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Hybrid length to weight ratio...

22K views 8 replies 3 participants last post by  Slowretrieve 
#1 · (Edited)
Anybody know of a table or such that lists an average weight for a given legth hybrid ? I've found them for stripers, but not hybrids .

I caught a pretty nice one out of a local lake this AM and was just curious about the weight . It came from a lake known as a "bait tank" , so it was healthy, in good condition and well fed . Oh, for what it's worth, it was 27" with the tail fanned out in a normal position.

Thanks

EDIT : P.S. anybody have a good estimate on the age of a wiper that size ?
 
#2 ·
I've seen other sites where guys are looking for such a chart, but as far as I can tell, the chart does not exist. My best guess would be 2-3 pounds per year, depending on the available food sourse. They really put on the inches and pounds for the first few years, usually averaging about 3 pounds per year. They slow down in the fourth year and I believe they start running with the pack less about this time, too. Life expectancy is about 9 years, maybe a little less. Hope that helps.
 
#3 ·
Duane I havent seen any charts either but you might use the bass formula because girth enters the equation. Here is the formula for LMB from Lyman and Woolner, 1962. The complete book of striped Bass Fishing.
length x lenghth x girth / 1200

27 x 27 x 20 / 1200 = ~ 11.5 lbs
assuming a 20" girth?

To get an idea of the weight and the fast growth as slow retrieve mentioned above,
an intensive biennial collection of hybrid stripers took place in Illinois in 2004 ranging from 7.9 inches to 28.9 inches.
The fish averaged 17.6 inches and were nearly three pounds.
A year later hybrid striped bass from multiple year classes were collected, ranging in size from 19.0 inches to 29.9 inches
These fish averaged 24.7 inches weighing 8.5 pounds.

According to florida Fish and wildlife the hybrids or sunshine bass as their known in Florida
have attained weights of six to seven pounds by three years of age.
 
#4 ·
Thanks fellas . I thought about measuring the girth, but I wanted to get the fish back in the water as fast as possible . Another fellow caught one tonight that was almost the same length, I think he said it weighed 10.5 when he weighed it . I suppose if one slightly shorter weighed 10.5 then Jim's formula is at least in the ballpark .

BTW, do you fellows put back larger wipers that are obviously "older" ? Someone asked me why I threw him back since it wouldn't live that long anyway . I just told him "so I can catch him again" .

Thanks.
 
#5 ·
I'm not sure of any studies that have been done on the survivability of wipers and being caught, but if you put them into the livewell for even a few minutes, they will belly up. I have to admit that I usually keep the bigger ones and toss back the smaller. Those bruisers will often be dead before they hit the water, even when you're trying to be careful about it. They're a little like sharks; the seem to need water passing over the gillplates.

The six pounders appear to survive okay, but anything eight pounds or above does not seem to have the resiliance necessary once the fight's out of 'em.
 
#6 ·
The six pounders appear to survive okay, but anything eight pounds or above does not seem to have the resiliance necessary once the fight's out of 'em.
You know, I thought of something another local fellow told me... He said that several times when he released wipers, he later saw them floating or swimming on their sides . I hope this one made it . I only had him out of the water for maybe 30 seconds, maybe less . He was hooked clean in the corner of the mouth . When I put him back in, I held him for a moment under the belly and near the tail, gently moving him back and forth to try to get water through the gills . He seemed to regain his strength and just swam downward and out of site .

I don't know why, but for some reason I feel guilty keeping a fish like that . Seems to me he beat nature's odds just to make it that far and I hate to be the one to be his demise. Am I doing wrong by putting the larger fish back ? If I keep fish, I usually look to keep the ones just over the legal limit ( 20 inches, here in PA).
 
#7 ·
There's a lot of room for talk on that subject, Chaser. I've noticed that the large ones don't tend to make it, so those are generally the ones I keep for the grill. I always turn bsck the small ones. However, I have seen folks fishing specifically for the small ones and that's what they take home.

The laws vary a great deal from state to state, too, and they can impact what you do or do not take home. In Indiana you can keep twelve wiper/striper/white bass combinations, but only two can be over seventeen inches in length. I assume that law is based on some biological observations on the part of our DNR that suggest this strategy will ensure the adequacy of the fish population. In Iowa they have no such laws and you can catch all the wipers you can get to the boat.

I go by the seat of my pants. The larger ones don't live long once you catch them, so my rule of thumb is if the the fish has a lot of spunk and does not seem to affected by the trauma of meeting me face-to-face, I will try to revive him. I usually quit fishing after I have the two larger fish, too. Even if they're still biting, I worry about catching a third fish that might die as a result of the catch, and I would not have a way to legally transport him home.
 
#9 ·
That appears to be pretty close to right. I fished the local lake Saturday afternoon and caught a 6.9 pounder that measured a hair over 25 inches. I've been trying real hard to measure and weigh my catches, then photo them with the successful lure dangling from the critter's mouth. That is the hardest thing to do. I get so excited about having landed the fish I forget all the rest
 
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