Striped bass breeding size

[Fly Rod]

Check this web site

Massachusetts Divison of Marine Species Striped Bass Profile - Stripers247.com - Massachusetts Striper Fishing

[RIJIMMY]

Originally Posted by Fly Rod

Check this web site

Massachusetts Divison of Marine Species Striped Bass Profile - Stripers247.com - Massachusetts Striper Fishing

that was great info

[JohnnySaxatilis]

woot- I was off though, 12# female 850K not 30K!.

[Fishoholic]

any truth to what some people say about the really big fish 50+ carry eggs that aren't any good? I've always been skeptical but curious..

[toaster816]

Originally Posted by Fishoholic

any truth to what some people say about the really big fish 50+ carry eggs that aren't any good? I've always been skeptical but curious..

I can't see any truth in this, though I have heard it a lot. To me it seems logical that females will produce eggs until they are no longer capable, at which point they will simply stop producing eggs. Maybe some marine biologists here can chime in.

[FishermanTim]

Originally Posted by Fishoholic

any truth to what some people say about the really big fish 50+ carry eggs that aren't any good? I've always been skeptical but curious..

Well since we'll never really get to know just how big and just how old they can get (because of legal harvesting) there's no way to gauge whether a fish is "sterile" or "barren" after a specific age or size. If you look at poulty, the hens just stop producing eggs after a certain age, so if you were able to translate that to fish terms, as long as the fish produces eggs, she's still capable. Maybe not willing, but capable.

Look at the salmon fisheries. They use broodstock salmon up to a certain age, then release them as part of the stocking program. They haven't stopped producing eggs, just that they have a limited lifespan, so the odds are that they will stop sooner than later.
This brings me back to the lifespan of stripers. Since we really don't know their full lifetime potential, all that we get are speculations.

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

This brings me back to the lifespan of stripers. Since we really don't know their full lifetime potential, all that we get are speculations.

I'm not sure I get your point, but the fact that the largest striped bass are important spawners is NOT speculation (I've posted links multiple times in the past), it is FACT. Killing them hurts us all.

[bucko]

One of my brothers is a retired marine bio chemist who specialized in Larval fish. He told me the big bass produce many more eggs than smaller fish and the eggs are healthy.