Come for the Largemouth, Stay for the Hybrids

[Koz]

Saturday was the first warm weekend of the season and the boats were flying up and down Lake Oconee. To complicate matters just a bit, it was also a windy day out on the open water, making positioning a bit of a challenge even in my pedal kayak. Last week I nabbed a couple of 4 pound LMB fishing riprap in the coves, but if they were in the same spot this weekend they ignored everything I was tossing.

 

So it was back to open water to contend with the wind, wakes, and waves. I wasn't up to a long distance pedal in those conditions, so I stayed within a few miles of my hotel. I caught a handful of dinks and a two pounder, then started heading in. There's a causeway on the way back with a rocky shore, and while I've never caught any LMB there I have caught some stripers so I usually fish it on the way back in. The stripers seem to love a good beetlespin, but I with the wind howling I didn't feel like digging one out and tying it on so I just tossed a spinnerbait.

 

I'm glad I did. I caught two hybrid bass (male striped bass / female white bass) and both were just under 3 pounds. But they put up a heck of a fight - much more than an LMB or the typical striped bass we have in Oconee (we don't have the big ones like at Hartwell or Murray). They were fun to catch, so I'm going to read up on them and try and target them next time out.

 

So far the fishing on Oconee is decent this year, unlike last year, Let's hope it stays that way throughout the spring and summer.

[thediscochef]

Wipers are fun!! I got one somewhere in the neighborhood of 2lbs a while back at my favorite river spot. He'd been in a fight with something, was banged up. But I was absolutely floored at how big he fought. Much like smallmouth and spotted bass, Wipers fight up a weight class and then some. I can't imagine catching a big one, the thought of a double digit Wiper makes me sweat as I glance over at the 15lb leader line currently on my baitcaster

[TnRiver46]

7 hours ago, thediscochef said:

Wipers are fun!! I got one somewhere in the neighborhood of 2lbs a while back at my favorite river spot. He'd been in a fight with something, was banged up. But I was absolutely floored at how big he fought. Much like smallmouth and spotted bass, Wipers fight up a weight class and then some. I can't imagine catching a big one, the thought of a double digit Wiper makes me sweat as I glance over at the 15lb leader line currently on my baitcaster

My buddy got an 11 lb hybrid on a tiny top water lure when we were in my small Jon boat in some shoals. We went for a sled ride . I think they sometimes get close to 20 lbs here 

[thediscochef]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

My buddy got an 11 lb hybrid on a tiny top water lure when we were in my small Jon boat in some shoals. We went for a sled ride . I think they sometimes get close to 20 lbs here 

?
that sounds like more than my tackle could handle...

[Bankbeater]

Even the small ones are fun on light tackle. A few years ago I was fishing a fluke on ml tackle with 6 lb line.  I saw a flash near my bait and thought it was a crappie, but I never had a crappie fight like that before. I spent the rest of the day fishing for hybrids.

[Alex from GA]

Was on a small lake in AR years ago and saw a bunch of fish on the locator, dropped a worm down to no avail.  Changed to a spoon and caught a bunch of 2 -4 hybrids that fought like hell.  Made my day.

[GRiver]

We get strippers in the St. John’s River too. You look for the birds working the water, where the strippers are chasing the bait fish to the surface. You get close a throw a rattle trap in there or troll thru.

[Captain Phil]

Hybrids (sunshine bass) have been stocked in Florida since 1974. They don't breed naturally, so they need to be restocked. Between 2017 and 2019 over 900,000 Hybrids have been stocked in the Harris Chain.  The largest I have caught here has been about 3 pounds.  They are hard fighting rascals.  The easiest way to catch them in the Chain is by trolling Rattle Traps.

[T-Billy]

I often take a break from bass fishing on cloudy or foggy summer mornings to chase white bass that are busting shad on the surface. It's great fun. They'll hit anything shiny and fast moving, and you can load the cooler with those tasty little scrappers in a hurry. Some days when conditions are right, the frenzy goes on for hours.