Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management Hybrid Striper Question

When I stocked my new pond in July 2009 I put in 30 HSB just for fun. In April of this year I caught one but then I went all summer without catching any. I have been dissappointed that maybe something happened to them....until this weekend. My water temperature had fallen significantly but I fished for a little while on Saturday and caught my first HSB in 8 months. It is strange that during the summer when I was catching LMB, I never caught one HSB. Now that it has cooled off I catch a HSB.

Is there any logic behind this? Are HSB more active when the water temps are cooler? I am happy that I have at least one, but I just feel that I should have been catching them during the summer.

New post to add this to my watch list.

One of the things I have learned during my pond management duties (or more accurately put - pond mis-management activities) is that you can never be completely sure what is and is not in a pond. Well perhaps never is a strong word but you get the point.

Fish have a way of hiding and avoiding capture that would make the Al-Qaeda jealous.

Hang on for opinions from someone that actually knows what they are talking about.

Mack, your HSB have been fed pellets all their life and natural forage is a stranger.
Match the hatch with pellet flies and you can catch them EVERY time you go to your pond - except in falling winter temps below 50 degrees. They are catchable on rising temps above 45 degree most times.
HSB are most active when water temps in 60's/70's.
George

George, that is intersting. I never considered that the HSB were eating the fish feed pellets. When the feeders go off, the fish that eat the food are so fast that I can never get a good look at them which I suppose is also a function of water clarity.

What is pellet flies?

Thank You

Mako, pellet flies are simple pellet shaped closed cell foam, encased in panty hose and atteched to a hook of your choice.
Here is a link that I believe will help.
http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthread...ite_id=1#import

I just get "down and dirty" with HSB these days and encase a AQMX 600 pellet in panty hose, hook to a #6 Drop Shot hook so the fly will sink, and hang on - HSB are a blast on a fly rod!

Cecil gets all the PH credit!

Many folks on the forum adjust their feeding amounts on how nuch activity they see on the surface, but I have found that most HSB are feeding on sinking pellets, especially in the colder water months.

Good luck!!!

Mine have stopped eating pellets and are eating tshad for the winter. When I was putting out LMB pellets in Sept and Oct the HSB were eating and it looked and sounded like bricks were being thrown in the water.

Eric, are you checking stomach contents or water clear enough to tell what they are feeding on?

Can easily see them in clear water busting tshad schools. LMB have stopped doing so with the cold water while the HSB keep eating.With only 50 as an experiment in 16 acres I don’t remove any and try not to catch them. Trying to see a complete life cycle on any of the 50 that survive. So far very good results. I am certain a few have been caught by relatives. Will add more in the spring.

Great, I've never even had clear enough water in a reservoir to observe pure stripers sub-surface feeding - only on graph/depth finder!
The only way I can tell what our HSB feed on is whether they prefer AQMX sinking pellet flies or minnow type streamers.

George these HSB are surface feeding in the mid-day warmth on tshad and were surface feeding on LMB pellets. May also be feeding subsurface but , if so , I can't see them doing that (water is not that clear).

Bet that's exciting - HSB bustin' shad on the surface in the winter!!!!
I might try Tshad again this spring if we can get some water - ponds down about 3ft.
Lost the only Tshad I tried with fish kill a couple of years ago.