Can anyone give me some advice on how to tell the difference between stripers and hybrids? I fish for them on Ray Hubbard, and I am a nervous wreck about accidentally keeping a couple 12-14" stripers. I usually keep about 20 fish total and I make for the ramp like I'm running guns. In the summer, I catch 20 in about 15 mins and out of the water 7 mins later hehe

I know the sand bass do not have a mark on there tongue, but both the hybrids and stripers have two marks, one on each side of the tongue.

I have been checked 3 times on Hubbard by the game wardens while bass fishing, with no issues, but i dont want to get stopped with 8 12" stripers in my boat.

thanks!

Chris

I didn't know Ray Hubbard had stripers in it.

Stripers in Hubbard are rare...But they have the same bag limits as hybrids in texas

With one exception, Texoma, size limit is 18 inches for both. And as stated above stripers and hybrids have two set of teeth on their tongue as sandies have one right in the middle. Simple as that. When in doubt throw her back!

Hubbard has mainly hybrids and very few stripers. Paul should chime in soon as the resident Hubbard expert and can explain in detail. Hubbard is full of under sized hybrid right now. When in dought throw back.

Stripers have very distinct, sharp stripes and tend to be long and skinny.

Hybrids have broken stripes and tend to have a wide body.

Ya once you've caught a few of both, there's almost no question in body shape and markings. I wouldn't worry too much about catching a striper in Hubbard. I've actually been fishing there since I was around 12 and have never caught one. Now I have seen 1 or 2 pics of a striper caught in the past few years. I've got lots of friends that fish out there and we have never caught one.

Good luck. Maybe someone will post a pic of the 2 together and you'll see the difference

Texoma does not have a 18" size limit on stripers. Limit is 10 but only 2 can be over 20", the other eight can be any size under 20". Like stated above striper is slender and most (not all) lines are straight and continuous. Hybrid is shaped more like a football and stripes are broken.
Striped bass may have broken lines, but the stripes of a hybrid are distinct and definitely broken.
The shape of the head is a distinguishing characteristic between the striped bass and the hybrid bass.

Well spoken. Definitely right on the money!

Striper or Hybrid?

Hybrid

hybrid

My guess is that is a Hybrid and I would keep it

As you can see on this specimen, the stripes are broken, but not like in pictures. And, as pointed out in the replies above, stripers can have broken stripes as well.
If if its a skinny fish with distinct stripes I throw it back.

But when they look like below its harder to tell...the stripes are not distinct and they look very much like a sand bass to me.

compared to this white bass:

So it appears, the end of the story is this.

From what I read, you can only keep 5 striper / hybrid stripers and they must be 18 inches.

If it has 2 rows of teeth on its tongue, it must be 18" and you can only keep 5.
White bass have 1 row on the tongue and you can keep 25 over 10 inches.

White bass 25 at 10 inches or bigger

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulations/fish_hunt/fish/freshwater_limits.phtml

Bass, striped and hybrid striped 5 (in any combination) 18 inches
Bass, white 25 10 inches
Bass, yellow No limit No minimum