At least 54.5 million individuals participated in the sport of fishing in the United States in 2022, up from 52.4 million the previous year. Many American anglers enjoy pursuing game fish, which are saltwater and freshwater species ranging from sharks to mackerel. Several subspecies of bass rank among the most popular catches in the US, including white bass, black bass, and striped bass.
White bass is a small freshwater fish, one of the more numerous game fish in the US. Striped bass, larger and more physically challenging to catch, typically live in brackish water or saltwater. Anglers harvested about 3.8 million pounds of striped bass from state waters valued at $13.5 million in 2022, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries.
NOAA describes Atlantic striped bass as having "stout bodies" marked by several horizontal stripes on either side. The fish is typically light green, olive, or steel blue, though dark brown and black striped bass are also common. They have long lives for fish, living up to 30 years, and can grow up to five feet and 77 pounds. Striped bass generally are prey only to humans, seals, and sharks.
Striped bass are anadromous, spending most of their adult lives in saltwater but traveling back to freshwater to reproduce. Migrations to and from freshwater breeding grounds take place in the spring. Smaller striped bass can live in freshwater year-round. Juvenile bass on the East Coast spend two to four years in estuaries before venturing into the Atlantic Ocean. Further inland, it is not unusual for striped bass to spend most of their adult lives in freshwater rivers.
When it comes to fishing for striped bass in the US, anglers must stay abreast of the latest fishing management regulations, which the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission controls. Commercial legislation impacting striped bass angling includes the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act and the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which outline a management structure for industrial and recreational striped bass fishing.
Anglers should also familiarize themselves with a few strategies for striped bass fishing. Striped bass tend to respond to live bait that can be found in the local environment, including smaller fish. Scientists describe striped bass as voracious eaters that will go after many types of bait, from eels to sandworms, so anglers should be prepared to hook striped bass even if they are targeting other species.
Striped bass is only one of several bass species among the most popular game fish in North America. The black bass family features two of the most notable game fish in North America: largemouth and smallmouth bass. Formerly, largemouth bass were found only in the Eastern US, from the Hudson Bay and the Great Lakes down to Mississippi and parts of the American South and Southeast. In recent years, however, the species has entered many locations throughout the nation. Smallmouth bass, one of the most tenacious fighters, usually avoid warm waters and do not live as far south. Their favored habitats include cool, fast-running streams and rivers.
