Striped Bass

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Identification:  A large, streamlined fish with an olive green to blue-gray back and silver-white sides. The body is more slender than both White Bass and hybrid Striped Bass. Horizontal lines on the sides are more intense than on White Bass and usually extend unbroken over the entire length of the body. The base of the tongue usually has two patches of teeth (vs. a single patch in White Bass). Adults weighing 5-20 lbs. are common, but may grow to over 50 lbs. 

Distribution and Habitat:  Native to Atlantic and Gulf coastal drainages, the Striped Bass is an anadromous species living in coastal saltwater habitats and migrating up freshwater rivers to spawn; however, landlocked populations can survive and grow in impounded rivers. In Kentucky, Striped Bass are maintained through stocking, which occurs only in the Ohio River and Lake Cumberland. Fish from the Ohio River often migrate up the major tributaries, especially the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers below Kentucky and Barkley lake dams. Striped Bass are open-water predators, often chasing smaller forage fish into shallow shoreline areas or the heads of embayments.