# April fools day Somerville striper



## texas skiffaroo (Oct 8, 2013)

Wife was happy today, first and only one for the day just as I was trying to get her off the Lake, she said " one more cast."
Caught on silver spoon in 13 feet of water.
14" striper received cpr, she told him come back in a few more inches.


----------



## brucevannguyen (Oct 21, 2012)

How's the blue bonnet doing up there if you dont mind I ask.


----------



## CB Aggie (Jan 7, 2014)

I dont mean to burst your bubble, but I am pretty sure thats a white bass or sandbass. There are no striper, or striped bass, stocked in somerville to my knowledge, only hybrids. Nice fish though, it was definitely a keeper white bass.


----------



## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

it is a white bass. a keeper, btw


----------



## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

Not only did she have a keeper, you do too!


----------



## NB (Jan 24, 2013)

Nice whitebass!


----------



## TXShooter (Aug 13, 2007)

That's a nice big white bass. Great catch.


----------



## texas skiffaroo (Oct 8, 2013)

CB Aggie said:


> I dont mean to burst your bubble, but I am pretty sure thats a white bass or sandbass. There are no striper, or striped bass, stocked in somerville to my knowledge, only hybrids. Nice fish though, it was definitely a keeper white bass.


Not busting my bubble, getting this right will help me from paying a fine and I would rather do cpr than take a chance when in doubt.

I checked the book and this fish looks like the stripes go all the way and two notches on the gill plate and maybe when I looked in his mouth I was looking wrong, thought I saw the to two patches.
The anal fin is straight instead of short in the middle like whites.
Not trying to be right, just want to get it right.
If you guys are right there are some nice white bass in that lake.
I've caught a few before and they were only just over 10-11 inches, this fish was so chunky and fought so hard is why I questioned the species.
His fight made me want to put him back any way.
Help me be a better fisherman.
Thanks


----------



## texas skiffaroo (Oct 8, 2013)

brucevannguyen said:


> How's the blue bonnet doing up there if you dont mind I ask.


They were Texas tall and mixed with paint brush booming with bloom.


----------



## texas skiffaroo (Oct 8, 2013)

Whitebassfisher said:


> Not only did she have a keeper, you do too!


Your right she is Italian and a great cook.
She enjoyed your post.


----------



## Catfish-hunter (Aug 23, 2013)

Congrats! Hey,I don't keep any of those species unless I have a friend fishing with me that knows the difference. Also hybrids can have striper stripes. Disbelievers, look it up. Hybrids can breed "true".Have to count the top fin rays if don't know what the tooth patches are supposed to look like. Can't remember the number. Last year,a lot of undersized hybrids were kept not knowing.


----------



## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

Female White Bass. Congrats!


----------



## texas skiffaroo (Oct 8, 2013)

tbone2374 said:


> Female White Bass. Congrats!


Yep. 
Did some studying today and it is a nice white bass.
After looking back and forth at the tpwd site and comparing with our photo.
The stripper body is much more slender.
Good learning experience.
Thanks for everyone's help.


----------



## AggieBB (Feb 10, 2013)

Yep definitely a white bass, a nice one too. I fish Somerville weekly for whites and hybrids and have gotten pretty good at telling the difference. Of course most of the hybrids I catch are 5+ pounds so it's a dead giveaway. Also the hybrids I have caught at Somerville have much more pronounced lines and more than one will extend to the tail. Whie bass will have no more than one extending to the tail.


----------



## texas skiffaroo (Oct 8, 2013)

AggieBB said:


> Yep definitely a white bass, a nice one too. I fish Somerville weekly for whites and hybrids and have gotten pretty good at telling the difference. Of course most of the hybrids I catch are 5+ pounds so it's a dead giveaway. Also the hybrids I have caught at Somerville have much more pronounced lines and more than one will extend to the tail. Whie bass will have no more than one extending to the tail.


 Thanks for your input.
Well that's gonna bust CB Aggies bubble that said up front there were no hybrids or strippers stocked in Somerville.


----------



## texas skiffaroo (Oct 8, 2013)

brucevannguyen said:


> How's the blue bonnet doing up there if you dont mind I ask.


 Cat Spring,Texas less than an hour to Somerville.
Hope you are still catching those white bass in Livingston.


----------



## CB Aggie (Jan 7, 2014)

No problem here. You may want to reread what I posted as I said there are no stripers stocked in the lake, only hybrids are. For the most part neither of them can really spawn in most Texas reservoir. Nice picture of the bluebonnets.


----------



## AggieBB (Feb 10, 2013)

Where can I find a lake stocked with strippers?? That's a lake I might want to visit. Lol


----------



## texas skiffaroo (Oct 8, 2013)

CB Aggie said:


> No problem here. You may want to reread what I posted as I said there are no stripers stocked in the lake, only hybrids are. For the most part neither of them can really spawn in most Texas reservoir. Nice picture of the bluebonnets.


Reread, your right about only hybrids, but don't they look alike and I thought they were the same thing.


----------



## nikki (Apr 14, 2011)

Several years ago top biologist had to send fish to a lab to have some type electric test done because they were caught in a NE Tx in a lake never stocked with hybrids. So are there any true experts. I originated the name Frankinfish after the article in Texas Fish and Game. In past 40 years since stocking Somerville I still question a many fish but use the stripes or the fight to be hopefully more accurate. Good Luck.


----------



## Ranger R (Jun 24, 2004)

Looks like a white bass. You must look at tooth patches before guessing. If the tooth patches are close together, then it is a hybrid-striper (stocked at Palmetto bass on Somerville Lake since 1975 to 2013) Palmetto Bass have been stocked annually with the recent exceptions of 2010 and 2012.The original cross (Palmetto Bass) is a female striped bass and a male white bass (marone chrysops)

Id of whites vs palmetto hybrid bass can be found here:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulat...ishing/freshwater-fishing/bass-identification

Stocking History for Somerville:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/action/stock_bywater.php?WB_code=0680


----------



## texas skiffaroo (Oct 8, 2013)

Ranger R said:


> Looks like a white bass. You must look at tooth patches before guessing. If the tooth patches are close together, then it is a hybrid-striper (stocked at Palmetto bass on Somerville Lake since 1975 to 2013) Palmetto Bass have been stocked annually with the recent exceptions of 2010 and 2012.The original cross (Palmetto Bass) is a female striped bass and a male white bass (marone chrysops)
> 
> Id of whites vs palmetto hybrid bass can be found here:
> http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulat...ishing/freshwater-fishing/bass-identification
> ...


Thanks for your help, the hybrid in the tpwd looks closer to the white bass than the striper.
Takes some real tooth patch and stripe studying.
.
Need to catch all three one day and compare. LOL.


----------



## CB Aggie (Jan 7, 2014)

Few lakes have all three. You may have to go to twok for that sort of variety. Rarely can you do it on a lake like livingston etc.


----------

