Pound for pound, I’ll put the hybrid striper at the top of the list of freshwater fish when it comes to bending a rod or putting a reel’s drag system to the test, with the exception, possibl,y of the redfish which is really a saltwater transplant. If we really want to get technical, the hybrid striper also possesses some saltwater genes, at least on its maternal side. I’ve always contributed it’s willingness to bite to the genetics passed along on its paternal side, the male white bass.
I’ll never forget fishing at Tawakoni with Rex Bridges back in the late eighties when we pulled up to Sun Point, dropped some frisky live shad down close to bottom and proceeded to boat 15 hybrids that weighed from 9 to 13.5 pounds in thirty five minutes. My son Matthew caught the 13-pounder and, to date, that’s the largest hybrid I’ve seen boated but the record books prove there have been bigger ones.
Back in ‘84 John Haney was fishing at Ray Hubbard with guide Johnny Procell when he landed the current and long-standing state record that tipped the scales at a whopping 19.66 pounds. Whether Haney’s record will ever be broken in pure conjecture; the only fish certified that came anywhere close to this weight in recent years was an 18.07 pounder from Richland Chambers in ’03. It’s just possible bigger fish that have escaped the hook are swimming the depths of lakes such as Tawakoni, Palestine, Ray Hubbard, or possibly Cedar Creek. All these lakes have been stocked with hybrids long enough to quality as trophy hybrid hotspots. Richland Chambers reservoir might not have the numbers of fish over ten pounds, simply because it did not receive large numbers of hybrids in those earlier years of stockings by TPWD, but it’s a great lake for catching fish in the 4-10 pound range. Lake Palestine is an often overlooked hybrid hotspot, but one that produces plenty of trophy class fish.
Bob Holmes shows off a hard fighting hybrid striper. photo by Luke Clayton
I fish for hybrids often, and with some of the best pros in the state. So, let me take you with me on a whirlwind tour of my favorite lakes for catching hybrid stripers. I’ve had lots of ‘on the water' experience at each lake and although my ratings might not agree with yours, you can rest assured they come from hours of fishing for these genetically manipulated freshwater brutes! Tactics that produce fish on one lake will work on them all; it’s the geographical features of the individual lakes that hybrid chasers have to learn.
LAKE TAWAKONI - Hybrid striper fishing at Tawakoni can best be described ‘as good as the best, and better than the rest!’ Thanks to aggressive stockings by TPWD and monies generated by the Lake Tawakoni Sportsman Association (LTSA) , hybrid stripers have been thrilling anglers at Tawakoni for the past couple of decades. TPWD saw the interest generated by the LTSA and stepped up their already aggressive stocking program. Hybrid striper fishing at Tawakoni is obviously a big deal.
Hybrids are often mixed in with the whites but when targeting specifically hybrids, it’s best to switch to big live shad or 4 inch soft plastic shad imitations.. When the big mixed schools of white bass/hybrids are chasing shad near the surface, they are easy to locate and to catch. A good pair of binoculars to keep and eye for dipping egrets, terns and occasionally diving loons and pelicans will help you spot the big schools roaming the open expanses of the mid to lower lake. For the newcomer coming to Tawakoni, the big flats out form the mouth of Wolf Cove is a good spot to begin looking. This area has many submerged humps where the hybrids like to stack up after their surface feeding binges. Many veteran hybrid anglers begin hitting the shallow at daybreak around major main lake points such as Sun, Cloud, Finger and Autumn Point. During low light conditions, hybrids move into the shallow where they feed on big schools of shad. If the fish aren’t active at one point, savvy anglers crank up and head to the next. As the morning progresses, the hybrids push the baitfish out to deeper water where the action often continues on the submerged ledges.
Trolling the waters just out from the dam with buck tail jigs is another effective method of locating and catching hybrids during the summer. Troll until you hook a fish, then stop and cast Sassy Shad on a 1 ounce jig head up close to the rocks, let the bait hit bottom, then work it back slowly to the boat.
CEDAR CREEK- Guide Jason Barber fishes for every species on the lake but says nothing gets his clients adrenaline pumping like the hard runs of those hybrids weighing 5 pounds or more. “This lake has some great hybrid striper fishing but many of the fish we catch are mixed in with schools of schooling white bass. Hybrids are by far the most voracious eaters in fresh water. They will gorge themselves on shad so heavily that when landed, their mouths will be full of the smaller baitfish. During mid summer, they also feed heavily on the newly hatched white bass.
There are many good spots here to catch hybrids but the deep flat between Crappie Island and the spillway is hard to beat. In recent summers, egrets have taken the place of gulls and terns in helping us locate feeding fish. If you’re new to fishing Cedar Creek, position your boat out from the island and break out your binoculars. Once you see a flock of egrets, or possibly loons or pelicans, ease downwind from the action and make long casts into the feeding fish. You’ll catch a lot of sandbass but you can bet the hybrids will be working the outside of the feeding whites.
"If you can get a big bait such as a 1.5 ounce slab or Sassy Shad on a 1 ounce head down below these smaller surface feeders, you can often entice the hybrids into biting. They like to lay below the white bass and pick up injured shad,” tips Barber.
Trolling with a big Hellbender (hooks removed) with a Pet Spoon Trailer behind on a 4 foot leader is also very popular here at Cedar Creek. These rigs can be highly effective when trolled over submerged humps and ridges out from the Key Ranch Estates along the west shoreline in the lower lake.
RICHLAND CHAMBERS- A week before penning this article, I spent a morning hybrid fishing with guide Bob Holmes and, in fisherman parlance; we "tore them up." One ounce slabs produced both white bass and hybrids but 4 inch chartreuse Sassy Shads on a light jig head, worked just below the surface proved the better choice for catching the larger hybrids when they were actively chasing shad near the surface.
Locating and catching hybrids here, as on many lakes, is a matter of locating either surface feeding fish with the help of accompanying birds or burying one’s face in the graph and studying the lakes bottom, looking for big balls of shad hanging around submerged humps and ridges. At RC, the big lower lake area knows as the 309 Flats is prime summer hybrid waters but the long ridge out from Pelican Island is also a hybrid magnet.
Regardless where you decide to target these hard pulling brutes, keep in mind they can often be found around schools of feeding white bass. It’s sometime possible to locate isolated schools of hybrids but they will more likely be mixed in with feeding whites or possibly even catfish. During the summer months, find heavy concentrations of bait in one of the aforementioned lakes and you won’t be far from getting your line stretched by a fish that is quiet adept at stretching line: the hybrid striper!
Blackened hybrid striper - Hybrid stripers are mild flavored fish that lend themselves well to baking or blackening. We enjoy them baked in an oven heated to 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, until the outside of the fillets are crispy. Prep is easy, just dust your fillets with a little lemon pepper and sprinkle on sweet basil liberally. Place a few pads of butter on top of each fillet and you’re ready to go.
Blackened striper is best cooked outside in a heavy cast iron skillet. Dip the fillets in unsalted butter then cover both sides of each fillet with your favorite blackening seasoning. Heat skillet until it is white hot. And cook fillets no longer than a couple minutes per side. Add some freshly squeezed lemon just before serving!
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