Mike Acosta's thread got me to thinking - what is the upper weight limit these hybrids can attain? I think a lot of it has to do with diet (forage), water size and stable year around water conditions.

Here's the Brazos river record hybrid caught by Shane Davies a couple years back (17lbs+)


Here's a picture of a western state hybrid (still looking for the article)
(22lbs+)


Is it just me that thinks hybrids have the capability of getting into the 30-lb. class?

Discuss....

Jim,

Good question. I think as with all species there are going to be "mutants" for lack of a better word. Super fish might be a better name. Maybe some get a bigger dose of the striper gene than others. Therefore larger fish. Just my .02 worth .....

It may depend on which way they were crossed. Male Striper x Female Sand Bass or Female Striper X male Sand Bass. I forget which sex controls the overall growth. I know in other man made crosses if you cross animals a certain way you can obtain a giant such as "ligers". In fish it may not be the same but if you cross some species a certain way the gene that stops growth is turned off so to speak thus giant growth potentail.

Kansas record is 22.24 pounds, it was caught on a jig below the spillway at Perry.

I think everything has to come together just right to produce huge hybrids. Genetics have to be right, food has to be right, water conditions (temp. and oxygen levels) have to be right and there has to be near year round growth. These things dont live near as long as true stripers and need to pack on the weight. It seems to me that the center of the country grows the biggest ones. THe biggest one I saw close up was 16.8 on the bogo. I netted it for my buddy. At the time, it could have been the Ohio state record, but my buddy turned it loose.

I know in some fish species they are like humans - gorge themselves and pack it on in a short period of time. Of course, the ones that eat all the time are usually the ones that get caught.

I thought the hybrid striped bass was only produced one way - crossing the eggs from a female white bass with the milt of a male striper.

I believe the Arkansas record in in the 27lb range. I think size is mainly genetic as well as good eating and conditions. I have caught old hybrids that were only 5lbs. I know this as the biologists were studying old hybrids on Hubbard Creek 10 years back.

The sunshine bass is bred the opposite of what Redfin stated above. They don't get as big as the hybrid.

Experts claim hybrids average life span is only 5 to 6 years and that they attain most of their growth the first 2 years. If that be the case it seems the likelihood of catching a lot of huge hybrids is pretty unlikely. In my experience a ten pound hybrid is way far above average with my largest being a fraction over 13 lbs caught at Lake Proctor in the mid eighties when only a handful of folks even fished for them. Pound for pound they are one of the feistiest of all freshwater fish to try and land.

I was at Lake Hamilton in Ark.a few years back 14 actually wow how time fly's by!!and a guy caught a 26 lb. hybrid.....Pretty close to world record I believe....I caught a 44 lb Striper the same day above Hamilton on Ouachita. Does that tell ya anything about Ark. lakes? Both were caught on top water lures......

Biologist say at Hamilton and Ouachita Stripers and hybrids will grow 5 to 6 lb a year!

those pics are some %&&$ BIG hyrbids.. thats crazy....

Yes, hybrids are only expected to live around 7 years. But in 1999 and 2000 the Texas Striper Association tourney catches on Hubbard Creek were stocked in 1983. This was confirmed by test by biologists. The biologists thought that the hybrids were breeding/cross breeding but this was not confirmed.
All the fish tested were 1983 vintage.

Point is that these fish can live longer than you think if the conditions are right.

BIG!!!