# Palmetto vs Sunshine bass



## markbrumbaugh (Jul 13, 2010)

Can you tell the difference? Do we have any hybrids in LL or just below the dam?


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## megafish (Mar 5, 2007)

In my post slime to meadow they come from the south end of the lake today! I heard of them in the lake, seen them today awesome fighting ghost's!


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Yes there are some Sunshine stripers in the Livingston. They are a result of cross breeding in the upper Trinity white bass spring spawning run.
The difference between Sunshine and Palmetto in "who's yo daddy?"
Sunshine is mama WB and daddy striper.
Palmetto is Mama striper and daddy WB.
The reason that stripers are stocked in Texas lakes is due to poor spawning conditions in the rivers feeding the lakes. Texoma is the only exception. The upper Red River has the clean non-silty bottom required for the striper eggs to drift slowly down stream. Also the Red has a higher salt content than any other river in Texas. About 10 years ago the OKie ag people wanted to block the salt creeks from running into the Red. They wanted to improve the irrigation water. Texas raised cane. The said it would ruin the striper spawn. Texas won.
The WB eggs do not drift. They adhere to objects in the water and remain out of the silt. So a WB egg accidental fertilized by a striper sperm has a chance of hatching a hybrid. 
This phenomenon has been going on in Texoma ever since striper were originally stocked. There was a mounted hybrid in Low's High Point marina that weighed 21 lbs that my brother caught in the early seventies. They did not know it was a hybrid at the time. Mr. Low only mounted it due to the very unusual stripe pattern on it's side.


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## markbrumbaugh (Jul 13, 2010)

Sunbeam said:


> Yes there are some Sunshine stripers in the Livingston. They are a result of cross breeding in the upper Trinity white bass spring spawning run.
> The difference between Sunshine and Palmetto in "who's yo daddy?"
> Sunshine is mama WB and daddy striper.
> Palmetto is Mama striper and daddy WB.
> ...


Thanks a bunch. So the male stripers are making whoppie up by Dallas or something. My question, is can you tell them apart (sunshine and palmetto). Also, since I only see stripers being stocked, I was wondering about hybrids above the dam. Thanks for the info.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

The hybrids I see below the dam on Livingston, I believe are primarily naturally ocurring Sunshine bass. They are a relatively dark color. TP&W annually removes female brood stripers from the basin leaving a predominance of male stripers which then cross with the abundant female white bass. See attached picture of two hybrids caught below the dam last week(larger fish just over 10 pounds)

On the other hand, the hybrids above the dam on the main lake and in the river are primarily Palmetto hybrids, IMO, and are the result of fish escaping from RC or other places into the Trinity River. They are primarily not the result of natural spawn, but escapes from TP&W stocking programs in the Dallas area. Look at the recent photo of what I believe to be a Palmetto hybrid posted by Megafish yesterday to compare. 

Just my opinion. 

The hybrids in both locations are a blast to catch and like Sunbeam, I wish we had millions of them in the lake.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Here is an interesting link that shows TP&W annual stocking program. Note that Livingston received a whopping 1.9 million stripers this year. That's a lot of fry and even if many are washed through the dam or otherwise experience mortality...that's still a lot of stripers that will wind up on the south end of the lake.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/management/stocking/


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