Lake Mead's Striped Bass

Striped Bass or Morone saxatilis is an anadromous fish species found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. Anadromous fish typically engage in a yearly cycle that consists of these fish migrating from salt water to spawn in freshwater, before heading back out to sea. However, this fish was not caught on the east coast. Nor has it ever been in the ocean.

After zoologists noted that landlocked fish of this species breed in Lake Mead, more individuals where introduced in 1969 to 1973. This growth of the striped bass population had a big impact on trout in Lake Mead, but a natural shift soon occurred. In 1982 it was found that the striped bass had shifted their diet to predominately threadfin shad. This shift in the diet caused the fish to be smaller than their oceanic counterparts. There are still “big ones” but few here grow to that size.

This is the first striped bass I caught. After reading about fishing here in the USA, particularly Nevada, striped bass became a bucket-list-fish for me. Although not always targeting them, I made the assumption that a bass is a bass. But just because something has the word bass in its name, does not define it. These fish have different habitats, traits, and lifestyles to their better-known largemouth and smallmouth relatives. The same lure will work to entice them but the where and why is more important.

This particular fish was caught in a “boil” of baitfish six months after arriving in the US. A lucky and exciting catch that’s really hard to replicate. Since then, I have learned that the easier way of catching them is by using anchovies. Years from now, in a different place, this bucket-list-fish will still stand out to me. You see dear reader, sometimes the way you catch a fish or the hunt for a particular species is what adds spice to a life list.