OKLAHOMA'S BAD BOY!

The most exciting fish in Oklahoma is the STRIPED BASS HYBRID (Wipers)!! The first Oklahoma stocking of striped bass hybrids (Wipers)was in Sooner Lake in 1977. Striped bass hybrids (Wipers) are hatchery produced by crossing female striped bass with male white bass. Although both male and female hybrids (Wipers)attain sexual maturity, natural reproduction has not been observed. It has been reported that they do go through the spawning activity as their parents do, without producing the offspring. For all you farm hands, it is like trying to breed two mules, no such luck. Hybrids(Wipers) have been stocked in several Oklahoma lakes now, including Lake Skiatook, Lake Sooner, Konawa, Optima, Ft. Supply, Tom Steed, Altus-Lugert, Overholser, Grand, Heyburn, Atoka, Ft. Cobb, Salt Plains, Waurika, and Ellsworth. Hybrids have been caught in Kaw Lake, from the 92 floods in Kansas, which flooded the hatcheries in Kansas and caused the hybrids to come down the Arkansas River to Lake Keystone. This was a mass exiting, kind of like Moses and his people exiting Egypt!

Habitat: Hybrids (Wipers)mirror the habits of and prefer areas within lakes and streams in common with striped bass and white bass, typically traveling in large schools in open water. In the spring, schools are smaller and the road trip is on, as they head for the spawning grounds. Hybrids (Wipers) begin to get a little more active as the water temperature rises; live bait seems to be the best from the banks, although trolling with a white or mirror crankbait in 12 to 15 ft water produces a good catch. As June and July roll around, it is slabbing time, look for them off deep creek channels on the slopes. Live bait is at its peak.  Then comes the fall! My favorite time, the schools have become very large, and the feed is on for the winter. Early morning and evenings you can find Hybrids  (Wipers)on top, running through weary schools of shad, like a freight train through a small town. When winter comes, the hybrids (Wipers)seem to turn into loners, hugging the bottom up to depths of 65 feet. They are catchable, but be careful if you plan to release since they get the bends as you bring them up from that depth! The best result is to let the fish play at several depths before bringing them to the boat. For best results very gently release the fish as soon as possible.

Natural Food Sources: Shad, minnows, crustaceans, and insects.

Facts: As a sport fish, hybrids (Wipers) are probably best known for their rapid growth and fighting ability. They can attain weights of six to seven pounds by three years of age and 18 to 20 pounds by eight to nine years of age. Hybrids (Wipers) are a valuable part of our Oklahoma fishing: they grow fast, fight hard, and take the sport of fishing to another level! In Oklahoma they fit perfectly into the ecological system, especially in lakes with large shad populations but with little suitable habitat for striped bass and white bass.