not produce any striped bass or striped bass hybrids," noted Lorantas. "These fish are acquired from nearby states with extensive rearing programs for these species. We trade fish we produce in abundance for these species through the national fish trade forum. This acquisition process creates a little more variability in stocking levels, although we have been rather consistent over the past several years on most waters.

"Our prioritization system generally favors stocking reservoirs before rivers. This reduces recreational loss associated with migration out of stocking locales."

These restrictions and limitations mean that only a handful of waters furnish viable striper or hybrid striper fisheries. Fortunately for the angler, these waters are well distributed across the state, meaning same-day fishing opportunities are available for the vast majority of sportsmen. Here's a close-up look at the better striper and hybrid striper waters for the spring of 2004.

According to Dave Micko, a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission fisheries biologist, the PFBC is one of several resource agencies that have been monitoring the comeback of wild, ocean-run stripers for the past several years. The PFBC's responsibility has been to evaluate the spawning population of these fish. The agency has also conducted a recent creel survey on the river to determine angler effort and harvest.

"In 1997, the Delaware River striped bass fishery was considered completely restored," noted the Area 6 biologist.

Creel survey results back that up. Data from the 2002 survey shows striped bass ranked third of most caught species. Only smallmouth bass and channel catfish edged out stripers, which ranked just ahead of American shad. Some 36,328 striped bass were caught, with 99 percent being released. Striper catches were highest between April and July, with June being the top month.

The majority of striped bass catches in the Delaware occur in the tidal portion of the river between the Commodore Perry Bridge upriver to Trenton Falls. Most of the spawning activity takes place in the tidal Delaware. There is a closed season from April 1 through May 31 to protect these fish.

The number of fish that remain in the tidal river after the season reopens is dependent on the weather. A late spring, one with high water levels and cool water temperatures, will keep fish in the river longer. Spring and early summer stripers are found in shallow water, usually from 3 to 8 feet deep. Sand and gravel flats are the preferred habitat. Numbers of younger stripers often spend the year in the river and are typically found in the free-flowing river north of Trenton Falls. These fish run in the 18- to 20-inch class.

Public boat accesses in Delaware County include Linden Avenue, Frankford, Chester and Marcus Hook. Shore-fishing opportunities are limited in this greater Philadelphia area. The UPS property near the Philadelphia International Airport provides one site. There is a reciprocal agreement covering the water within the Pennsylvania-New Jersey portion of the Delaware. Resident anglers with either license may fish from either shore. Likewise, resident licensed boat anglers from either state may fish the river.

The Fish and Boat Commission recently changed the creel limit on the Delaware to two fish of at least 28 inches during the open season.

The quality of any inland striper and hybrid fishery depends on stocking history. Lack of fish, which come from other states, means all deserving waters will not be stocked every year.

Fortunately, Nockamixon has a consistent stocking history over the past several years, with 7,250 hybrid fingerlings stocked annually since 1998 except in 2000, when no hybrids were stocked. Pure striped bass, both fingerling and fry, have also been stocked on a consistent basis.

According to Mike Kaufmann, area fisheries manager, anglers can expect good action on Nockamixon this spring. While both pure and hybrid stripers are stocked in the lake, Kaufmann said hybrids show up most often in anglers' catches.

"Some anglers are catching pure stripers, which seem to top off about at 17 pounds," he said. "Hybrids run 10 to 12 pounds."

Kaufmann said the hybrid harvest is not as high on Nockamixon as it is on some other lakes, so the fish get a better chance to attain larger sizes.

In spring, Kaufmann suggested that anglers concentrate on the main lake's points and flats.

"Sometimes the best structure is no structure," he said. "Places that hold springtime hybrids can seem featureless."

Alewives and gizzard shad comprise the forage base in Nockamixon, and savvy anglers know stripers are rarely found far from their food source.

Nockamixon Lake offers four boat access areas. Anglers typically use the Three Mile Run and Haycock launch areas. Maximum horsepower was recently raised to 20 horsepower. For additional information, call the Nockamixon State Park office at (215) 529-7300.