# Lower Trinity River stripers



## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

I know that the occasional striper is caught in the bay, but has anyone targeted stripers in the lower Trinity River or upper bay? I'm thinking Anahuac to Liberty. It is said that they were more numerous in the distant past and some folks have written that they are "native". I'm not sure about the biology....if they can't handle hot water how do they survive the bay? Would you think they stay in deep holes in the river for cooling then go up and down the river and in the bay when the weather cools? The locals I've asked don't have much opinion. Any thoughts??


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

The river stripers travel from the LL dam to the Wallisville barrier. TP&W has recorded tagged fish that have made the round trip in 7 days! 
With this last three weeks of minimum flow I would think they would be closer to the dam in the cooler high O2 water.
In October of 2005, after Rita, there were thousands of them in upper Trinity Bay. Big schools of surface feeding fish. 
TP&W does not know where or what happened to them. Just vanished. They do think they did not return up river since the brood fish harvest the next April below LL dam was very meager.
During the spawning runs on the east coast rivers they catch them in the eddies behind log jams, bridge pilings and sand bars. As far as the Trinity stripers is concerned there does not seem to be simple answer. TP&W just does not know that much about them. 
I do know that several years ago a friend caught stripers down stream of the big sand bar in the mouth of Long King creek where it empties into the Trinity above the US59 bridge. He fished at night using chucks of fresh gizzard shad.


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

I know so little about this but, but do our local stripers have a natural spawn? If so, is it north of LL or in the river below the dam, or both? I have one recent report of a striper caught near Liberty. Maybe just one lost and hungry fish as the angler wasn't targeting stripers. TP&W stocks so many in the lake, is this our only source? I'm asuming east coast stripers spawn upstream in the rivers. Since the lower Trinity is literally right out my backdoor I guess I need to do some field research.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

I believe that the TP&W folks claim there is no natural spawn below the dam or above the lake. I have caught stripers in Bedias creek and at the Lock & Dam, so they do venture upstream. There are also hybrids (not a great number) in the lake that must be natural because TP&W does not stock hybrids in the lake.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

The hybrids are what is called a Sunshine Bass. A white bass mama and striper daddy. These occur naturally in the upper and lower river since the male stripers are sexually mature at 3 to 4 years. (20 to 24 inches) They go up stream with the white bass in the spring. With thousands of fish in a small area it is easy to have striper sperm fertilize WB eggs.
The hybrids also follow the spawning run but nothing happens since they are shooting blanks.
When the female striper reaches sexual maturity they are 6 to 7 years old and around 10 to 12 pounds. Most have left the lake and are in the lower river. 
Female stripers do attempt to spawn in the lower river. Unfortunately their eggs do not hatch due to the silty bottom in the river system. WB eggs stick to objects on the water and stay above the silt. Striper eggs drift down stream and are smothered by the silt. Besides a sandy bottom the stream needs to be slightly salty, Only the Red River on the Texas Oklahoma line meets this conditions.
So TP&W raises about 8 to 9 million stripers and hybrids to be stocked in Texas lakes every year.


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

Thanks guys....lots of good info.


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